The Center for the Study of Complex Systems is proud to recognize the winners of this semester’s Agent-Based Modeling Poster Competition, where students showcased the research they developed throughout the term in CMPLXSYS 270.
Taking first place with 30 weighted votes, Samantha Mazza and Natalie Vogt impressed the complex systems community with their project, “The Science of Lines: Simulating Theme Park Queues.” Their work stood out not only for its creativity, but for its ability to connect complex systems modeling to a familiar, real-world environment.
“One thing I really like about the course was that it explored so many different disciplines and could be applied in a wide range of contexts,” Natalie shared. “We focused on theme parks for our project, while others explored topics like the spread of diseases or environmental policy. It was really interesting to see how the same underlying concepts could be used to understand such a variety of real world systems.”
Their model, inspired by the layout of Cedar Point, helped translate abstract computational ideas into something tangible. “The theme park concept was cool because we were able to model it off the map of Cedar Point,” Natalie added. “That really helped bridge the gap between building a model on a computer and being able to apply it to a real life situation.”
For Samantha, the flexibility of the project was a highlight. “When I heard we would be able to pick our own systems to model for our final projects, I was really excited for the opportunity to do a project involving something I was already interested in,” she said. “I have always enjoyed theme parks and been curious about all of the planning and thoughtful design that goes into them.”
Their work went beyond surface-level simulation, diving into human behavior and decision-making. “While trying to implement our theme park queueing model, we had to think about how people make decisions and how the surrounding park layout and attractions might influence those decisions,” Samantha explained. “I think both of us found these decision-making processes super fun to explore and unpack.”
The competition also featured a range of compelling projects tackling diverse real-world challenges through a complex systems lens:
- 2nd Place (26 weighted votes): Leela Anderson — “Social and Economic Effects on Pollution Regulation”
- 3rd Place (22 weighted votes): Aaryan Srivastava — “GOTV or Persuasion? What Should Campaigns Focus on in Swing States?”
- 4th Place (21 weighted votes): Kristine Lara — “How Leadership Style Affects Productivity in Organizations”
From theme parks to public policy, this year’s competition highlighted the power of complex systems to explore, explain, and model the world around us. Congratulations to all participants for their thoughtful and innovative work.
If you missed the event, feel free to stop by our office on the 7th floor of Weiser Hall to check out all of the posters up close.
