For the Public

Science of Intelligence Fair 2023

The first conference and exhibition of the Cluster of Excellence Science of Intelligence (SCIoI) in Berlinwas held in September 2023. Leading experts from science and politics, as well as journalists and the broader public came together to discuss the diverse facets of intelligence research. From individual, social, and collective principles of intelligence to the ethics

Thursday Morning Talk

Conor Heins, “Collective behavior from surprise minimization”

MAR 2.057

Abstract:  Collective motion is a familiar sight in nature; groups of distinct, self-propelled individuals appear to move as a coherent whole, exhibiting a rich behavioral repertoire that ranges from directed movement to milling to disordered swarming. Biological collective motion is an emergent phenomenon that is the result of self-organization, whereby macroscopic patterns arise from decentralized,

PI Lecture

Rasha Abdel Rahman (Science of Intelligence), “How intelligent is visual perception?”

MAR 2.057

Abstract: Visual perception is shaped by the input from our physical environment and by expectations derived from our sensory experience with the visual world. But is what we see also influenced by higher cognitive capacities such as memories, language, semantic knowledge or (true or false) beliefs? And if so, what are the consequences on how

PI Lecture

Jens Krause (Science of Intelligence), “Collective Behaviour and Collective Memory”

MAR 2.057

Abstract:  The idea that animal groups can have collective memories has been raised a number of times in different contexts. The information centre hypothesis predicts that communal roosts allow for information exchange between individuals so that successful foragers, for example, can be followed by others to promising sites. A different approach to collective memory has

External Event

Airbound: Sensing Collective Futures

CLB BERLIN Prinzenstraße 84.2, Berlin, Germany

  From molecule to atmosphere: the global climate crisis and the possible futures of our coexistence will be decided by means of air. We are »airbound« – bound through air. How can we create a sense of what is coming? And what will connect us in the future? The exhibition »Airbound« features climate fictions and

For the Public

Intercluster Science Slam at Berlin Science Week

On 2 November we will be back: the seven Berlin Excellence Clusters are organizing another science slam for the Berlin Science Week 2023. Last year’s great success demonstrated what a fun event it is and how much interest there is in the research areas of the seven Excellence Clusters. Make sure not to miss Berlin’s

Thursday Morning Talk

Daniela Vallentin (MPI for Biological Intelligence), “Neural mechanisms of vocal learning and production in songbirds”

MAR 2.057

Daniela Vallentin is a neuroscientist and currently the Lise Meitner Reseach Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, heading the 'Neural Circuits for Vocal Communication' Group whose objective is to explore the neural circuits driving skilled motor learning and orchestrating the coordination of precise movements by working with songbirds. Due to the

PI Lecture

Pawel Romanczuk (Science of Intelligence), “Collective behavior – quid est?”

MAR 2.057

Collective behavior is a generic term used across many different fields and context, and thus it can refer to very different kind of collective phenomena exhibited by animal and human collectives, such as collective locomotion, collective decision making or behavioral contagion processes. In this lecture, I will try to give a classification of different types

For the Public

Berlin Science Week 2023 – David Bierbach, “From chaos to order: How large collectives benefit from being in a critical state between complete disorder and strong structure”

SCIoI member David Bierbach showcases the RoboFish demonstrator and invited the audience to explore collective behaviour and its connection to robotics and artificial intelligence. Inspired by the rules that shape fish and bird swarms, the project that underlies this demonstrator explores the complexities of social interactions. The robotic fish integrates itself into groups of live