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Jay Forrester is professor emeritus of Management in System Dynamics at the MIT Sloan School of Management.A pioneer in early digital computer development and a member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Professor Forrester invented random-access magnetic-core memory during the first wave of modern computers. He also pioneered the growing field of system dynamics. His research focuses on the…

On July 10 and 11, 2024, the village of Plainfield was hit hard by flooding that washed out roads, bridges, houses and apartments, the second major flooding event in as many years. After a deluge of rain, the Great Brook was raging with trees and rocks when it demolished the Mill Street Bridge and two-thirds of a historic apartment building that locals call the “Heartbreak Hotel.” Five cats died,…

Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, Spring of 1977. In this lecture, Donella Meadows takes on a more philosophical concept. How can we bring ourselves to be aware of the assumptions we make as systems thinkers? She asserts that models are a set of assumptions. Donella Meadows defines some of these system dynamics assumptions (such as causal relationships and feedback loops) in this video.

Our survival depends on water, yet global reserves are rapidly shrinking. It’s now replaced oil as the most likely cause of global conflict. Can technology help secure humanity’s future water needs?Watch more from The Future With Hannah Fry