Research Initiation Award Grant: SONAS: Social Network Analysis and Simulation Systems

North Carolina A&T State University's project entitled: Research Initiation Award - SONAS: Social Network Analysis and Simulation Systems, proposes to study different social networks and develop a web-based Social Network Analysis and Simulation (SONAS) system. The goals of this research are: to develop a social network analysis and simulation system, construct a large national input-output (IO) financial network based on Bureau of Economic Analysis data; utilize the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Health Statistics data to create a National Health Statistics Network; develop a network reduction algorithm to enhance the performance of the SONAS system; and investigate network dynamics by developing a self-evolving network environment.

The project will increase the understanding of social network properties of people and computers from both computational and social perspectives. The national health statistics network will lay a foundation for detailed analysis in matrix formulations with corresponding network flows. The merger of the national health network with the national economic network will be of importance not just for the network analysis in this project, but also to connect the continuous group theory, Markov theory, and network topology to a well-defined mathematical foundation and structure.

The educational objectives of the project are: to establish a modern Social Network Simulation Laboratory at North Carolina A&T State University; to recruit, train, and mentor motivated undergraduate students in social network analysis and simulations; and to attract underrepresented students to pursue a career in computer science.