Dr Ruth E Falconer

Ruth E FalconerLecturer in Modelling and Visualization

E: r.falconer@abertay.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)1382 308459

General Information

Research Interests

  • Generally modelling and visualization of complex systems. I have applied various modelling approaches to understand how systems work and these range from PDE's, Cellular Automata and Agent Based Models. A general theme that runs through the projects is sustainability...from soils to cities and beyond! We use visualisations to help understand these complex systems, as well as a tool for public engagement. Characterization and quantification of the complexity is also an interest. Some of the tools developed can be described as visual simulations that run with updates to the 3D interface in real-time e.g urban and rural visual simulations. The models developed that describe how fungi grow and respond to the soil environment are too computationally demanding to support a real-time 3D graphic representative of the model output. These visualisations are therefore created offline. As the data from simulations becomes vast, for example multiple 3D scalar fields representing microbial distribution, soil architecture and moisture distribution, it is necessary to utilise clever visualisation techniques that allow the display of multivariate data in a useful and effective way. The weave visualisation technique which captures the sustainability of the buildings, delivered by computational models, is a nice example of this. Since we use the GPU and programmable pipline we can update the texture in real time which reflects changes in the sustainability and apply this to the 3D models. Specific projects outlined below:
    • Modelling fungal growth and community dynamics in soil and wood sytems, below are some model output and visualisations.
      • Visualisation of model output of fungal interactions in a CT scanned soil;
    • Modelling urban, rural and regional sustainability
      • Visualisation of sustainability assessment information overlay on 3D virtual representation of proposed urban development;
    • Application of biological metaphors in enginneered systems
  • All of the above research projects have a core visualisation element. Where a suitable visualisation package does not exist I am interested in bespoke visualisation tools. The images above were produced using the latest GPU techniques in order to render large dataset at interactive framerates.

    • Groups associated with:

    • SAGES
    • EmergeNET http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/emergenet/whatisemergenet/
    • Institute of Physics
    • Information Visualisation society
    • Sustainabilty Assessment Visualisation and Enhancement - http://save.abertay.ac.uk/pubs.htm

    Current MPhil & PhD Students

    • John Isaacs - Urban Sustainability see http://www.scityvt.co.uk/index.php
    • Chris Mcreadie - SimSAGES
    • Eilidh McAdams - Application of biological principles to critical infrastructures
    • Jennifer Gilford - Promoting Interest in Soil Sustainability Issues Using Interactive Virtual Environments
    • Pajor, Radek - Effect of soil structure on fungal dynamics

    Current MSc Students

    • Christopher Nater - SMIVE: SIMBIOS CT scan visualisations in the HIVE
    • Sean Donnelly - Evaluation and implementation of atmospheric light scattering in a real time application

    Teaching Interests

    • 3D graphics programming and scientific visualisation
    • Programming
    • Numerical methods and statistics

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    Videos

    Deadlock: A simulation of two fungi competing in a 3D soil structure. Due to the limitations on the physical architecture of soil (not shown) the movement of the fungi becomes deadlocked. Watch Video

    Poro033: A simulation of two competing fungi on a 2D environment. Watch Video

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    Published Papers

    1. John P. Isaacs, Daniel J. Gilmour, David J. Blackwood, Ruth E. Falconer (2011) Immersive and Non immersive 3D virtual city: Decision support tool for urban sustainability, Journal of Information Technology in Construction (ITcon), Vol. 16, pg. 151-162, http://www.itcon.org/2011/10
    2. Ruth E. Falconer, James L. Bown, Nia A. White & John W. Crawford (2010). Linking individual behaviour to community scale patterns in fungi. Fungal Ecology. 4(1): pp.76-82.
    3. Falconer RE, Bown JL, McAdam E, Perez-Reche P, Sampson AT, van den Bulcke J and White NA, (2010) Modelling fungal colonies and communities: challenges and opportunities. IMA Fungus Volume 1 No.2: 155-159.
    4. Kravchenko, A, R. Falconer, D. Grinev, and W. Otten. (2010). Fungal colonization in soils of contrasting managements: modelling fungal growth in 3D pore volumes of undisturbed soil samples. Ecological Applications, (In Press).
    5. Pajor, R., Falconer, R., Hapca, S., and W. Otten. (2010). Modelling and quantifying the effect of heterogeneity in soil physical conditions on fungal growth. Biogeosciences, 7, 3731-3740, 2010.
    6. Pajor, R., Falconer, R., Hapca, S., and W. Otten. (2010). Modelling and quantifying the effect of heterogeneity in soil physical conditions on fungal growth. Biogeosciences Discussion, 7, 3477-3501.
    7. Kravchenko A, Falconer R, Grinev D, Otten W. (2010). Effect of soil management on pore geometry and the implication for fungal invasion and interactions. In: Gilkes RJ, Prakongkep N, editors. Proceedings of the 19th World Congress of Soil Science; Soil Solutions for a Changing World; ISBN 978-0-646-53783-2; Published on DVD; http://www.iuss.org; 2010 Aug 1-6. Brisbane, Australia: IUSS; 2010, pp. 33- 36
    8. Isaacs, J., Falconer, R., Blackwood, D. & Gilmour, D. (2010) Enhancing urban sustainability using 3D visualisation. Urban Design and Planning. (In Press)
    9. Bown, J., Fee, K., Sampson, A., Shovman, M., Falconer, R., Goltsov, A., Issacs, J., Robertson, P., Scott-Brown, K., and Szymkowiak, A. (2010). Information visualisation and the arts-science-social science interface. Proceedings of the First International Conference on Intelligent Interactive Technologies and Multimedia pp9-17, ACM
    10. Tinku Rasheed, Emma Hart, James Bown, Ruth E. Falconer (2010). Symbiotic Cognitive Networks: A Proposal. Artificial Immune Systems, 9TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, ICARIS 2010, EDINBURGH, UK, JULY 26-29, PROCEEDINGS: 326-328
    11. Ruth E. Falconer, James L. Bown, Nia A. White & John W. Crawford (2008). Modelling Interactions in Fungi; The Royal Society Interface. 5(23).
    12. Ruth E. Falconer, James L. Bown, Nia A. White & John W. Crawford (2007). Biomass Recycling: a key to efficient foraging; Oikos, 116 ( 9): 1558-1568.
    13. J. M. Blair, R. E. Falconer, A. C. Milne, I.M. Young, and J. W. Crawford (2007) Modeling Three-Dimensional Microstructure in Heterogeneous Media. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J; 71: 1807-1812.
    14. Ruth E. Falconer, James L. Bown, Nia A. White & John W. Crawford , 2005. Biomass Recycling and the origin of phenotype in fungal mycelia. - Proc. Roy. Soc B. Lond. 272: 1727-1734.
    15. John Isaacs, Dr David Blackwood, Dr Ruth Falconer, Mr Daniel Gilmour. (2007) The Role of Modelling and Visualisation in Effective Sustainability Assessment. – Refereed Paper at Sue – Mot Conference, Caledonia University, Glasgow 2007.
    16. John Isaacs, Ruth Falconer and David Blackwood (2008) "A Unique Approach to Visualising Sustainability in the Built Environment," VIS International Conference Visualisation. pp. 3-10.
    17. Ruth E. Falconer, J. Bown. E. Hart and J. Timmis (2008). A New Paradigm for SpeckNets: Inspiration from Fungal Colonies Second IEEE International Conference on Self-Adaptive and Self-Organizing Systems Workshops p 90-95.

    Invited talks

  • Centre for Emergent Computing. Edinburgh Napier University. 11th Feb 2009.
  • European Geoscience Union in Soils Complex and Non Linear Systems theme. Modelling fungal growth in heterogeneous soil: analyses of the effect of soil physical structure on fungal community dynamics. 22nd April 2009.
  • Perada summer school. Bio-inspired Models Ruth E Falconer, University of Abertay Dundee, UK Emma Hart, Centre for Emergent Computing, Edinburgh Napier University, UK Ben Paechter, Centre for Emergent Computing, Edinburgh Napier University, UK. September 2008.

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    Grantsmanship

    • 2009 - Present ANR, France, £671,902. Multiscale Modelling and Emergent Properties of Microbial degradation of Soil Organic Matter. Co-Investigator
    • 2008 - Present, “ 3D visualisation tool for understanding the effect of land management decisions on the sustainability of urban/rural interface (Scottish Alliance of Geoscience, Environment and Society): SAGES £50K, PI
    • 2009 - Date Co-investigator Sustainability Enhancement and Visualisation of Dundee Waterfront, for Dundee City Council, (£40,000)
    • 2008 - Date Co-investigator DC Noise - Demographic Change: New opportunities in shrinking Europe, EU Interreg project (UAD share £102,000)
    • 2007 - Present Co- Investigator on the EPSRC project "Biological metaphors and crisis: building self healing, emergence and resilience into critical infrastructures" (EP/E062865).
    • 2008 - Date Co-investigator Phosphates Life Cycle Management, for UK Water Industry Research Limited. Lead Researchers - Consultants Atkins Ltd, (UAD share (£15,000)
    • 2007 - Date Co-Investigator for developing an interactive visualisation tool for sustainability of urban developments (SCity VT) (UAD funded £50K)
    • BBSRC Public engagement with Science Award, 2004, “Inside Nature”, £1200
    • Scottish International Educational Trust, 2004, “Modelling 2-dimensional fungal growth through porous silicone ”, £1450
    • Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, 2005, “ Towards a framework investigating the ecology of fungal communities ”, Travel grant, £640
    • Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, 2007, “Relating soil metrics to function of termite mounds”, £1100
    • Norman Fraser Design Trust, 2007, “Development of a fungal-inspired information network protocol”, Feasibility Study, £4,500

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