Arthur Saul Iberall

Arthur S. Iberall (1918-2002) was a theoretical physics who developed a theory of complex systems called homeokinetics. He was a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a Distinguished Annual Lecturer Biomedical Engineering Society. Dr. Iberall received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Ohio State in recognition of his impressive achievements in interdisciplinary scientific research. Dr. Iberall consulted for the Army, NASA, Department of Transportation, Army Research Office, Navy, and Air Force. For many years, he worked at the National Bureau of Standards and the ARO Equipment Corp before becoming Chief Scientist at the Rand Development Corp. As an invited visiting scholar at UCLA, Dr. Iberall became involved in defining the physics and nonlinear mathematics of complex physical systems such as living and social systems, in showing how information flow occurs in complex systems.

"Complex systems are found in nature, life, humankind, mind, and society. In common with their simpler counterparts, complex systems exhibit rest phases, smooth or creeping flows, turbulence, and chaotic phases; they alternate in storminess and placidity, and in their intermittence and changeability. It is the hierarchical character of such systems, with both side-side and in-out component processes, that interest us."