Orly Stetiner (Kramash)

Orly (Kramash) Stetiner is the Head of Science and Technology Department at CET. She is also a photographer and genealogy researcher who edits and manages the website of the Siedlce Organization in Israel (http://www.siedlce.org.il).

Her doctoral research, "The Life Code: Computer Simulations of Emergent Phenomena in Complex Biological Systems," examined the scientific value of dynamic computer simulations in two key aspects: their ability to scientifically explain biological phenomena, and their capacity to generate new emergent phenomena (structure or behavior) that enable prediction or hypothesis generation about parallel real-world phenomena. The research was based on in-depth analysis of three advanced and complex computer simulations demonstrating the emergence of new properties, characteristics, or behaviors not pre-planned or pre-programmed in the computational models. The research revealed that simulations possess a kind of "independent life," characterized by complexity, creativity, and dynamic interactive computational power that may exceed the standard computational capabilities of a Turing machine. These properties, as proven in the research, combined with various considerations in the simulation development process and its user interface, enable the creation of new properties and unexpected behaviors. These can serve as a basis for scientific hypotheses and follow-up research in actual laboratory conditions. The verification and validation processes embedded in the simulations, alongside the utility and contribution of the models to scientific discourse and the accumulated reliability of the implemented methods, ultimately establish the simulations' scientific credibility and significance.