The NetLogo Center will host its first user conference June 29th - July 1st, 2026 in Chicago! See below for registration information.

The conference’s purpose is to bring together the diverse communities of NetLogo users and agent-based modelers to share, learn, make connections, and have fun. It is intended for users and modelers in education, academic and applied research, art, and business; and to bring together beginners and experienced users.

Registration

Registration is for the full three day conference and includes lunch. We want everyone to be able to participate. If the registration fee is a concern, please reach out to [email protected].

The registration page includes four drop downs with workshop options. The descriptions of them are below.

Due to UIC campus rules, we cannot allow minors (under age 18) at the conference.

Venue

The conference will be at the Student Center East building of the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) campus, at 750 South Halsted Street, Chicago. Low-cost dormitory lodging will be available at the nearby Academic and Residential Complex, 940 West Harrison Street.

This venue is a very close to public transportation and easy to reach by train from both Chicago airports. Chicago’s Greek Town and Little Italy neighborhoods are adjacent to campus, and the downtown Loop is just over a mile (~2 km) away. See below for transportation information.

Lodging

We are offering low-cost accommodation for the conference through UIC Campus Housing (ranging from $68 to $141 / night). Single and shared rooms in the Academic and Residential Center (ARC) are available. The ARC is on W. Harrison Street between S. Morgan and Peoria streets, a very short walk from the UIC Halsted stop on the Blue Line rapid transit train (which runs to O'Hare Airport) and two short blocks from the meeting venue. Space is limited, so please make your reservation early. Make reservations directly with UIC Campus Housing through this web site. If you have any questions about housing or making your reservation, please contact UIC at [email protected].

You are of course free to arrange your own lodging.

Events

Keynote speakers

We are very excited to have three great keynote speakers:

• Professor Uri Wilensky, creator of NetLogo
• Professor Josh Epstein, founding Director of the NYU Agent-Based Modeling Laboratory
• Professor Moira Zellner, Director of Participatory Modeling and Data Science, Northeastern University.

Contributed presentations, posters, and demonstrations

Conference participants will present their work orally or in a poster/demonstration session. The deadline has closed for submitting proposals to present.

Workshops

Researchers and teachers can attend any workshops they want, but we've divided them by which audience we think they are most relevant to.

Researcher-focused workshops

Sensitivity Analysis of ABMs - Taught by Kristin Crouse
A sensitivity analysis examines how changes in model parameters affect model outcomes. Participants will learn practical skills for performing sensitivity analyses through hands-on activities. Topics include selecting appropriate parameter ranges, deciding how to sample the parameter space, applying local and global sensitivity approaches, measuring output qualitatively and quantitatively, and interpreting results to assess model behavior.

Getting Started with an Agent-based Model: Strategies for Making Crucial Design Decisions - Taught by Steve Railsback
Designing an agent-based model (ABM) that is “as simple as possible, but not simpler” is critical but challenging. Models that start out too complex often are never finished and always are difficult to analyze and understand; but too-simple models are uninteresting and unlikely to be useful. This workshop will present a set of strategies, centered around “pattern-oriented modeling,” for designing models that have the right entities and agents, variables, behaviors and mechanisms, and scales to be useful without excess complexity; and for providing a clear and reproducible basis for design decision. The workshop will combine lectures, demonstrations, and group exercises, using several examples from ecology and other fields.

Model Verification - Testing NetLogo Code - Taught by Jonathan Magnolia Gilligan
This workshop will introduce testing and model verification in NetLogo. Even the best programmers regularly make errors writing code, and rigorous testing for errors is an important part of software development and scientific computing. We will review categories of errors that you may encounter while designing and coding models, and testing methods for detecting errors and verifying that your model code does what you intend. Testing methods will include visual inspection of the model view and agent monitors; printing output to the Command Center; stress testing models to check how they perform with extreme parameter values; statistical analysis of model output; independent implementation of submodels; and unit testing. A large part of the workshop will focus on unit testing, in which each procedure, reporter, or submodel is tested for correct and consistent operation, and agents (turtles, patches, and links) are tested for internal consistency. We will then apply these methods to finding and fixing errors in an example model.

Spatial Agent-Based Modeling: A Hands-On Introduction to the NetLogo GIS Extension - taught by Amir Tofighi
In this 80-minute workshop, participants will learn how to connect static spatial data with dynamic agent-based modeling using NetLogo’s GIS extension. The session will begin with a practical demonstration of how real-world GIS datasets can be integrated into the NetLogo environment. Participants will then move into a guided hands-on activity where they will write code to load shapefiles, align coordinate systems, and program agents to interact with geographic boundaries. Whether you are simulating urban traffic patterns or modeling marine biology ecosystems, this workshop will provide foundational skills for bringing agent-based models beyond an abstract grid and into a more realistic spatial context.

From Beginner to Modeler: Teaching Agent-Based Modeling with NetLogo at the BEHAVE Summer School - taught by Francesco Renzini
This workshop presents how NetLogo is used to train the next generation of agent-based modelers at the BEHAVE Summer School. Organized by the BEHAVE Lab of the University of Milan, the school has been held annually in Brescia, Italy during the first two weeks of September for the past twelve years.

The workshop details our approach: we do not simply teach a programming language, but foster the mindset and practices of a modeler. It draws on over a decade of teaching experience, sharing practical strategies for effective learning and addressing common challenges faced by early-career researchers. We also present recent developments enabling advanced Bayesian estimation of NetLogo models using PyABC and BayesFlow via PyNetLogo.

LLMs for agent cognition and evolution: Integrating Large Language Models into NetLogo - taught by Can Gurkan
In this workshop we will introduce participants to the integration of large language models (LLMs) within agent-based modeling using NetLogo. Attendees will be guided through a newly developed NetLogo LLM extension, which enables agents to leverage LLMs for adaptive, context-sensitive decision making. Through a series of interactive demo models, the session will illustrate how LLMs can be embedded into agent behaviors to produce more flexible and expressive dynamics. In addition, the workshop will demonstrate how LLMs can be used as generative tools to construct or evolve agent rules and agent code, thereby enabling the design of adaptive and interpretable rules of agent-based systems. The session is designed to be hands-on and accessible, requiring only familiarity with NetLogo. Participants will leave with practical knowledge and example models that can be directly applied to their own research and modeling workflows.

Writing NetLogo Extensions - taught by Jason Bertsche
NetLogo can be extended by writing extensions in Scala, Java, or another JVM language. Some of the most popular existing extensions include the network extension (nw), the random extension (rnd), and the GIS extension. This workshop will show how to get started with writing extensions if you want to extend NetLogo in other ways.

Both research and teacher focused workshops

Using AI to help create and modify models Taught by John Chen
This hands-on workshop explores how large language models can assist researchers and educators in building and refining agent-based models in NetLogo. Participants need no prior AI experience or software installation: everything runs through a web-based interface. We'll begin with open experimentation, giving everyone time to try prompting AI to generate or modify NetLogo code, followed by a group discussion of what worked, what didn't, and what surprised us. We'll then share a set of curated prompting strategies ("skills") we've developed to improve the quality and reliability of AI-generated NetLogo models. Whether you're a researcher prototyping a new simulation or a teacher looking to quickly adapt classroom models, you'll leave with practical experiences for integrating AI into your NetLogo workflow.

Artful Computing: An Introduction to Teaching Generative Art using NetLogo - taught by Forrest Stonedahl
This hands-on workshop will include highlights from a college course on generative art that I have taught several times, and offer ideas for those who might be interested in teaching their own course (at the middle school, high school, or college level) or short workshop on art using the NetLogo platform. We will introduce the genre of "Generative Art" by first contextualizing it within art history through connections to Dadaism and Conceptualism, and explain the role of the artist and the machine as cocreators of the artwork. Next, we will quickly move on to exploring several examples of how NetLogo can be used as a tool for artistic expression and discovery. Using these tools, workshop participants will engage in hands-on activities and create their own 2-D and 3-D scenes and animations. Several handouts and example files will be included, which you are free to reuse in your own classrooms.

Introduction to NetLogo programming
This workshop will introduce NetLogo programming assuming no prior experience. By the end, participants will understand the basics of the NetLogo language and modeling environment and have constructed a simple model from scratch. We will share resources at the end for continued learning.

Teacher-focused workshops

Curriculum Design and Patch Based Models to explore Computer Science Problem Solving in High School taught by Mike Zamansky
In 1998, Stuyvesant, a selective STEM public school in New York City designed a new Computer Science course. Rather than an advanced elective for self selecting pre-computer scientists, this course was designed for the entire student population and has since become a 10th grade requirement at the school. NetLogo was chosen as one of the implementation languages for a variety of reasons including its interactive nature, its strengths as a modelling environment, and its ability to foreshadow a number of advanced computer science concepts and techniques. In this workshop the creators of Stuyvesant required computer science course will discuss its design, development, and evolution. Participants will also walk through the design and development of two of the course’s more interesting units in the course. One where students use a NetLogo model to build a maze solver and one to perform image processing, including edge detection.

MoDa - Students creating block-based models and comparing them with data - taught by Aditi Wagh
In this 3 hour workshop, participants will get hands-on experience with MoDa, a visual blocks-based programming language built on NetLogo that enables students to build agent-based models of phenomena and compare them with real-world data. MoDa has been designed to support middle school students to build and validate models in science classrooms. In the workshop, participants will be introduced to two middle school classroom-tested units in which they program their own model and validate them using qualitative visual data and quantitative data.

Much.Matter.in.Motion — Learning Chemistry and Physics Through Constructing Models - taught by Sharona Levy
This hands-on workshop introduces participants to Much.Matter.in.Motion (MMM), an agent-based modeling platform designed to help middle and high school students construct computational models of complex physical and chemical systems. Built on NetLogo, MMM lowers the barrier to computational modeling by using a block-based programming environment and organizing model construction into three intuitive segments: properties, actions, and interactions of entities. This enables students to engage in scientific modeling without needing prior programming experience. Participants will explore how MMM's unified framework allows a single modeling structure to apply across diverse phenomena in chemistry and physics, such as gas behavior, diffusion, and electrical systems, helping students recognize deep conceptual connections across topics. Teachers will leave with practical strategies for integrating MMM into existing science curricula, supporting students in developing both conceptual understanding and systems thinking through the construction of computational models.

Integrating Unplugged Activities with NetLogo Models in Science Education - taught by Amanda Peel
This hands-on workshop introduces teachers to practical strategies for integrating computational thinking into science classes by combining unplugged, computer-free activities with NetLogo agent-based models. Participants will explore how foundational algorithm concepts introduced offline can connect naturally to reading and interpreting computational models in science contexts. Teachers will leave with ready-to-use approaches for building students' CT skills without requiring writing code.

Modeling Pedagogy
This workshop will introduce the big ideas of model-based inquiry and modeling pedagogy and then show how those ideas can be embodied in specific lessons. This workshop will be more theoretical than most of the others, but will still contain practical take aways and will pair nicely with other workshops.

Core models for a specific subject (e.g., Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Math, Social Science)
These workshops will introduce models from the NetLogo models library that are relevant to specific subjects and give participants time to explore them, ask questions from NetLogo experts, and then brainstorm and plan how these models could be used in their classrooms.

New modeler forums

These sessions will provide beginning modelers with feedback and advice from experienced modelers. Selected new modelers will present work in progress and identify challenges they are struggling with. Attendees will discuss the problems and make suggestions for progress. (Information on participating is below.)

NetLogo feedback and awards

The final session will provide attendees with the opportunity to make suggestion to and ask questions of the NetLogo development staff. We will also present informal awards in categories such as best presentations in education and research, coolest NetLogo art, and best tip or trick.

Presentation information

• Oral presentations will be 15 minutes with 5 minutes for questions
• Poster presentations will be during a poster session tentatively scheduled for Monday, June 29, at 5:30 pm

Transportation

Public Transportation 
UIC is easily reached by public transportation. The CTA https://www.transitchicago.com/  provides many lines that connect and get you to the many destinations in the city, including Chicago's two main airports (O'Hare and Midway). The Blue Line has a UIC – Halsted stop‚ located about one block north of the Student Center East.

Metra Stations are a short walk or cab ride from campus. These trains come in from the suburbs. Union Station, where commuter and long-distance trains arrive, is about 0.9 mile (1.4 km) from the conference venue.

For detailed directions using CTA‚ Metra‚ or Pace‚ please visit the RTA Chicago website https://www.rtachicago.org/

Driving Directions:
Address:
Student Center East
750 South Halsted Street
Chicago‚ Illinois 60607

Directions
- From the north/O’Hare Airport: Take the Kennedy Expressway‚ I-90 east. Continue on the Kennedy to the Dan Ryan‚ I-90/94 east. Exit at Taylor. Turn right (west) and travel one block to the intersection of Taylor and Halsted. Turn right (north) onto Halsted and travel one-half block.
- From the west: Take the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) to the Racine Avenue exit. Turn right (south) to Harrison Street. Turn left (east) onto Harrison and proceed to Halsted. Turn right (south) and go one block.
- From the east: Take Harrison Street west to Halsted Street and turn (left) south into the campus.
- From the south: Take the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/I-94) and exit on Roosevelt Road. Turn left (west) on Roosevelt Road to Halsted Street; then turn right (north) on Halsted Street to the campus

Parking 
For all events taking place in Student Center East‚ parking is available in the Halsted and Taylor Street Parking Structure (760 West Taylor Street). The entrance to this parking structure is on Taylor Street. Upon entry‚ guests should pull a ticket, and upon exit‚ guests will insert this ticket into the pay station to pay the appropriate total (cash‚ debit cards‚ and credit cards are accepted at this lot). Cost is $15 for the day.

Future Announcements

Future announcements about the conference will be made on the netlogo.org Announcements page, on the forum, and on this page. We will also send them by email to anyone who has registered already.

Sponsors

Many thanks to our generous sponsors for helping make this conference a reality:

• Old Dominion University - Engineering Management and Systems Engineering
• NC State University Institute for Advanced Analytics