Virtual Poster: SOC Poster Session (Virtual 1) (Virtual) on Thursday, July 16, 2026, 5:45 AM
Room: Virtual Room Main
Thread: Learning and Teaching
Duration: 60 minutes
Chairs: Vishnudas Kulangara Veettil, Serinmary Pulikkottil Rejimon
Support: Thilanka Ariyawansha
From Aral Sea Shrinkage to Rising Respiratory Illness in Uzbekistan: A System Dynamics Approach 1950–present
Presenter: Aynura Erejepbaeva
Keywords: Environment and Resources
The Aral Sea, once the third largest inland lake in the world, has been shrinking since the 1950s due to large-scale Soviet irrigation projects that diverted the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers (Anchita et al., 2021; Gaybullaev et al., 2012). This environmental degradation has increased the area of exposed seabed, which contributes to higher levels of air and water pollution that are often associated with increasing respiratory illness, such as asthma and bronchitis, in Uzbekistan and the rest of Central Asia. While there is literature on the environmental and health consequences of the Aral Sea Crisis, few studies have looked at the intersection of these issues from a dynamic systems approach. This project develops a system dynamics model to explore the relationship among Aral Sea water volume, exposed seabed area, pollution exposure, and respiratory illness over a century period. This model aims to illustrate how large-scale environmental degradation can worsen ecology and health of Uzbekistan. By linking environmental change to health outcomes, this work serves as a discussion piece to understand how man-made disasters, such as the loss of a sea, could impact the health of millions and inform future discussions on the environmental-health interactions in Central Asia.
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Repurposing Farmland to Solar Farm: A Strategy to Reduce Groundwater Extraction
Presenters: Samaneh Saeidinaeini, Saeed Langarudi, Ali Bagheri
Keywords: Environment and Resources
Many aquifers worldwide are experiencing long-term declines because groundwater withdrawals exceed their natural recharge capacity. Excessive water extraction not only increases the vulnerability of the aquifer system but also threatens irrigated agriculture in arid regions such as Rafsanjan, Iran. Analysis of annual groundwater extraction and declining groundwater level trends in Rafsanjan reveals increasing vulnerability of this aquifer. In addition, declining water availability has led to the loss of pistachio orchards and economic vulnerability among farmers in this region. This study aims to investigate the potential of solar energy development to facilitate farmland retirement and reduce groundwater extraction as part of a water demand management strategy. The financial feasibility assessment indicates that solar energy generation can be more profitable than pistachio farming. However, the high initial investment and limited transmission grid capacity remain major barriers to this repurposing. Field visits and many interviews with different stakeholders were conducted to understand the socio-economic context of this strategy, which led to the development of a conceptual water–energy–agriculture nexus model. The next phase of this research will focus on developing a system dynamics model that integrates hydrological, economic, and behavioral factors to evaluate the potential of repurposing farmland for solar energy generation as a strategy to reduce groundwater extraction while offsetting economic losses associated with farmland retirement.
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Participatory Modeling and Organizational Transformation in Secondary Education: A Community-Based System Dynamics (CBSD) Appro
Presenters: Bernardo Rey Moreno, Jorge Andrick Parra Valencia
Keywords: Learning and Teaching
The Institución Educativa El Tobal has promoted the development of research projects in the eleventh grade as a strategy to strengthen scientific competencies and critical thinking. However, the absence of a defined institutional research line and clear methodological parameters has led to thematic dispersion, conceptual fragmentation, and a significant workload for teachers. This article presents the application of Community-Based System Dynamics (CBSD) as a participatory methodology to structure the organizational problem associated with such dispersion. The study was conducted up to the stage of identifying and prioritizing critical variables. The results show that the dispersion does not stem from a lack of commitment, but rather from the absence of clear systemic boundaries, articulation mechanisms, and shared institutional criteria. It is concluded that CBSD enables the transformation of isolated perceptions into a structural understanding of the problem, thereby laying a solid foundation for future interventions.
Global Logistics Framework for Colombian Medicinal Plants
Presenters: Ankur Priyadarshan, Ana Luisa Borges Silva, Linnette F. Alvarez Melo
Keywords: Business and Strategy
Latin America is one of the world’s most biodiverse regions and possesses significant potential to supply medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) such as Passiflora incarnata and Calendula officinalis, as global demand for natural remedies continues to expand. However in countries such as Colombia, SMEs remain underrepresented in global trade due to fragmented, low-coordination logistics systems and limited institutional alignment. This study addresses that gap by developing a System Dynamics-based logistics framework tailored to SME conditions, aiming to support consistent, cost-effective and quality-preserving exports. The methodology follows an approach structured into five sequential stages: stakeholder mapping, data collection and analysis, framework development, sensitivity analysis and validation. Each stage contributes to the overall framework by integrating literature insights with empirical evidence from SME interviews and field observations, ensuring a structured and practical approach that bridges theory to real challenges faced by Colombian exporters. The framework developed in this study extends beyond Colombia. Many emerging economies producing MAPs face similar barriers: institutional fragmentation, inconsistent quality systems, low SME bargaining power and logistics unreliability. Because the System Dynamics approach emphasizes structural behaviour rather than context-specific parameters, the model is fully scalable to other MAP species and to other geographies where smallholder-led natural product value chains struggle to integrate into global markets.
Why SMEs in Argentina Stop Growing: Marketing and Communication as the New Sales System.
Presenter: Juan Padilla
Keywords: Business and Strategy
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) represent more than 99.4% of total registered companies in Argentina , yet they are going through a crisis of chronic stagnation. This paper analyzes the underlying causes of this operational and financial paralysis through a dual focus. Methodologically, the research quantifies the severe exogenous restrictions of the environment and employs System Dynamics to model the endogenous structures and behavioral archetypes that limit scalability. The results reveal a hostile ecosystem marked by tax asphyxiation , a bureaucratic burden consuming 900 hours per year , and severe financial restriction. Simultaneously, through the "Growth and Underinvestment" and "Success to the Successful" archetypes , the study demonstrates how conservative mental models and the avoidance of structural investment in intangible assets generate severe organizational bottlenecks. It is concluded that, while a public agenda oriented toward mitigating macroeconomic barriers is imperative , the survival of the sector requires an internal paradigm shift. Marketing and communication must consolidate as the central infrastructure of revenue generation to build symbolic value and community , demonstrating that surviving in the contemporary economy does not depend strictly on having greater transactional efficiency to "sell more," but on building the reputation to "be chosen more".