The academic field of network science received a big boost on Tuesday when Upenn announced a five-year, $7.5 million grant from the Office of Naval Research for multidisciplinary study of networks.  The school’s statement reflects the diverse nature of networks, emphasizing their role in online social networking, politics, energy, and finance.  In addition to studying human behavior, the grant will also be used to address issues of “social aggregation phenomena in networks of species such as flocking in birds and schooling in fish.”

Penn’s Dr. Michael Kearns is quoted saying that “Network science is something that is still in its infancy.”  The irony of the announcement is that considering the ways that elite schools monitor each others activity, Penn’s new networks funding is bound to spark increased competition in the network science field and perpetuate its reputation as a “hot topic” in academia.  This extra attention may lead to more grant money and university funds creating a cascade of new networks research.