Previous work in artificial life has explored emergence and how simple behaviors of autonomous creatures can lead to complex group patterns. In his 1987 Siggraph paper, Craig Reynolds presented research on "Flocks, Herds and Schools: A Distributed Behavioral Model" in which he used boids to model natural organisms' flocking behavior. Mitch Resnick has created a programming language, Starlogo,  aimed at high school students in which the user is capable of modeling life systems and exploring emergence through the use of multiple Logo "turtles." We want to investigate the work already done, presenting our findings in a paper, as well as creating our own educational tool that will allow younger students to explore emergence and decentralized patterns in schools of fish.

    Similarly to the Virtual Fish Tank exhibit at the Computer Museum of Boston, students will be able to modify the fish behavior and rules of interactions. The students will then be able to watch the fish interact with other fish in the virtual pond, and see how simple autonomous behavior can give rise to complex interactions within the school.