INFORMS News: 2011 ORSEA Conference set for Nairobi
The Operations Research Society of Eastern Africa (ORSEA) will host ORSEA 2011, the 7th of its annual conferences, at the Kenyatta International Conference Center (http://www.kicc.co.ke/) in Nairobi, Oct. 13-14. The conference is the premier operations research event in Eastern Africa, and this year’s theme of “The Role of Operations Research in the National Visions within the East African Community (EAC) and Regional Integration” will attract many operations researchers from the EAC countries of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. Participants from other African countries as well as Europe, North America, South America, Asia and the Pacific Rim are also expected to participate.
Among other initiatives, this year’s conference will feature the first INFORMS/IFORS/ORSEA International Teaching Effectiveness Colloquium. The colloquium, the sixth in the annual series of International Teaching Effectiveness Colloquia jointly supported by INFORMS and IFORS, is the first joint effort with the ORSEA. The colloquium will be organized and chaired by Gituro Wainaina (wainainagituro@yahoo.com or wainainagituro@vision2030.go.ke). The program will consist of workshops on innovative approaches to O.R. education by renowned educators from all over the world and will provide opportunities to exchange ideas across cultures to those deeply interested in O.R. education.
ORSEA Chairman Professor Isaac Mbeche of the University of Nairobi hopes conference delegates from outside the region will spend a few extra days in Kenya prior to or after the Oct. 13-14 conference in order to fully appreciate the beauty of Kenya. If a delegate is interested in wildlife watching, hiking and nature safaris, a visit to one of the nation’s many celebrated national parks will fill the bill. Do you want a beachfront vacation? Kenya’s Indian Ocean beaches are among the most peaceful, remote and beautiful beaches in the world (Lamu Island is a particularly popular getaway). Cultural interaction can be experienced through the diverse cultures, ways of life and traditions of the Maasai, Samburu and 42 other Kenyan communities.
The ORSEA 2011 Local Organizing Committee, led by ORSEA Chairman Mbeche, encourages broad engagement in this conference by individuals from outside the EAC region. For more information about ORSEA 2011, contact the Organizing Committee by e-mail at orsea@uonbi.ac.ke or admin@orsea.net or by telephone +254722255279. You can also visit the official ORSEA Conference website (http://www.orsea.net/) for further information, periodic updates and registration details.
— Stephen Nyamwange and Gituro Wainaina
