How can you be involved at ORSSA?

With the year in full swing, it's time for a reminder about how you can be involved at ORSSA.

New Events Calendar Now Live

We’ve updated the events calendar on the ORSSA website (found here) to make it easier for members to stay informed about upcoming seminars, workshops, conferences, and special interest activities. The calendar will be updated regularly, so be sure to check in often and keep an eye out for events relevant to your interests.

Take a moment to look through the calendar and pack your year fill with OR related events!

Upcoming ORSSA Conference

Preparations are underway for our upcoming annual conference - one of the highlights of the ORSSA calendar. The conference provides a valuable platform for researchers, practitioners, and students to share their work, connect with colleagues, and explore new developments in operations research.

More details regarding dates, venue, and submissions will be shared soon. We encourage members to start thinking about potential papers, presentations, or student contributions.

Join a Special Interest Group

Did you know ORSSA has several Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that members can join? These groups provide a space for focused discussion and knowledge-sharing within specific areas of operations research.

If you’re looking to connect with others who share your interests - whether academic, industry-focused, or methodological - consider signing up for a SIG. It’s a great way to become more involved in the OR community and expand your professional network. The following is a list of all of ORSSA's SIGs:

• SIG: Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence in machines programmed to think and learn like humans. It encompasses various technologies, including machine learning, natural language processing, and robotics, enabling computers to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as decision-making, speech recognition, and visual perception.

• SIG: Combinatorial optimisation

Combinatorial optimization is a branch of optimization that deals with the optimization of discrete problems, where the goal is to find the best possible solution from a finite set of alternatives. In combinatorial optimization, the decision variables are usually binary or integer, and the problem involves choosing a set of these variables subject to some constraints, with the objective of maximizing or minimizing some function.

• SIG: Data Science

Artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, 3D printing, precision medicine and quantum computing hold the promise of radically changing all aspects of society. At the core of these advances are the rapidly developing fields of data science and computational thinking.

• SIG: History of OR in SA

Archiving and reflecting on the history of operations research and ORSSA helps preserve the knowledge and methodologies developed over the years, enabling future generations to learn from past achievements and challenges. This historical perspective fosters an understanding of the evolution of OR techniques and their applications, highlighting how they've addressed complex decision-making problems across various industries. Reflecting on OR's history encourages innovation by inspiring new ideas based on past successes and lessons learned, ensuring the field continues to grow and adapt to new challenges.

• SIG: Quantitative Finance

Quantitative finance is a field of finance that uses mathematical and statistical methods to model and analyze financial markets and financial instruments. It aims to use these methods to make better investment decisions, understand the behaviour of financial markets, and manage financial risk.

• SIG: Simulation Modelling

Simulation modelling is the process of using a computer program to imitate the behaviour and interactions of a real-world system over time. Simulation models are used to test hypotheses, make predictions, and explore the behaviour of complex systems that are difficult or impossible to study directly. This SIG serves practitioners in a wide selection of simulation paradigms including discrete event, agent-based, and system dynamics modelling.  

• SIG: Supply Chain Management

Supply chain management is the strategic coordination of business functions, including procurement, production, distribution, and sales, to optimize efficiency and meet customer demands. SCM encompasses planning, execution, and monitoring of supply chain activities, focusing on streamlining processes, reducing costs, improving visibility, and ensuring timely delivery of products and services, ultimately enhancing competitiveness and profitability.

If you are interested in any (or multiple) of the above SIGs be sure to join them here.

If none of the above SIGs interest you, consider starting your own - contact the Head of External Liaison today to learn how you could head up ORSSA's newest SIG. 

Don’t Forget About ORiON

We would also like to remind members about ORiON, ORSSA’s peer-reviewed journal. ORiON publishes high-quality research in operations research and related fields, providing an important platform for both established and emerging researchers. If you are working on research suitable for publication, consider submitting your work to ORiON and contributing to the continued growth and visibility of our local research community.

We look forward to seeing many of you at upcoming events and at the conference. Thank you for being part of a vibrant and growing ORSSA community!