ODU Institute to Sponsor Lean Educator Conference in September
April 17, 2012
Kaizen is a Japanese word that means "improvement" or "change for the better."
It's a fitting word for Old Dominion University's Lean Institute to use in the name of its Lean Educator Conference Sept. 27-29 at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel.
The Lean Manufacturing and Enterprise Institute of ODU's Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology was established to find solutions for issues related to enterprise productivity.
That productivity extends to education and knowledge training, said Lean Institute director Alok Verma, Ray Ferrari Professor of Engineering Technology at ODU.
"The Lean Education Kaizen will provide a forum for educators, trainers and lean implementers to share best practices to improve their delivery of lead curriculum," Verma said.
The conference organizers are looking for submissions for presentations and papers on topics related to lean education and training.
Authors are strongly encouraged to submit a conference paper. These papers will be peer-reviewed and published electronically in a conference proceeding. After the conference, selected authors will be invited to submit their papers - revised and updated based on knowledge gained at the conference - for publication in a special issue of International Journal of Agile Manufacturing.
Abstracts can be submitted by uploading a document to www.leaneducatorconference.org; a template is available on the site (note: abstracts should be in .pdf or .doc format). Questions or comments should be addressed to info@leaneducatorconference.org.
Keynote speakers, panels and contributed presentations will be organized along four proposed tracks:
- Produce Lifecycle: engineering, manufacturing, supply chain;
- Patient Lifecycle: primary/secondary/tertiary care, prevention, long-term care;
- Student Lifecycle: early learning, K-12, higher and continuing education; and
- Finance and administration government operations, service delivery.
The deadline for abstracts for the Lean Education Kaizen is July 1. Notice of acceptance will be sent by July 15.
The primary goals of the Lean Institute are to conduct research, design and develop training programs and conferences, and help organizations implement them. The institute works closely with industries in Hampton Roads to offer, develop and deliver specialized training programs.
As part of the Department of Engineering Technology, the institute brings together the expertise of faculty both in and outside the department to enhance lean and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education and learning. The institute also brings together national and international experts to discuss enterprise productivity issues by organizing conferences and workshops. The faculty offers research expertise in a variety of areas and plays an active role in managing and editing national and international research publications.