INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON

Optical Sciences and Applications
for Sustainable Development

10-14 April 2000

• Tentative Program, February 16, 2000

An International Conference on Optical Sciences and Applications for Sustainable Development is organised by the Faculty of Science and Techniques of the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar, in collaboration with the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), the International Commission for Optics (ICO). The Conference will be directed by Prof. Gallieno Denardo (The Abdus Salam ICTP, Trieste, Italy), Prof. Ahmadou Wagué (UCAD, Dakar, Sénégal), Dr. Pierre Chavel (Institut d'Optique, Paris, France), Prof. A.T. Friberg (Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden) and Dr. Paul K. Buah Bassuah (University of Cape Coast, Ghana).

The purpose of the Conference is to highlight recent advances in Optical Sciences and its applications. The Conference will include lectures and topical seminars on the following subjects:

Contemporary advances in Optical Sciences
Optical Fiber sensors
Telecommunication devices
Telecommunication integration
Spectroscopy of Atmospheric pollutants
Optics for Environmental monitoring
Applications of Optics in Agriculture and Medicine

The Conference is open to scientists from all countries. The organisers follow the ICSU rules for the free circulation of scientists. Travel and living expenses of the participants should be covered by their home institutions. However, limited funds will be made available for scientists from African countries. The working languages of the workshop will be English.

The Workshop is co-sponsored by the Abdus-Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP, Trieste, Italy), the International Commission for Optics (ICO), the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), the Optical Society of America (OSA), SPIE – the International Society for Optical Engineering, the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), the International Program in Physical Sciences (IPPS, Uppsala, Sweden) and the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar.

General information:

Invited speakers:

Scientists of international reputation have been contacted for invited talks. A preliminary list will be published in by December 1999.

The meeting will be held at the Meridien President Hotel, Dakar.

The meeting will consist of invited talks, contributed talks and posters. There will be no parallel sessions. One full-day excursion on Wednesday, April 12, while the other days will be devoted to technical sessions. The advance programme will be accessible through the ICO web www.ico-optics.org as soon as it is known.

The registration fee includes one welcome reception and one full-day excursion to a tourist site in the Dakar area.

Weather in Dakar in April is expected to be mild, around 25° ; it may be cool at night.

Attendees are advised to check with their local Embassy of Senegal for visa regulations.

Direct flights connecting Dakar to major European cities are operated by many European Airlines with in particular daily flights to and from Paris. In addition, Air Afrique operates direct flights to New York JFK. Cheap rates are usually available for early booking on stays longer than 6 days. While the conference organisers carry no responsibility on travel costs, an order of magnitude for a cheap round trip to Dakar on direct flights from Europe is US$800.

The Meridien Hotel President has been designated as the official accommodation place for delegates to this meeting and is strongly recommended by the organisers. Room reservation should be made together the meeting registration, see below. No advance deposit will be charged for reservations indicating a major credit card number. Payment to the hotel can be made by major credit card, traveller's cheque or cash. A special rate, including breakfast, has been guaranteed for the event for reservations made before March 1st, 2000:

single or double occupancy: 430 FRF (+ for each person a 6 FRF tax) . breakfast 70 FRF. Cash, Traveller's cheques and major credit cards accepted.

Advance registration is strongly recommended and should be made by providing the organisers with the information listed below. Receipt of registration and accommodation reservation will be acknowledged by the organisers. The registration fees can ONLY be paid on site, in CASH. (However, traveller's cheques can be cashed locally, e.g. in major hotels.)

The registrations fee is 2500 FRF ; it covers participation in the technical sessions, all lunches April 10-14, excursion, coffee breaks and one copy of the conference proceedings volume. Special rates apply to accompanying persons.

Early registration is recommended ; no reservation can be guaranteed after March 1^st, 2000.

Provide the following information FOR EACH PERSON (i.e. for each attendee and for each accompanying person) and send it to

Prof. A. Wagué
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Techniques
University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar, Dakar- Fann, Sénégal
phone: +221 825 69 80, fax: +221 825 69 80 or +221 824 63 18, e-mail: wague@smtp.refer.sn
Full name:
Full postal address, telephone, fax, e-mail:
Conference attendee/accompanying person
For accompanying persons only: lunch and excursion registration required: yes/no
Accommodation: single room at Meridien Dakar/ double room at Meridien Dakar (shared with) /no hotel reservation required