Date
The conference Women & Technologies: research and innovation organized by Didael and the European Parliament (Milan Office) concluded at the Milan Convention Centre.
The 41 speakers, prominent figures operating within Universities, Companies, Public Administration worldwide, highlighted in front of an international audience of over 400 people the contribution of women as creators and producers of technologies, protagonists of research and innovation and not just simple "consumers". The topics covered were:
Women and ICT in Europe
;
Art and
affective computing
and
Interaction and dialogue in the Communities on the Web of the future; Innovation in companies and institutions.
Numerous are the institutional recognitions : the High Patronage of the Presidency of the Republic; the endorsements of Viviane Reding Member of European Commission for Information Society and Media, of the Ministry of Education, University and Research, of the Minister for Public Administration and Innovation, of the Minister for Equal Opportunities, of the Ministry of Economy and Finance - General Accounting Office of the State, of the Lombardy Region, of the Chamber of Commerce of Crotone. Messages of appreciation have been received from Mariastella Gelmini, Minister of Education, University and Research, from Simonetta Matone, Chief of Staff of the Ministry for Equal Opportunities, from Diana Bracco, President of the Special Project Research and Innovation and Expo 2015 Confindustria. Alberto Mattioli, Vice President of the Province of Milan, Marco Accornero member of the chamber board representing Carlo Sangalli, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Milan and European parliamentarians Pia Locatelli, Cristiana Muscardini, and Patrizia Toia have intervened.
Gianna Martinengo, creator and chairperson, concluded the conference: "It is necessary to design infrastructures capable of including people in the production cycle with all their social and collaborative dimension. For this reason, in technology research, it is necessary to integrate, according to what is called a "holistic approach," the contribution of a plurality of disciplines; not only logic and mathematics, but also psychology, social sciences, cognitive sciences, pedagogy, anthropology, literature. True innovation arises from here, from the ability to include different points of view to bring out new questions and new solutions. Women, carriers of a vision always attentive to the person and the "humanistic" components of every problem, can give an original contribution in this sense, and the interventions of the speakers of Women&Technologies have been able to testify to it."
At the end of the work, the prize was awarded The Technovisionary® 2008, conferred by a jury of experts and opinion leaders in the economic and technological field, to Fiorella Operto (Scuola di Robotica Association, Genoa), for her commitment to involving young women in science and technology, with particular reference to the field of robotics.
Ample visibility has been guaranteed to the institutions and companies that supported the initiative; significant were the interventions and contributions of the speakers that caught the attention of the press as evidenced by more than 200 articles published and by 342,334 visits and 28,330 visitors from 50 nations registered to date as accesses to the web 2.0 portal ( www.womentech.info ) created to fuel the word of mouth ( buzz ) about the conference.
The portal will continue to be active and will become the focal point of an open discussion on the themes of the conference, collecting and spreading the contributions of all interested parties; in this way it will constitute an important element of continuity in view of a hoped-for "edition 2009" of Women & Technologies.
Program
Discover the full event schedule, session times, topics, and keynote speakers.
Women & Technologies: Research and Innovation
Greeting message from Diana Bracco
Delegate for Research and Innovation Confindustria
Mariastella Gelmini, Minister of Education, Universities and Research
Simonetta Matone Chief of Staff to the Minister for Equal Opportunities
Dear friends,I'm sorry I can't be with you, but I am in Stockholm representing Minister Mara Carfagna, for an international summit on children in Europe. Wishing you good luck, I want to underline the importance of your meeting to assess the relationship between women and technology, giving visibility to women who produce it as researchers, managers, and also as users. Fortunately, the times when it was thought that women were totally unsuitable to work in these sectors are far behind us. The specificity of female intelligence has finally convinced us, if there was ever any doubt, otherwise. Much progress has been made, but there is still much to be done. Initiatives like yours help to move forward. Warm regards
PLENARY SESSION
Opening address
Gianna Martinengo
Italy
Welcome address
Carlo Sangalli
Italy
Judith Bishop
South Africa
Invited Speakers
Mariagiovanna Sami
Italy
Maria Grazia Filippini
Italy
Pia Locatelli
Italy
Topic 4
Women and ICT in Europe Coordinator: Maria Grazia Cavenaghi-Smith Head of the European Parliament Office in Milan
Silvana Badaloni
Italy
Rita Bencivenga
Italy
Cristiana Muscardini
Italy
Fiorella Operto
Italy
Nancy Pascall
Belgium
Elizabeth Pollitzer
United Kingdom
Asta Šileikiene
Lithuania
Patrizia Toia
Italy
Mara Tumiati
Italy
Speaker: Alberto Mattioli
Italy
PARALLEL SESSION Topic 1 & 2 (part I) Art and Affective Computing; Interaction and Dialogues in Communities on the future Web
| Coordinator: Fiorello Cortiana |
| Ministry for Public Administration and Innovation |
Nik Nailah Binti Abdullah
Japan
Fiorella De Cindio
Italy
Cristina Conati
Canada
Christine Lisetti
USA
Clara Mancini
UK
Antonella Giulia Pizzaleo
Italy
Rosaria Conte
Italy
Paola Bonomo
Italy
Germana Menezes Da Nobrega
Brazil
PARALLEL SESSION
Topic 3 (part I)
Innovation in Enterprises and Institutions
| Coordinator: Carlo Mochi Sismondi |
| General Manager FORUM P.A. |
Maria Laura Prislei
Italy
Gabriella Alemanno
Italy
Maria Carbone
Italy
Donatella Romeo
Italy
Fiorina Facchinetti - Berti
Italy
Donatella Treu
Italy
Chiara Grosselli
Italy
Women&Technologies: Research and Innovation (Edition 2008)
As part of the prestigious WCC (World Computer Congress), a conference within the conference dedicated to women and technologies, with a particular focus on research and innovation.
This remote presentation by Nik Nailah Binti Abdullah (Information Systems Architecture Research Division, National Institute of Informatics, Tokyo, Japan) is entitled "Art and Affective Computing: Holistic approach".
Women & Technologies: Research and Innovation (Edition 2008)
Within the prestigious WCC (World Computer Congress), a conference within the conference dedicated to women and technologies, with a particular focus on research and innovation.
Remote presentation by Cristina Conati, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Women&Technologies: Research and Innovation (Edition 2008)
Within the prestigious WCC (World Computer Congress), a conference within the conference dedicated to women and technologies, with a particular focus on research and innovation.
This remote intervention by Clara Mancini (Department of Computing, The Open University, UK) is titled "The gender-less web".
PARALLEL SESSION
Topic 1 & 2 (part II)
Art and Affective Computing;
Interaction and Dialogues in
Communities on the future Web
| Coordinator: Fiorello Cortiana |
|
Ministry for Public Administration and Innovation
Julita Vassileva Canada Giovanna Milella Italy Maria Virginia Rizzo Italy Eileen Scanlon UK Kathy Kikis-Papadakis Greece Wided Lejouad Chaari Tunisia Kleopatra Nikolopoulou Greece Valeria Severini Italy Intervenes: Linda Lanzillotta, Shadow Government Minister for Public Administration and Innovation |
PARALLEL SESSION
Topic 3 (part II)
Innovation in Enterprises and Institutions
| Coordinator: Carlo Mochi Sismondi |
| General Manager FORUM P.A. |
Arianna Censi
Italy
Roberta Cocco
Italy
Antonella Ninci
Italy
Sandra Mori
Italy
Betty Schiavoni
Italy
Anna
Minotti
Italy
Roberto Re
Italy
Intervenes: Linda Lanzillotta, Shadow Government Minister
for Public Administration and Innovation
Women&Technologies: Research and Innovation (Edition 2008)
Within the prestigious WCC, (World Computer Congress), a conference within the conference dedicated to women and technologies, with a particular focus on research and innovation.
This remote presentation by Julita Vassileva (University of Saskatchewan, Canada) is titled "Connecting women in science and engineering through social personal stories".
Women & Technologies: Research and Innovation (Edition 2008)
Within the prestigious WCC (World Computer Congress), a conference within the conference dedicated to women and technologies, with a particular focus on research and innovation.
Remote speech by Eileen Scanlon, Centre for Research in Education and Educational Technology, The Open University, UK.
PLENARY SESSION
Closing remarks
Gianna Martinengo
Italy
Carlo Sangalli, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Milan
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE INDUSTRY AND CRAFTS AND AGRICULTURE OF MILAN
Milan, September 9, 2008
Prot. 75843
Dear Gianna,
I am sincerely sorry for not being able to attend, due to an important commitment that arose in Rome for Confcommercio, the important conference organized by you last Monday, September 8th.
I am indeed aware of the relevance of this international meeting, both for the topic discussed, so crucial and delicate for a Milan that is increasingly global and inclusive, and for the authority of the witnesses invited to participate.
I take this opportunity to express all my support and admiration for the commitment with which you dedicate yourself every day to promoting the female universe and continuous innovation.
You fear that, as also demonstrated by the excellent outcome of the event you organized, require a reflection on a global scale, to which the contribution of local institutions, and first of all the Chamber of Commerce, must never be lacking.
I wish you to continue successfully on this path so useful to our city and its development.
With affection as always,
Carlo Sangalli
