Press release no. 1 - Milan, July 2, 2008

Women & Technologies: research and innovation
IFIP World Computer Congress 2008 Hosted Conference
Monday, September 8, 2008
Sala Rossa - MIC - Milano Convention Centre - Via Gattamelata, 5 - Milan
9:00 am - 6:30 pm - free entry with preregistration

A programmatic title, Women & Technologies: research and innovation, which aims to emphasize how the relationship between women and technology is a tool to enhance female talents that produce Research and Innovation within Universities, Companies, and Public Administration. The Chairperson of Women & Technologies is Gianna Martinengo, who has dedicated her entire professional and research life to these topics. Gianna Martinengo says: "This first conference aims to make visible the women who have contributed significantly to technological innovation. Innovation is not only about creating new tools, but it is above all the ability to conceive problems differently and identify new objectives: I believe that women, as will emerge from the speakers' interventions, have a lot to say about this.".

Art and Affective Computing, Interaction and Dialogue in the Communities of the future Web, Innovation in Companies and Institutions, Women and ICT in Europe are the topics discussed by excellent speakers, prominent women at the international level.

At the conference, under the patronage of Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission for Information Society and Media, numerous personalities from the scientific, academic, political, and institutional worlds have already confirmed their participation. Speakers will include Judith Bishop, CoChair of the International Program Committee WCC and Professor of Computer Science at the University of Pretoria; Mariastella Gelmini, Minister of Education, Universities and Research; Linda Lanzillotta, Minister of the Shadow Government for Public Administration and Innovation; Diana Bracco*, President of the Special Research and Innovation Project and Expo 2015 of Confindustria; Filippo Luigi Penati*, President of the Province of Milan; Carlo Sangalli, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Milan.

Invited Speakers: Mariagiovanna Sami, Politecnico di Milano, Member of the Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei XL; Maria Grazia Filippini, Sun Microsystems Italia; Pia Locatelli, European Parliamentarian and Member of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality and the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy with interventions planned in person and via video conference.
The full program of the event and the updated real-time list of speakers can be found on the portal www.womentech.info which will remain active even after the end of the conference to fuel the social network (people networking and sharing resources online) and the buzz (word of mouth, discussion) on topics related to "women and technologies".

Admission is free with preregistration on the portal by July 31.

The accesses to the portal during the period from April 29th to June 26th are:
Visitors: 7771 - Visits: 76197 - Nations: 49
As of July 1st, 2008, there is a high percentage of international registrations.

* invited