GA 2001 Natal (Tab No. 21)
by A.L.Frisiani
AICA (Associazione italiana per l’informatica ed il calcolo automatico) is an association operating in the field of computing, covering all areas from its theoretical foundations to the practical applications. Established in 1961, its central offices are located in Milan, Italy:
postal address Piazzale R.
Morandi 2, 20121 Milano, Italia
tel. +39-02-76.01.40.82 fax +39-02-76.01.57.17
e-mail aica@aicanet.it web
site http://www.aicanet.it
AICA’s present officers are:
President: Dott. Giulio Occhini
Vice President: Prof. Giorgio Sacerdoti
Secretary: Mr. Giovanni M. Palermo
Treasurer: Dr. Paolo Lazzati
The association, which counts over 1300 members drawn from university and school professors, manufacturing companies, software houses, users, students, is governed by a Council, elected by the members, and comprises 5 territorial sections and a variable number of working groups, that are formed mostly to address specific areas or problems in the computing field.
As an IFIP member society AICA has been contributing to IFIP’s programs by circulating the information on its activities, by promoting the participation of Italian experts to the TC’s and working groups and by supporting the standard efforts. As a matter of fact Italian representatives are present in all but one of the TC’s and there are over ninety Italian experts in the various working groups. Together with societies of some neighboring countries AICA is also participating to a regional IFIP project aimed at the development of common initiatives.
AICA has been involved, as the Italian corresponding association in CEPIS, in the dissemination of the European Computing Driving License (ECDL), an initiative supported by the European Community with the purpose of spreading computer literacy in all sectors of society. At the present there are over 1700 test centers in Italy, half of them in high schools and universities, while 20,000 diplomas and 130,000 skill cards have been issued. AICA has developed an on-line test system, named ALICE, that is finding very good acceptance. An AICA task force continues working with members of other European associations both on Advanced ECDL and on EPICS, the ECDL for computer professionals.
Since 1970 AICA publishes a magazine, "Rivista di Informatica", which carries papers of general interest to the members, written either in Italian or in English. At the present the magazine comes out three times a year, and a specific committee has been charged with the job of rethinking the role of the magazine. The outcome of the committee is expected by the end of the year.
AICA internal news, book reviews, product announcements and forthcoming events together with a section on world news, appear an on-line publication, "Notiziario AICA", published monthly except August since January 2000. The Notiziario is available through the AICA web site and it is planned to keep on-line its last 11 issues.
Every year in autumn AICA organizes a 3-days National Conference, which has been focused on specific topics. The theme of the 2000 conference was "Internet and its implications in our lives" while for 2001 it will be "Technologies, innovation and society". The 2001 event will be held in Como from the 19th to the 21st of September. Besides the National Conference both AICA and its territorial sections or working groups organize more limited events, typically in the form of workshops on specific areas of interest.