June 28 – AICA, the Italian Association for Informatics and Automatic Calculation, and the Ministry for Education, University and Research have announced the team composition of young talents who will participate in the 2013International Digital Olympics of Computer Science, held in Brisbane, Australia, July 6-13. The four high school students, plus a reserve, were chosen after a training and selection period following the Italian Informatics Olympics, which took place last April. The team will consist of: Matteo Almanza, a student at the Liceo Scientifico A. Labriola of Rome, Gabriele Farina and Davide Pallotti, both coming from the Liceo Scientifico N. Copernicus of Bologna; and Federico Glaudo, from the Liceo Scientifico A.Righi of Rome. As a reserve, Giada Franz from the Liceo Scientifico L. Marinelli of Udine will accompany the team in Australia. They are all between 18 and 19 years old and attending the final year in their respective institutions. Their task will be to challenge teams from 85 countries to add medals to the already rich number of trophies that Italy won in twelve years of participation (33 medals: one gold, 12 silver and 20 bronze). The international computer Olympics medals are awarded based on band scores, with more than one gold, silver and bronze medal being awarded. “These Olympics are the most important initiative promoted by the Ministry of Education to enhance our young talents,” says Giulio Occhini, the director of AICA. “The students who participate in international competitions have peculiar capacities, highlighted by the whole selection process that leads to the team’s formation, which involves every year thousands of students and hundreds of schools. This process also spreads an interest for computer and digital sciences among students. Some of the people on the team today had never really approached IT before participating in the selection: their hidden talent rapidly emerged and has been cultivated, with these results.” Carmela Palumbo, Director General of the Ministry of Education, states that “the Olympics of computer science are one of the leading competitions under the National Plan for the promotion of excellence in schools, enhancing students who have strong logical-mathematical and problem-solving abilities, as well as a strong interest in the field of computers.”