The argentine Ernesto Chinkes is one of the most important actors in the development of TICAL in recent years and knows the Conference as few figures. He has been the chairman of its Program Committee in three consecutive years, and this year was named Honorary President. In 2016, however, the meeting will have a special taste for him. It is the first time that TICAL is carried out in Argentina. In this interview, Chinkes tells us a little about his expectations, on how institutions are preparing for the event and leave a message to encourage the participation of latin americans.
Panama, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Chile; after five years and five different locations, TICAL finally came to Argentina. As one of the hosts of the conference, what are your expectations for the event?
My expectation is to maximize the possibilities offered by this event; actively participate in conferences, listening and thinking critically about the experiences of my colleagues from different universities in the region, as well as other global institutions initiatives presented in TICAL. Being Argentina the venue this year, it gives me an special sense; we hope to involve the vast majority of higher education institutions of my country and other relevant actors to help promote ICT policies that our universities need in this century.
How are the Higher Education institutions in Argentina preparing for the Conference?
There is much enthusiasm! Several universities that participate regularly in the Conference are commenting to others on the relevance of participate. The ones who participated in recent years became enthusiastic participants and disseminators of the next editions. Every year, the only question is the date and the city where it will take place. This year, we have been chatting with the rest of the ICT responsible in order to motivate who never participated before, so I understand that participation will be massive. On the other hand, the National Interuniversity Council, which brings together the rectors of the National Universities, is also supporting the event.
Since the last edition of TICAL in Chile, how do you evaluate in the developmento of the ICT community in Latin America and what has been the role of TICAL and its community in this process?
The TICAL community is a very powerful network that allows us to have an area to raise collaborative initiatives, contacts for assistance, areas to reflect and build projects or ideas, and is also an important network of contacts. I understand that we didn’t exploited its full potential, but without a doubt, it is an asset that we count on. Clearly, the TICAL Conference is the beacon that illuminates and the engine that incentives it.
TICAL seeks, among other things, promoting ICT collaboration between institutions and researchers in our region. What, in your opinion, are the main challenges and opportunities to achieve it?
ICT in universities are not an end in itself, but an exceptional means to promote strategies and initiatives to achieve the objectives of teaching, research and extension. That is why in TICAL we seek to listen to experiences and solutions provided by others ICT responsible. Of course it is interesting to involve the end users of these solutions, such as researchers or teachers; it allows us to get a very powerful feedback, but the challenge is to achieve this without neglecting the focus of the event, that are the ICT areas.
Give us a message for those who wish to participate in TICAL2016. Why should they go to Buenos Aires?
I think they should come, because TICAL is an experience worth living, and each edition is unique. I always say that one becomes different after TICAL; we grow in knowledge and human relationships. Of course I hope people will have the opportunity to know and enjoy this great city, which is Buenos Aires, and also, if possible, to know our beautiful country. I'm sure that all will be welcome and that will be an event to remember forever
