Expo highlights latest in technology
By Laura Kreider
USAG Vicenza Public Affairs Office
Vicenza Military Community members check out the latest technology at the Tech Expo at the Golden Lion on Sept. 19. Photo by Joyce Costello, USAG Vicenza Public Affairs office.
9/27/2012 VICENZA, Italy- Technology, as many other English words, finds its origin in a combination of words from Greek: Téchnē, meaning "art", and logía, meaning "study of".
Throughout the centuries, the meaning has evolved also due to how science and its applications implemented the use of machinery, tools and resources.
In the last decades, the term has been applied to specific areas, including medical and information technology. Especially IT has shown a significant development within a very short time-frame.
As part of becoming aware of the most up-to-date products in the IT area, about 200 community members including Soldiers, civilians and students visited the annual Technology Exposition at the Vicenza Golden Lion Conference Center Sept. 19.
While visiting some 25 companies from the United States and Germany that displayed their latest technology, participants commented how technology is currently helping them.
"Technology makes my life easier by providing me with the means to travel as well as communicate with my family overseas," said 11th-grader Jessica Kishbaugh, who was visiting the expo with some other high school students.
10th-grader Alejandra Ortiz, agreed with her and also pointed out "how the use of technology can and will help society medically in third world countries."
Others mentioned equipment used on mission, how data can be stored and the way connection is possible almost everywhere.
"Easy access to email, internet and contacts have been developed, and especially the smart phones, help maintain good communications between work and home and the outside world," said Sgt. Victor Aguirre, noncommissioned officer of the 509th Signal Battalion Expeditionary Signal Team who was among the technology company representatives.
This was Aguirre's first time at the Technology Expo and he explained how everybody benefited from it.
"The event is a good opportunity; it's going to help the Army because it heads in a smarter direction. Companies that are here at the expo such as PacStar, Polycom, Immarsat, just to name a few … we use their equipment to stay in contact."
Also, some of this year's exhibit visitors observed how technology has advanced their quality of life.
"Technology gets smaller and more memory can fit in giving the opportunity to do more with a smaller platform to work with," said Staff Sgt. Lashonda Snipes-Davis, U.S. Army Africa.
"A smaller iPad with a cloud computing…will be great in combat."
Customers, company representatives and just visitors, everybody seems to be in agreement with how technology's future is explained by another company representative Bryan Bain from Fluke Networks: "Technology automates many time consuming, labor intensive tasks; this increases productivity and reduces support costs. Advances in smart phone technology expand access to information, content and people. Today it is possible to stay in touch with employers, friends and family on a 24/7 basis, and from any place in the world."