IAC (1927-2012): 85 years in computational and applied mathematics

IAC (1927-2012): 85 years in computational and applied mathematics Andrea Celli, Rosa Maria Spitaleri Date: 2012-10-23 04:00 PM - 05:30 PM Last modified: 2012-09-08 Abstract This presentation would like to celebrate the scientific life of the Istituto per le Applicazioni del Calcolo (IAC ) of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche(CNR). By the current review of saved historical documents this Institute can be focused as the avant-garde research center in modeling and computational solutions of crucial problems in several application fields. In 2012, there are several anniversaries and memories concerning IAC history and its role in the development of mathematics, numerical methods and computing science: * 1927 (85 years ago) IAC was founded in Naples. It was the first institute through the world having the goal to give a numerical solution to applied problems, no matter to the origin. Its role was to improve mathematical models, look for constructive solutions, develop numerical algorithms to solve them by mechanical calculators. * 1932 (80 years ago) IAC was moved to Rome and became the first institute of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. * 1951 IAC was chosen by UNESCO to became the "International Computing Center" * 1952 (60 years ago) a collaboration with H. H. Aiken and A.Olivetti, the first actual Italian project to build a computer (similar to Harvard Mark IV), aborted just for financial issues * 1955, it received its first electronic computer, a Ferranti Mark 1* In these years a great number of famous Italian mathematicians worked in the Institute. We could remember Renato Caccioppoli, Lamberto Cesari, Gaetano Fichera, Wolfgang Gröbner, Carlo Miranda, Ennio De Giorgi, Luigi Amerio, Guido Stampacchia, Corrado Böhm. And it was estimated that 75% of Mathematical or Numerical Analysts in Italian Universities were pupils of Mauro Picone, the funder of IAC. http://alice.iac.rm.cnr.it/ocs/index.php/MASCOT2012/MASCOT12/paper/view/121

Breve storia dell'Istituto per le Applicazioni del Calcolo "Mauro Picone". Nel 2012, cadono diverse ricorrenze: l'85° anniversario della sua fondazione; l'80° anniversario dall'inserimento nel CNR, di cui fu il primo istituto; il 50° anniversario del primo concreto progetto per la costruzione di un calcolatore elettronico italiano, seguito di poco alla costituzione presso l'IAC dell'International Computing Center dell'UNESCO. In questo periodo, si formarono presso l'IAC molti tra i più famosi matematici italiani, tra cui Renato Caccioppoli, Lamberto Cesari, Gaetano Fichera, Wolfgang Gröbner, Carlo Miranda, Ennio De Giorgi, Luigi Amerio, Guido Stampacchia, Corrado Böhm.