The mission of the Media Lab is to explore, discover and comprehend the new digital technology and its impact in society; to find and exploit the possibilities it opens to communication, interaction and expression and to evaluate, understand and deal with the challenges it poses to design and creative production.  The information society with its converging media is a complex environment that requires an interdisciplinary approach to design. This is reflected in the co-operative education and research projects of the Media Lab. Within UIAH the Media Lab plays an active role in strategic planning and integration of matters relating to interactive media.  The Media Lab was formed in 1993 as a separate department within UIAH. The Lab became a faculty of UIAH in 1998. A 2-year masters programme, the MA in New Media, was launched initially in September 1994 with 18 interdisciplinary students. Currently the Media Lab accepts 20 full-time and approx. 15 minor-subject students annually to its full-time MA programme. Additionally a special part-time MA degree programme for working professionals, the New Media Professional Programme (uuden median muuntokoulutus), has been run since 1999.   In addition to its degree programmes the Media Lab UIAH is involved in many educational, research and production activities in cooperation with the various departments of UIAH and other external partners. For example, we are actively involved, as coordinator and partner, in many R&D projects and Thematic Networks within the EU's current IST Programme. (In Finnish: The Media Lab's policy on external collaboration and commissioned projects.)   Collaboration Networks The Media Lab has operated within three international networks; NMC (New Media Centers® Program) since 1995, CITE (Centre for International Technology and Education) during 1995-2000 and Nordic Interactive (NI) since 1999. Cooperation with CITE included European curriculum development and the initiation of the EMMA programme, as well as the development of trans-European R&D projects. As the first European members of the International New Media Centers Program the Lab shares its own experience and draws from the accumulated knowledge of leading new media educationalists in 100 other institutions worldwide in the education, development and integration of new media within higher education. The Media Lab was one of the founding members of the Nordic Interactive collaboration network (NI) and has been active in developing NI during 1999-2002. NI activities have included the organisation of the NIC 2001 conference in Copenhagen and support for the Nordic NIRES doctoral school seminars. The Media Lab UIAH is currently the official Finnish National Contact Point for NI. NMC New Media Centers    Our address is:  Media Lab  University of Art & Design Helsinki UIAH  Hämeentie 135 C  FIN-00560 Helsinki, FINLAND  Tel. Int. + 358 9 75630 597  Fax. Int. +358 9 75630 555  How to find us Departmental Board memos - Johtoryhmän pöytäkirjat     Entry * Media Lab * Studies * People * Facilities   Media Launch * Beta Lounge * Research * Internal