I’m delighted to announce another new degree program in my university: the “Master of Tangible Interaction Design”, spearheaded by Professor Mark Gross, who also directs the Computational Design Lab at CMU. I’ll be one of the professors teaching in this progam, primarily in the areas of computation, interaction, and graphics. Here’s the full press release:

Master of Tangible Interaction Design Degree Announced at Carnegie Mellon University

PITTSBURGH—Carnegie Mellon University announces the establishment of the Master of Tangible Interaction Design degree, a new graduate-level program focusing on the speculative design of computationally embedded objects and places. The MTID degree is intended to bring together a community of talented and capable makers in all disciplines.

The MTID Program is a one-year course of study offered by the School of Architecture College of Fine Arts (CFA) at Carnegie Mellon. It draws on the university’s strengths in the arts as well as in robotics, software, and human-computer interaction. The MTID program aims to attract both computer scientists and engineers who want to exercise their know-how in creative and speculative design, as well as artists, musicians, designers, and architects who seek technical abilities to implement their ideas.

The new MTID program offers a environment to acquire these basic skills, drawing on the amazingly rich interdisciplinary learning opportunities at Carnegie Mellon. “Carnegie Mellon is uniquely positioned to integrate embedded computing and robotics in design,” says Mark D Gross, professor in the School of Architecture and director of the MTID Program.

The Master in Tangible Interaction Design is a studio-centered program with additional courses in electronics, programming, and the arts. The first semester’s “Small Things” studio focuses on embedding computational behavior into objects, furniture, and clothing. The second “Big Things” studio tackles interactive space at the size of rooms, buildings, neighborhoods, and cities.

“Recent developments in embedded computing, new materials, and digital fabrication enable anyone to design and prototype interactive artifacts,” adds Gross. “There will be remarkable opportunities for creative people who have skills and experience that cross the traditional disciplinary boundaries and who are comfortable making informed decisions about physical form, computational behavior, and human experience.”

Carnegie Mellon is now recruiting students for the first MTID class, which will enter in the fall semester of 2008. For more information or to apply, please contact Professor Mark Gross.

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