A Brief History of Media Informatics and Human-Computer Interaction at LMU Munich

The Institute for Informatics at LMU has the goal to support, besides topics from core Computer Science, the networking of information technology with many other disciplines represented at the university. By developing the topics of media informatics and human-computer interaction, this strategy has been realized over many years in the past. In the following text, the most important stations of this development are listed.

1998: Weißbuch

Already in the year 1998, a group of professors at the Institute for Informatics developed a vision which sees Informatics at the center of an interdisciplinary collaboration of many disciplines. These ideas have been documented in the form of a "Weißbuch" (White Paper, available only in German language). This document addresses many topics which are of high relevance even many decades later. The document pleads for an expansion of the institute by so-called "dash-informatics", which means hybrid topics from Informatics and other disciplines.

2001: Studiengang Medieninformatik

As the result of intense engagement of professors H.-G. Hegering and C. Linnhoff-Popien in 2001 the new study program "Media Informatics" (leading to a Diploma degree) was established, which contains a minor subject from another discipline. The only minor subjects at the time were "media usage and media impact" (communication science) and "media economy". Applications for a new chair for Media Informatics were invited, in the meantime deputy lecturers were employed.

2003: Lehrstuhl Medieninformatik

With summer term 2003, the Chair for Media Informatics was assigned to Prof. Hussmann. In September 2003, the group moved into rooms in Amalienstraße 17. In the same year, a DFG-funded "Emmy Noether" research group was established within the group, under the lead of Dr. Albrecht Schmidt.

2004: Second Professorship

With winter term 2004/05, the Professorship for Computer Graphics was assigned to Prof. Butz. Prof. Butz brought another DFG-funded "Emmy Noether" research group ("FLUIDUM") with him to LMU.

2006: Minor Subject Media Design and Bologna Reform

With winter term 2006/07, a third option for the minor subject (still in the Diploma Studies) was introduced, called "Media Design" and offered by the Institute of Pedagogics of Arts. In parallel, the Bachelor study program "Arts and Multimedia" with a minor subject of Media Informatics was started. At the same time, the study programs were converted from the classical "Diploma" to the so-called "Bologna" scheme, which comprises separate Bachelor and Master studies.