July 1, 1997 Contact Ross West (541) 346-2060 or Ron Renchler (541) 346-1459 Source: Mike Holcomb (541) 346-1457, mikeh@nmc.uoregon.edu EUGENE--The University of Oregon's New Media Center just beat out some of the biggest interactive design companies in the world, including Microsoft, NIKE and Time Warner, to capture a top award in an international design competition. In its annual Interactive Media Design Review competition, I.D. Magazine named the UO's New Media Center one of only 25 winners from almost 800 entries in its Design Distinction category. "This award is a great honor for the University of Oregon and the New Media Center," said Mike Holcomb, center director. "I.D. Magazine stands as the premiere publication in the international design field. To appear in its pages as a winner in this competition speaks directly to the quality of work we are doing. It puts us in the company of some of the best-known names in the design field." The June issue of I.D. Magazine devotes a full page to illustrations from the UO's entry, Electronic Music Interactive (EMI), a multimedia textbook on the fundamentals of electronic music and its composition. The award-winners are also highlighted on I.D. Magazine's web site <http://www.idonline.com>. Developed in a collaboration with Jeffrey Stolet, UO associate professor of music, the UO's interactive electronic music textbook received praise by I.D.'s panel of jurors for its "mix of technology and design in a smart package." The interactive textbook's modular design also caught the jurors' attention. "The tool used to locate topics can shrink or grow according to how much additional information you want," one of the jurors said. "It really is self-adjusting, which is very useful on-line, with everyone connecting at different speeds." The UO's Electronic Music Interactive has received several other awards, including a Macromedia Educator of the Month Award and Site of the Day recognition in the Chronicle of Higher Education. The UO's center is one of 80 new media centers affiliated with institutions of higher education that are used to enhance teaching and learning through the use of new media. Bringing together pioneers in the new media field from academia and industry, these centers create a collaborative network of institutions and corporations serving as a catalyst to integrate new media into education. Established in 1995, the UO's New Media Center is available to UO faculty and others who are interested in developing and publishing high-quality, interactive, computer-based instructional materials, courseware and research tools with both educational and commercial potential. The center also serves as an information resource on educational technology, hosts workshops on the use of multimedia development tools, houses a technology resource library, and networks with other new media centers throughout the world to stay abreast of technology developments affecting education. -30-