Melanie A. Stegman, Ph.D.
Between science and game

3900 9th Street NE
Washington, DC 20017(917) 886-6079
Melanie.Stegman@gmail.com

Summary
As a science game creator, I have learned that iterative design, based on solid data collected frommeaningful playtesting experiments, is the best way to choose a design path forward. Leading a teamthrough a creative, yet data driven process requires a personality that makes all team members feel
welcome and involved. I always try to make sure my team is enjoying their work and meeting their own
personal goals. My science game design principles are to create game mechanics that let the player
manipulate the fundamentals. I can play many roles, and sincerely enjoy working with a team that
includes curriculum experts, because they complement my wide-open approach to teaching science
fundamentals. I am a collaborator, problem solver, self-starter, faithful colleague and stalwart proponentof teaching everyone the fundamentals of natural science.
Education
2004

1992

Ph.D. Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology,
The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.
A.B.

Political Science,
The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.

Experience
2016 – Lead Scientist and Jr. Game Developer
Dig-It Games, LLC, Bethesda, MD.
• Designing game mechanics that integrate learning objectives.
• Leading game design of commercial mobile game, writing game design document, collecting input
from whole team, training others on level design, observing playtesting and accumulating feedback.
• Designing evaluation methods and tools to determine effectiveness of learning games.
• Writing SBIR proposals, research methods, logic models and commercialization plans.
• Programming commercial, mobile games in Unity3d/C#.
2017
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Game Designer, Contractor
Planet3, LLC, Washington, DC.
Worked with curriculum specialist Joseph Isaac and producer F.J. Lennon to create a game design that
introduced infectious diseases to high school level students.
Iteratively designed a game in which players diagnose a tiger with a bacterial infection inside its
muscle cells. Player pilots a nanobot inside the infected cells and shoots the bacteria.
Outrageously novel game design was feasible and under budget because we collaboratively designed
within the constraints of curriculum and technical feasibility.

2016•••Unity 3D Developer
Right Eye, Inc., Bethesda, MD.
Developed mini games to pixel perfect detail. Used data from eye tracking device to allow player tocontrol game play and to collect precise data about player gaze position.
Programmed in C#, Unity 3D, interfacing with eye tracker software. Participated in an 8-month agile
development process on a 7-person team, as the only Unity developer.
Collaborated closely with the lead scientist to read optometry testing protocols and translate into
onscreen interactives, with the web developers to make sure that the player data my games collectedwas compatible with their reporting requirements.

Melanie A. Stegman, Ph.D.

2014 – Owner/Founder
Molecular Jig Games, LLC. Washington, DC. www.MolecularJig.com
Game designer, developer, evaluator.
• Manage team of 3 creating cell biology games for grades 5 through 12.
• Write Games and Biochemistry blog, I discuss practical aspects of designing game mechanics that letplayers learn science by manipulating fundamental concepts (see below).
• Manage, maintain the ScienceGameCenter.org (see below).
o Host Science Game Discussion and Show during GDC to foster communication andcollaboration among game developers interested in creating science games.
• For release this Spring: Suite of three 15-minute games for laptop/mobile that teach fundamental
concepts of diffusion, cytokinesis, cellular behavior, protein function and infection diseases. Games
designed for 7th – 12th grades.
o Microbot C85: a strategy game in which players help white blood cells eat pathogens mosteffectively.
o Speedy Cell: an endless runner, in which players turn the white blood cell’s surface
molecular in and off to change how it interacts with its environment.
o NanoCrasher, a VR game in which players are not on the surface of the white blood cell,dodging the surface molecules and hunting down bacteria one at a time.
2010 – 2014
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DirectorLearning Technologies Program,Federation of American Scientists, Washington, DC.
Created a reliable, validated test of molecular cell biology for grades 7 – 12. Created a novel test ofconfidence with molecular cell biology.
Used assessment tools to conduct a controlled study of 500 students, in 25 schools across the US.
o Published controlled study of learning and confidence gains in players of the third person
shooter Immune Attack. (Stegman, MA, 2014.)
Managed a game development team of programmers, medical illustrators, game designers andscientists to prototype and iterate on completely novel game mechanics.
Published the prototype of Immune Defense, which won spots in several independent video game
expos. Published at Kongregate.com.
o Immune Defense is a real-time strategy (RTS) game in which players must use white blood
cells to defeat real human pathogens. High school students who play Immune Defense for
20 minutes recall the names of the two different white blood cells, and describe thefunctions of two different proteins. The game is also highly engaging, as 75% of the 4000
anonymous, web based players on the non-educational gaming site Kongregate.com played
through the 3rd level.
Design and manage ScienceGameCenter.org.
o The ScienceGameCenter.org is a site where teachers, game developers and scientists areinvited to register as experts and review science games and game players aged 10 and older
can review games as well. The ScienceGameCenter is designed to allow teachers to findout which games kids enjoy (the “hard” games are often more popular) and for developersof science games to have a place to reach a bigger audience. The ScienceGameCenter
receives 10,000 visitors a month and sends 100’s of visitors out to science game developers’
websites. Recently described in Nature: nature.com/naturejobs/2017/170720/pdf/nj7663369a.pdf

Melanie A. Stegman, Ph.D.

2008– 2010
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Project Manager, Immune Attack project,
Learning Technologies Program,Federation of American Scientists (FAS), Washington, DC.
Won new competitive grant from NIH/NIAID, R25, ($750,000). Served as the P.I. Received $100,000
additional funds at program officer’s discretion. Immune Attack, created by FAS from 2004 – 2008 isa third person shooter in which players navigate through the blood stream and activate proteins to help
white blood cells fight bacteria. My research grant was for the evaluation of this game and to use
design based research to design the next game.
Managed my own budget and personnel. Won additional funding from the ESA Foundation ($160,000)
and Amgen Foundation ($50,000).
Wrote FAQ that made Immune Attack more accessible, and switched distribution from CDs throughthe mail to downloads from Amazon Web Services. Created the ImmuneAttack.org website for
distribution of the game, created teacher curriculum materials and began the biochemistry and gamedesign blog.
o The Biochemistry and Game Design blog, begun in 2009 at FAS, is now at
MolecularJig.com/blog.
Investigated best practices for porting Immune Attack, a PC game to Mac, researched game engines
for future development. Determined that Unity3d game engine should be our tool for futuredevelopment.
Worked with University of Southern Maine and Bette Manchester to created new learning andconfidence evaluation methods. Iterated on assessment tools, optimizing reliability and significance.
Used research on Immune Attack to begin to design Immune Defense. Students remembered names
and functions objects they are required to use to win each level. Therefore, initial design goals were torequire player to use more objects, for example, a strategy game instead of a flying game.
Managed four different teams of video game development contractors, in addition to collaboratingwith medical illustrators to develop novel ways to show cells and make them interactive for ourplayers in a technically feasible manner.
Managed 1 - 3 interns each summer, high school students from DCPS and college students throughVolunteer Fairfax. Created the prototype of a game that would be Immune Attack 2, a third person
shooter that requires players to scan for malfunctioning proteins and repair them.
o Immune Attack 2 prototype. A Flash game developed in 8 weeks with three high schoolinterns under my direction. I molded together a game design that took advantage of mysmall, young team’s skills and personal learning goals.

SkillsAgile development/Pre-production team leadership. Pre-production is an experimental process: I design
play testing sessions like experiments, to be sure the data needed to make the decision is collected with themethods used. I prepare clear data to share with the whole team about player feedback to allow for group
discussion of our best path to our goal.
Project management/Production team leadership. I make sure everything gets done, first by planning,budgeting, accounting, writing contracts and scoping the project. Then, I lead the team thoughdevelopment with enthusiasm and encouragement, leading stand up/Skype meetings, listening, recording
decisions in a game design document and task tracking systems like Jira.
UI/User experience design skills. Discuss goals with developers and scientists to iteratively optimize
engagement and understanding of game mechanics. Wireframe solutions in Photoshop and or basic HTML,to conduct online tests using Google analytics. Build UI in Unity3d, creating assets in Adobe Photoshop
and Illustrator.

Melanie A. Stegman, Ph.D.

Software. Unity3d, WordPress, HTML, Jira, Perforce, GitHub, Excel, Adobe Photoshop.
Computer language. C#.
Publications
Education Related
Stegman, M.A. (in prep) “Using strategy game mechanics in Immune Defense to engage non-scientists
with molecular cell biology.” In: An Architectural Approach to Level Design, vol 2.
C.W. Totten (Ed.).
Stegman, M. Immune Attack players perform better on a test of cellular immunology and self confidence
than their classmates who play a control video game. 2014. Faraday Discuss., 169:403-423
Khalili N, Sheridan K, Williams A, Clark K & Stegman M. 2011. Students Designing Video Games about
Immunology: Insights for Science Learning. Computers in the Schools. 2011. 28:228-240.

Biochemistry Related
Mazloum, N., Stegman, M.A., Croteau, D.L., Van Houten, B., Kwon, N.S., Ling Y., Dickinson C.,
Venugopal, A., Towheed, M.A., Nathan, C. 2011. Identification of a chemical that inhibits themycobacterial UvrABC complex in nucleotide excision repair. Biochemistry. 2011. 50:1329-35.
Mazloum, N., Nathan, C. Gold, B., Lin, G., Stegman, M., Sorio de Carvalho, L.P., Vandal, O., Venugopal,
A., and Bryk, R. A Philosophy of Anti-Infectives as a Guide in the Search for New Drugs for Tuberculosis.
2008. Tuberculosis, Special publication by the Global Alliance for Tuberculosis Drug Development. 88Suppl 1:S25-33.
Stegman, M.A. and Robbins, D. J. Biochemical Fractionation of Drosophila Cells, in Hedgehog Signaling
Protocols. Edited by: Horabin, J. Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ. 2007.
Stegman, M.A., Goetz, J.A., Ascano Jr., M., Ogden, S.K., Nybakken, K., and Robbins, D.J.
The Kinesin-related protein Costal2 associates with membranes in a Hedgehog-sensitive, Smoothenedindependent manner. 2004. J. Biol. Chem. 279:7064-71.
Stegman, M.A., Vallance, J.E., Elangovan, G., Sosinski, J., Cheng, Y. and Robbins, D.J.
Identification of a Tetrameric Hedgehog Signaling Complex. 2000. J. Biol. Chem. 275:21809-12.
Teaching experience2009 – 2012 Collaboration with Dr. Kevin Clark, George Mason University,
Instructional Technology Program,
Director of the Center for Digital Media Innovation & Diversity.
• Served as a Subject Matter Expert for high school programmers in who were tasked with creating a
biology game like Immune Attack. Guided high school students through biology gamedevelopment process, 6 week summer classes. As part of ITEST, an NSF funded research program
led by Dr. Clark.
• Served as Ph.D. student Neda Khalili’s graduate committee member, and collaborated with her on
her dissertation research into how students engaged with molecular cell biology when they aredeveloping a video game in collaboration with a scientist (Khalili, et al., 2011).
2012 – 2013
DCPS Professional Development.
• Led workshops for DCPS high school teachers on integrating video games into science curriculum.
2006 – 2008
Teacher at The American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY.
• Taught high school level after-school classes in genetics and biochemistry.

•Melanie A. Stegman, Ph.D.

Presented and discussed genetic concepts with museum patrons in the Hall of Human Origins
Education Lab.

2006 – 2006
Volunteer with Cornell Science Challenge, East Side Middle School, New York, NY.
• Over 6-week course, helped my group of 5 students design, execute, evaluate and present theirscience fair project. Judged presentations at the science fair.
2000 – 2001•••

Volunteer instructor with Yeast as an Educational Tool,Cincinnati, OH, an NIH SEPA funded program.
Co-taught public middle school and high school science classes with their teachers, once a weekfor 6 weeks at each at 2 different schools.
Prepared lab materials and lectures to let the students replace a mutant yeast gene and assay for thenew phenotype.
Assisted with the end of the year science fair.

1995 – 1997
Academic Advisor, University of Cincinnati, College of Arts and Sciences.
• Served as freshman and transfer student advisor, helped students with diverse educational histories
prepare for a four-year degree.
1994 – 1995

Tutor of English as a Second Language, and academic tutor for ESL students. Norwood
High School, Norwood, OH.

1994 – 1995

Teacher of English as a Second language, Traveler’s Aid, Cincinnati, OH.

Awards and Presentations
2014 – 2015 Immune Defense won places in these competitive video game expos:Seattle, WA: Power of Play, iFest, and the Seattle Indies Expo at PAX.
Baltimore, MD: Gamescape at Artscape
Washington, DC: MAGFest Indie Video Game Showcase.
2015

Presented Immune Defense and my education research at the Koshland Museum of Science.
Video available at MolecularJig.com/research.
PAX Dev, organized a panel on science game design and development. Title:“Why does everyone know how to kill zombies but not measles?”2014

Invited speaker, International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Seattle.
Topic: “How to evaluate Intuitive Learning that occurs in a video game: using intuitive learning asa marker for success in iterative science learning game development.”
Video available at MolecularJig.com.

2013

Mentor in Leadership Program, Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity (CRI) Paris France.
Mentored early stage science professors who were interested in adding games and other innovative
teaching methods to their classrooms. Presented two talks, one on how games can be designed togive an intuitive understanding of complex abstract and another on how to design assessment tools
for such games.
Invited speaker, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Got Game? Presented my work on
Learning and Confidence gains games in biomedical science with games. Washington, DC.

Melanie A. Stegman, Ph.D.

Invited participant/presenter, Molecular Simulations and Visualizations, Faraday Discussion
169, Royal Society of Chemistry, Nottingham, England. Presented my peer reviewed paper onhigh school students who played Immune Attack. Invited by Arthur Olson, Molecular Graphics
Laboratory, Scripps Research Institute.
2012

Rock Star of Science, National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) annual meeting.
Invited speaker at the Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI) annual meeting. Title:“Teaching the Unimaginable: Games make invisible things visible and abstract ideas touchable.”

2010

Presenter, Games, Learning and Society, Madison, WI. Title: “Immune Attack 2.0 Building an
Adventure in the Molecular World.”

2009

Research Abstract chosen for Press Release Book for the American Society for Cell Biology(ASCB) Annual Meeting. First education abstract ever to be in press book. Presented preliminary
findings of Immune Attack learning and attitude change research.

2007

Travel Award to attend and present at the Gordon Research Conference on Oxidation andDisease, Ventura Beach, CA. Presented post doctoral research on Mycobacterium tuberculosis
DNA repair.

2005

Best Paper of 2004, Cancer Mechanisms Program, Dartmouth College of Medicine.

Related Activities
2009 – International Game Developers Association (IGDA) DC Chapter Co-Founder.
Created www.igdaDC.org.
Organized the first District Arcade, 2015.
2015 – 2016 Patriots Technology Training Center, video game industry liaison.
• Worked with Thurman Jones, Jr., the President of the Patriots Technology Training Center, in Seat
Pleasant, MD. We organize video game related events for the Patriots, I recruit game developers toattend, show their games and give classes geared toward the students.
2013 – 2014
•Served as a member of STEM4all, an NSF funded initiative
lead by Dr. Kimberly Scott and Dr. Kevin Clark.
This project convened a diverse group of researchers, practitioners, funding organizations, andpolicy analysts with interest, expertise, and knowledge in culturally relevant practices and its
potential for positively affecting underprivileged students' digital creativity; racial and ethnic
identity and its role in technological self-concept; and STEM workforce development for students
from high needs areas.

2010 – 2013 National STEM Video Game Challenge, Youth Prize Judge.
2009 – 2013 NSF and NIH peer review committee member for research grants and SBIR awards.