In this episode, I speak with Melanie Stegman, Assistant Professor at the Center for Advanced Entertainment and Learning Technology at Harrisburg University in Pennsylvania. Melanie was interested in biochemistry from an early age, and worked in biochemistry labs while earning an BA in political science. After college, she started writing a story about Amy the Amylase, intending to make molecular cell biology less scary for everyone. To get the biochemistry right in her stories, Melanie pursued a PhD in Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry, and Microbiology from the University of Cincinnati. During her postdoctoral fellowship at Weill Cornell Medical College, Melanie found out about an educational video game being made by a think tank in Washington, DC. Melanie then moved to DC, won a grant to study the game, and based on her research, designed and produced a new game called Immune Defense. After 5 years of trying to get a game studio off the ground, Melanie is now a professor of interactive media and science communication. She creates games about chemistry and teaches game development, while still dabbling in indie game development.
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