Melanie Stegman's "Immune Attack and Science Video Games" presentation

Federation of American Scientists

Melanie A. Stegman, Ph.D.

Director, Learning Technologies Program

"Immune Attack and Science Video Games:  Present the Unimaginable,

Teach the Inexplicable, and Assess the Immeasurable."

[email protected]

Federation of American ScientistsWhy should FAS care about Education and Training?

Because we want civilian oversight over technology development

Therefore, the civilians must be able to assess the impact of new technology on society

Hans Bethe Kary Mullis

Atomic bomb, 1945

Polymerase ChainReaction, 1983

Federation of American Scientists

The Federation of American Scientists started gathering research about how technology could be used to transform education in 2001.  Under the guidance of their new president Henry Kelly, the FAS launched the Learning Science and Technology Research and Development Roadmap project, which brought together approximately 100 researchers from the academic, government and corporate sectors. This extensive collaborative effort was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation to FAS-LTP (Grant number 0226421), the Department of Education, as well as the Hewlett Foundation, Microsoft Corporation, and Carnegie Corporation.  The Roadmaps were published in 2003 on the FAS-LTP website.

Searching for a way to improve education

National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies

The Center was passed into law in Spring 2008, and is awaiting full appropriation. Call your Federal Representatives today.

“An NSF focused on learning technology research”

Molecular ScienceUnimaginable.

Invisible.

Abstract.

Absolutely required to understand

environmental

health

agricultural

technological

issues

Why use technologyGoogle is not just an electronic encyclopedia.

Video Games are not just electronic lectures.

The point is NOT “to give them the same info in the new format.”

The point is to give them something completely new, something never before possible.

Games in the science classroom

• Use a game to introduce an unimaginable world.

• Use game design to get the students to push themselves past their comfort zone.

Can’t make a policeman out a kid who doesn’t know what shoes, badge and crime are….

Can’t make a biochemist out of a kid who doesn’t know what a protein, inhibitor and metabolism are.

We know more about molecular science every day. We can’t just teach the same stuff. We need to teach about vast worlds of molecular science.

We know more about Molecules nowadays

There is more to learn

The Machinery of Life

David Goodsell, Ph.D.Scripps

Get this book, it is written for the public and scientists alike.

We know now what is happening to all these molecules

Cytoplasmic protein

mRNA

Ribosome

Water

ATP

Sodium ion

Go to Immuneattack.org and watch the trailer for Immune Attack version 1.

Which one is Pacman?What does Pacman do?How does he do it?Who are the ghosts?What do they do?What do ghosts do to Pacman?Is their relationship static?What causes changes in their relationship?Does Pacman move randomly?Do the ghosts move randomly?

Things you learned by playing Pacman:

What if Pacman were an enzyme? …small dots were substrate, …big dots were allosteric inhibitors and …the ghosts were highly regulated Proteases?

Games in the science classroom

• Use a game to introduce an unimaginable world.

• Use game design to get the students to push themselves past their comfort zone.

What to do with your scientist?

Teaching molecular Science by Game Design

Ongoing collaboration with FAS Learning Technologies and George Mason University Instructional Technology Department. Kevin Clark and Kim Sheridan are PIs on aniTEST program (NSF) to demonstrate that training students to mentor beginners will make them more ready for college.

So, Saturday classes and summer classes of Game Maker students need something to make a game about.

Enter the scientist.

Sample Science Game Making Protocol (High School)

Two hour lecture on four molecular processes in neuronsScientist introduces concepts, and kids divide themselves into four groups,

one for each molecular process.

Four weeks of programming class (Game Maker)Let students muck around with the ideas for a weekStart with WikipediaThen find an *Author and a *Publisher for each fact.

Scientist comes in once a week, for 2 hours each.Students become active listeners, with concrete

questions about “abstract” molecular biology, because they are creating this game right here that is not abstract at all.

If you are an interested teacher, contact me and we can talk about it…..

More Great Science Games

• Metablast www.metablast.org• Cellcraft find on www.Kongregate.com• Surge (Physics!) download through mygameIQ• Medmyst, CSI:The Experience Web Adventure at http://medmyst.rice.edu/• MygameIQ Download many Learning Games

Read my blog to find up to date information and games:

http://www.fas.org/blog/learningtech