Publications

During a pandemic such as COVID-19, non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) can help protect public health; however, it is not always clear which actions will have the greatest positive impact, or what the trade-offs are between different options. Exposure Notification (EN) was introduced as a prevention measure during the COVID-19 pandemic to supplement traditional contact tracing activities. To predict the estimated impacts of EN, a model for "simulation of automated exposure notification" (SimAEN) was developed by researchers at MIT Lincoln Laboratory (MIT LL) with CDC funding [2]. The model was published through an accessible web interface, available for use by the general public at https://SimAEN.philab.cdc.gov/.

Digital games offer many elements to augment traditional classroom lectures and reading assignments. They enable players to explore concepts through repeat play in a low-risk environment, and allow players to integrate feedback given during gameplay and evaluate their own performance. Commercial games leverage a number of features to engage players and hold their attention. But do those engagement-improving methods have a place in instructional environments with a captive and motivated audience? Our experience building a logistics supply chain training game for the Marine Corps University suggests that yes; applying lessons in engagement from commercial games can both help improve player experience with the learning environment, and potentially improve learning outcomes.