CDC This is a TEST Expansion - Serious Game Design for Environmental Emergency Preparedness Fellowship
To submit your application, scroll to the bottom of this opportunity and click APPLY.
A complete application consists of:
- An application
- Transcripts – Click here for detailed information about acceptable transcripts
- A current resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
- One educational or professional recommendation. Your application will be considered incomplete, and will not be reviewed until one recommendation is submitted.
All documents must be in English or include an official English translation.
Connect with ORISE...on the GO! Download the new ORISE GO mobile app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to help you stay engaged, connected, and informed during your ORISE experience and beyond!
*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.
CDC Office and Location: A research opportunity is currently available with the Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice (DEHSP) of the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one of the major operation components of the Department of Health and Human Services. CDC works to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same.
Research Project: CDC recently developed a serious cooperative game called This is a TEST to help state and local health departments and their partners in training and exercising Community Reception Center (CRC) functions after a nuclear or radiological emergency and the roles / responsibilities of key participants in CRC operations. Initial evaluation has identified a number of areas for further expansion and improvement of the game to respond to the needs identified by state and local participants. Variants of the game have also been developed and piloted to support training and exercise of Point of Dispensing functions as well as Incident Command System functions.
This project is intend to develop additional content for the game to meet state and local needs, exercise the objectives in CDC's Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement, perform functional testing and field evaluation of the updated game, and assist in the translation, clearance, and distribution of the resulting game materials. This expansion will address hospital preparedness and challenges faced by persons with access and functional needs.
The objectives of this project are to educate state and local workforce on CRC operations, enhance engagement and collaboration across sectors with public health and radiation control partners, highlight community needs in emergency responses, and address specific CRC challenges around pediatric populations, rural populations, pets and animal care staff, vehicle monitoring, and recovery efforts. Integration with Emergency Operations Center operations and hospital operations are also desired.
Your involvement will be in learning the development of expansion elements, learning the coordination of game content updates, learning communications mechanisms for familiarization of participants and for training facilitators on game mechanics, learning evaluation data gathering, and learning functional and outcome analysis under the guidance of CDC staff mentorship.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn about Community Reception Center (CRC) operations and emergency preparedness planning for nuclear and radiological incidents.
- Learn about the development and expansion of CDC’s serious cooperative training game, “This is a TEST,” to address evolving state and local preparedness needs.
- Gain experience with updating game content related to public health emergency preparedness objectives, hospital preparedness, and access and functional needs populations.
- Participate in functional testing and field evaluations of updated game materials to assess effectiveness and usability.
- Gain experience in collecting and analyzing evaluation data in collaboration with CDC staff to improve training outcomes and emergency response strategies.
- Gain exposure to emergency response coordination, including CRC operations, Emergency Operations Center integration, hospital operations, and response challenges involving pediatric populations, rural communities, animal care, vehicle monitoring, and recovery efforts.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Peter Rzeszotarski (BQQ3@CDC.GOV). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: August 3, 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.
Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of CDC and is contingent on the availability of funds.
Level of Participation: The appointment is full time.
Participant Stipend: Stipend rates may vary based on numerous factors, including opportunity, location, education, and experience. If you are interviewed, you can inquire about the exact stipend rate at that time and if selected, your appointment offer will include the monthly stipend rate.
Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) only.
ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and CDC. Participants do not become employees of CDC, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.
The successful applicant(s) will be required to comply with Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) requirements of the hosting facility, including but not limited to, COVID-19 requirements (e.g. facial covering, physical distancing, testing, vaccination).
Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email CDCrpp@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
The qualified candidate should have received a master's degree in one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years.
Degree in instructional and game design, game theory, serious game development and simulations, interactive media or equivalent, with coursework in instructional principles, game design, gaming interaction, and evaluation. Computer science related, emergency management, nuclear or other science engineering degrees are also accepted.
Preferred skills:
- Skills in game design, elicitation of user participation, and game evaluation are desired
- Familiarity with emergency management principles and/or radiation emergencies is desirable
- Critical thinking and strong plain language writing
- Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
- Degree: Master's Degree received within the last 60 month(s).
- Discipline(s):
I certify that I have not previously been employed by CDC or by a contractor working directly for CDC. I understand that CDC does not permit individuals with a prior employment relationship with CDC or its contractors to participate as trainees in the ORISE program. (Exceptions may be granted for individuals who, since the previous CDC employment, have obtained a new STEM degree which necessitates training in a new field.)
ORISE GO
The ORISE GO mobile app helps you stay engaged, connected and informed during your ORISE experience – from application, to offer, through your appointment and even as an ORISE alum!
