Na Chen
Programmer
Na has a background in computer science and is interested in exploring the intersection of technology, education, and social impact. As a programmer on Beyond Frame, she works on developing and prototyping interactive systems, with a focus on turning design ideas into functional experiences.
Esther Jeon
Designer
Artist
Esther is a designer and media artist interested in experience design, location-based experiences, and interactive installations that invite people to engage with art. She studied graphic design at Pratt Institute and is now pursuing a master’s degree at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center. As a designer and artist on Beyond Frame, she works on the project’s visual identity and explores how visitors can interact with landscape paintings in new ways.
Minjung Park
Producer
Programmer
Minjung develops interactive systems and games through research-driven design. Her work has been supported by national funding and presented internationally, often exploring how complex social and personal experiences can become meaningful forms of play. She works across concept development and technical prototyping, while also leading interdisciplinary production. She studied film and multimedia at the Korea National University of Arts and later trained as a performer through collaborations in Europe and Latin America. After briefly attending the Royal College of Art in London, she is now pursuing a master’s degree at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center as a Fulbright scholar. In Beyond Frame, she works across production and programming while helping shape the project’s interaction design and technical direction.
David Song
Experience Designer
David Song is a narrative designer and interactive media creator currently studying at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center. With a background in film directing, he focuses on story-driven games, immersive experiences, and interactive storytelling that explore memory, space, and human relationships.
Yuntao Wang
Designer
Artist
Yuntao Wang is a spatial experience designer exploring the intersection of architecture, games, and immersive environments. Rooted in architectural thinking, he designs spaces as experiential systems—where narrative, interaction, and perception shape how virtual worlds are felt and understood.
Faculty
Mike Christel
Teaching Professor
Mike Christel is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center, where he focuses on the development and evaluation of transformational games, particularly in the fields of education and health care. Mike joined the ETC in 2008, bringing expertise from Carnegie Mellon’s Computer Science Department, where he worked at the intersection of speech recognition, image processing and multimedia interface development. As a member of the Informedia Digital Video Library research team, he earned the prestigious Allen Newell Award for Research Excellence.
Before joining the ETC, Mike worked at Carnegie Mellon’s Computer Science Department (1997-2008), and before that at CMU’s Software Engineering Institute from 1987 to 1997. He earned his Ph.D. from Georgia Tech in 1991, where his research explored dynamically generated digital video interfaces, laying the foundation for his interest in interactive and transformative technologies.
Beyond his academic and research achievements, Mike enjoys building experiences through travel and has visited all 50 U.S. states with his family, enriching his perspective on storytelling and entertainment through real-world exploration.
Shirley Saldamarco
Special Faculty
Shirley Saldamarco is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center and a seasoned entrepreneur, producer and educator with more than three decades of experience in the entertainment, media and themed entertainment industries. With a strong foundation in theater from Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama, Shirley combines her creative expertise with her passion for teaching and producing.
As a member of the School of Drama faculty from 1990 to 2009, Shirley produced the WQED Television Showcase, a collaboration with master’s students in playwriting, directing and design, culminating in productions aired on WQED. She also co-produced the “Television Workshop” master class and taught “Creative Enterprises” in the Heinz School’s Master of Entertainment Industry Management Program.
Since joining the ETC faculty in 2006, Shirley has taught courses and workshops across Pittsburgh, Silicon Valley, Osaka and Salford, and mentored students in numerous interdisciplinary projects. She has designed innovative courses, including “Producing for Television and Film,” “Themed Entertainment Design Studio” and “Guest Experience in Theme Park Design.” From 2006 to 2012, she served as Director of Creative Services at the ETC.
As President and CEO of Interactive Media Productions, the company she founded in 1982, Shirley has produced award-winning programs, including documentaries and children’s programming like “Charlie’s Sharing Adventure” and “Johnson and Friends.” Her work has earned numerous accolades, including an Emmy nomination, Matrix Award, Golden Cine and multiple Telly Awards.
Shirley is an active leader in the themed entertainment industry, serving on the Themed Experience and Attraction Academic Society Steering Committee, the Themed Entertainment Association International Board and the National Civil War Museum Advisory Council. She also consults professionally and has contributed to initiatives like the CMU Robot Hall of Fame, Carnegie Science Center’s Robo World Advisory Council and Steeltown Film Factory.