ESP Biography



MAX JAHNS, Graduate student and amateur board game designer




Major: Chemical Oceanography

College/Employer: MIT

Year of Graduation: g

Picture of Max Jahns

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Max is a graduate student in the MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program studying chemical oceanography. They overwhelmingly prefer lipids and carbohydrates to proteins and DNA, and only partially because they taste better. At the intersection between biology, chemistry, climate science, and policy- Max seeks out new and exciting ways to convey information and has stumbled onto the beauties of board game design and gamification. Max has designed three board/card games, two of which are free to download online, and has written for their own board game review blog as well as freelance.



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

P13829: Cookie Chemistry in Spark 2020 (Mar. 14 - 15, 2020)
Some people like them thin and crispy, while others like them thick and chewy. Leave behind your labcoats and grab an apron for cooking with chemists! Come learn (and taste) the fundamentals of chemistry in our everyday lives. In this course, we will explain the chemical principles underlying the perfect chocolate chip cookie. We’ll uncover the essentials to troubleshoot common baking mishaps and finetune your recipes for your perfect treat. Equipped with this knowledge, we will put what we’ve learned to the test, and students will experiment with crafting their own recipes. Vegan options will be available, though common allergens (milk, wheat, egg) will be present.


S13773: Board Game Design in HSSP Spring 2020 (Feb. 29, 2020)
Believe it or not, the board game industry is going through its biggest boom in the modern age. Recent advances in board game design have spurred the release of thousands of new and original board games are every year. But just what makes a game 'good'? And how can you take the best parts of modern board games to design your own? Well in this class, we'll be examining the design of some of the most popular and original games, examining the media theory, game theory and probability theory behind good design, and finishing the class by having you design your very own board game! Come play with us!