ESP Biography



MARIANNE OLSEN, ESP Teacher



Major: Mechanical Engineering

College/Employer: MIT

Year of Graduation: 2019

Picture of Marianne Olsen

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Marianne was once a young, naive girl living in Texas with no purpose in life besides a vague interest in robots.
That all changed when she discovered ESP her freshman year of MIT. They found her five greatest weaknesses: lemonade, free t-shirts, leadership positions, free dinners, and emails, and exploited them until she was in too deep directing and teaching for programs. When she finds free time, usually about 20 minutes a week, she enjoys making brownies, eating brownies, and watching people on the Great British Bakeoff bake brownies. She also has an amazing, out of this world, 10/10 roommate that definitely didn't write this for her.



Past Classes

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

Z15197: Myth Matched: What do Hermes and Hermod have in common? in Splash 2022 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2022)
Cultures all around the world developed rich and varied bodies of myth, yet there are often striking similarities and differences. Come compare Greco-Roman, Norse, and other mythologies, discover weird comparisons and speculate about their origin, and discuss interesting differences!


M15332: Probability, Statistics, and Understanding the World in Splash 2022 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2022)
Probability is the language we use to understand the world around us. It helps us conclude that gravitational waves exist or that certain drug treatments actually help cure a disease. Come learn the fundamentals fundamentals of probability and statistics from random variables to estimation. In particular, we'll talk about where these come up in the world and why it's important to understand them.


Z13646: All the World's a Game: Game Theory in International Relations in Splash 2019 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2019)
Game theory tries to predict the choices that perfectly rational decision-makers make in given situations. We'll go over some basic two-player games and discuss how we can apply these theories to the interactions between countries!


X12602: How to Run A Splash in Splash 2018 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2018)
Ever thought about what happens behind-the-scenes when you sign up for Splash classes? Or how all of our teachers and classes fit into MIT's classrooms? Splash takes months to plan, and for good reason. Come learn how we make Splash happen every year!


W12752: Appreciation for any juice that is not Ruby Red in Splash 2018 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2018)
At ESP, we love to drink juice. Come learn to appreciate every jucie except the worst juice, Ruby Red! Juices included will be lemonade, all kinds of orange juice, and things that are juices if we stretch the definition of juice a little bit.


Z12218: All the World's a Game: Game Theory in International Relations in Spark 2018 (Mar. 17 - 18, 2018)
Game theory tries to predict the choices that perfectly rational decision-makers make in given situations. We'll go over some basic two-player games and discuss how we can apply these theories to the interactions between countries!


H12235: Myth Matched: What do Hermes and Hermod have in common? in Spark 2018 (Mar. 17 - 18, 2018)
Cultures all around the world developed rich and varied bodies of myth, yet there are often striking similarities and differences. Come compare Greco-Roman, Norse, and other mythologies, discover weird comparisons and speculate about their origin, and consider interesting differences!


Z11531: All the World's a Game: Game Theory in International Relations in Splash 2017 (Nov. 18 - 19, 2017)
Game theory tries to predict the choices that perfectly rational decision-makers make in given situations. We'll go over some basic two-player games and discuss how we can apply these theories to the interactions between countries!


H11532: Myth Matched: What do Hermes and Hermod have in common? in Splash 2017 (Nov. 18 - 19, 2017)
Cultures all around the world developed rich and varied bodies of myth, yet there are often striking similarities and differences. Come compare Greco-Roman, Norse, and other mythologies, discover weird comparisons and speculate about their origin, and consider interesting differences!


B11534: Chinese Characters Breakdown in Splash 2017 (Nov. 18 - 19, 2017)
Sheep + Big = ... Beautiful? It does in Chinese writing! Chinese characters barely look pictographic anymore, but we'll look at some interesting character breakdowns. You won't actually learn Chinese from this class, but you'll hear about radicals and hopefully some fun origin stories for some characters.


S11555: Dimensional Analysis aka How to Ace Your Science Classes in Splash 2017 (Nov. 18 - 19, 2017)
One of us is a physicist. One of us is a mechanical engineer. We both agree that dimensional analysis (aka cancelling out units) is the single most useful technique for solving science problems. Come learn cool applications of the method for solving everything from high school chemistry homework to MIT junior mechanical engineering thermal-fluids engineering problems!


X11556: How to Run A Splash in Splash 2017 (Nov. 18 - 19, 2017)
Ever thought about what happens behind-the-scenes when you sign up for Splash classes? Or how all of our teachers and classes fit into MIT's classrooms? Splash takes months to plan, and for good reason. Come learn how we make Splash happen every year!


W12019: Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream in Splash 2017 (Nov. 18 - 19, 2017)
We'll make you some very, very cool ice cream :)


Z11446: All the World's a Game: Game Theory in International Relations in Spark 2017 (Mar. 11 - 12, 2017)
Game theory tries to predict the choices that perfectly rational decision-makers make in given situations. We'll go over some basic two-player games and discuss how we can apply these theories to the interactions between countries!


W11456: Create a Pillow in Spark 2017 (Mar. 11 - 12, 2017)
Are you tired? Do you need some rest? Well, come on down to Lobby 13 and build yourself a pillow and then excuse yourself to your room to sleep because I do not tolerate snoring or drooling or sleeping in my class.


Z10947: All the World's a Game: Game Theory in International Relations in Splash 2016 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2016)
Come watch MIT Class of 2019's sole Political Science major and her Mechanical Engineering friend plagiarize our 17.41 professor and discuss how we can use game theory to analyze international relations!


Z10948: Myth Matched: What do Hermes and Hermod have in common? in Splash 2016 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2016)
Cultures all around the world developed rich and varied bodies of myth, yet there are often striking similarities and differences. Come compare Greco-Roman, Norse, and other mythologies, discover weird comparisons and speculate about their origin, and discuss interesting differences!


X10953: Myth it Up: Would Amaterasu and Amun-Ra be besties? in Splash 2016 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2016)
A journey into perhaps more esoteric myth, we will explore some mythologies that are less well known in mainstream culture. Explore deep into the wilds of man's stories, and discover themes in people who lived worlds apart, uncovering some of what really makes us not so different after all.


X10954: Extemporaneous 5-minute Classes on Absolutely Anything in Splash 2016 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2016)
Ever wondered about how to properly handle a crocodile? Ever wanted to know how to spot a split infinitive? Now's your chance to find out ALL the answers! Give us a title, we'll teach a 5-minute class on the topic! The weirder the topic, the more you'll get to see us embarrass ourselves as we make up answers on the spot. Bring your silliest, awesome-est, ludicrous-est ideas! (shameless idea cred to Anna '14)


X10290: Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Lecture Series in HSSP Spring 2016 (Feb. 20, 2016)
Lecture series in subjects classified as "HASS" at MIT: Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences


X9656: Extemporaneous 5-minute Classes on Absolutely Anything in Splash 2015 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2015)
Ever wondered about how to properly handle a crocodile? Ever wanted to know how to spot a split infinitive? Now's your chance to find out ALL the answers! Give us a title, we'll teach a 5-minute class on the topic! The weirder the topic, the more you'll get to see us embarrass ourselves as we make up answers on the spot. Bring your silliest, awesome-est, ludicrous-est ideas! (shameless idea cred to Anna '14)


Z10097: Myth Matched: What do Hermes and Hermod have in common? in Splash 2015 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2015)
Cultures all around the world developed rich and varied bodies of myth, yet there are often striking similarities and differences. Come compare Greco-Roman, Norse, and other mythologies, discover weird comparisons and speculate about their origin, and discuss interesting differences!


E10209: What Do Mechanical Engineers Do All Day?: Compressor Selection 101 in Splash 2015 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2015)
Interested in engineering, but have no idea what engineers do on a day-to-day basis? Well, even people studying engineering here at MIT aren't entirely sure. But come learn about one specific intern's experience doing engineering office work, and find out about how oil companies pick compressors and drivers for their natural gas platforms!