ESP Biography



AMANDA TURK, lover of circuits and powertools



Major: Course 2

College/Employer: MIT

Year of Graduation: 2012

Picture of Amanda Turk

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I'm a sophomore and former-homeschooler who is crazy about building things, spends her free time exploring random places in Boston and Cambridge, and loves to sing, read anything that stands still long enough, tell stories, climb trees, teach, learn, and create. Officially, I'm majoring in course 2, but I am also: unofficially-and-possibly-officially studying 6-1, deeply in love with all things physics-related, and especially enthusiastic about alternative energy, international development, and theology. After two awesome years of ESP-teaching at MIT, I'm really excited to teach for Splash again this year!



Past Classes

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

E4216: Toilets! in Splash! 2010 (Nov. 20 - 21, 2010)
Toilets are one of the best examples of purely mechanical systems that are everywhere and easy to open up and figure out. In this class, we'll do just that: open up a toilet and try to figure out how it works. Not only will you get the experience of figuring something out, but you can take home your new knowledge and fix your own plumbing!


E4218: Take stuff apart! in Splash! 2010 (Nov. 20 - 21, 2010)
Ever wonder what the inside of a computer looks like? What about a blender? We'll bring in a bunch of random devices people use and a bunch of screwdrivers -- you get to take them apart!


S2994: Why does my body DO that? in Splash! 2009 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2009)
Have you ever wondered why you yawn? What makes your hairs stand on end when you're cold? How hiccups and snoring work? Come explore the fascinating world of curly hair, blinking eyes, itchy skin, chattering teeth, growling stomachs, and all the other weird stuff your body does...


E3014: So you wanna be an electrical engineer... in Splash! 2009 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2009)
What makes lightbulbs light up and toasters toast? Electricity! In this class, you'll learn the fundamentals of electricity and circuits from the bottom up. At the end, you'll put what you learned into practice by building a circuit of your own!


X2293: Pipe cleaners in Spark! Spring 2009 (Mar. 07, 2009)
They're fuzzy, they're bendy, they're colorful, and they're back with a vengeance! Thousands of pipe cleaners are poised to take over Spark 2009, and Amanda and Catherine are armed and ready with hundreds of ideas of fun things to do with them. We'll teach you how to make all kinds of awesome pipe-cleaner creatures and creations, from dinosaurs to butterflies, from robots to penguins. Then we'll let you loose to tackle some fiendish pipe-cleaner construction challenges. We hope to see you there!


H1955: Pipe cleaners in Splash! 2008 (Nov. 22 - 23, 2008)
Pipe cleaners are fuzzy. And colorful. And bendy. And fuzzy. And did we mention they're colorful? Come learn how to make things out of pipe cleaners. We'll walk you through some simple examples of awesome creations (like penguins! fuzzy, bendy, colorful penguins!) and then let you figure out how to make some things on your own. At the end we'll offer prizes for the best creations in certain categories... like, cutest animal, awesomest robot, most structural house, fuzziest, bendiest, or most colorful. Think you can handle it?? Then sign up!