ESP Biography



AMBER BENNOUI, HERE.




Major: Physics and math

College/Employer: Simmons College

Year of Graduation: 2013

Picture of Amber Bennoui

Brief Biographical Sketch:

You've probably seen me around...



Past Classes

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

A5497: The State of Boston Hardcore in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)
Hardcore, a music genre that blossomed out of punk, is not well known considering its raw nature. In this class, we'll start by discussing the 80s where bands like SS Decontrol and Jerry's Kids dominated the grimy basement culture of Boston. We'll explore the inner workings of the pivotal album "This is Boston, Not LA" while also discussing common modern trends in hardcore -- such as crews, popular ideologies and zine culture.


X5501: Machiavellian Trolling in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)
TROLLING IS A ART FORM. HAS ANYONE REALLY BEEN FAR EVEN AS DECIDED TO USE EVEN GO WANT TO DO LOOK MORE LIKE? EVER WONDER HOW BOXXY ACQUIRED SUCH CRITICAL MASS? GRAMMAR NAZIS, HOW DO THEY WORK? ALL OF THIS (AND MORE!) WILL BE COVERED IN OUR TROLLING EXPOSE! MAY CAUSE RAGE. ESPECIALLY AFTER YOU READ THE FIRST LETTER OF EACH SENTENCE.


X5510: Baking the Vegan Alternative of Things in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)
Baking vegan rules because you can eat batter and get salmonella! We will attempt to make deceptive cheesecake, apple crisp, brownies and various cookies.


E5527: Balloon Engineering in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)
I will give you a balloon and a bunch of knick-knacks. You will make it float at a constant height.


S4590: Feynmanomena in Spark! 2011 (Mar. 12, 2011)
Feynman wasn't your typical physicist - renowned for his quirky sense of humor and remarkable discoveries in quantum electrodynamics, he's right up there with the likes of Maxwell and Newton. We'll discuss his Caltech years, ogle the sweet shuttlecraft named after him and look at a few of his published papers. An extensive knowledge in physics isn't required but you must have a good sense of humor!


A4591: A Brief History of Punk in Spark! 2011 (Mar. 12, 2011)
Why are those kids wearing studded jackets and sporting hair of neon hues? What's that noise to which they're enthusiastically listening and why are they flailing? While I can't promise the entire history of the punk subculture, I will explain how the style came to be, how the music developed and how other it influenced other subcultures.


X4640: Machiavellian Trolling in Spark! 2011 (Mar. 12, 2011)
TROLLING IS A ART FORM. HAS ANYONE REALLY BEEN FAR EVEN AS DECIDED TO USE EVEN GO WANT TO DO LOOK MORE LIKE? EVER WONDER HOW BOXXY ACQUIRED SUCH CRITICAL MASS? GRAMMAR NAZIS, HOW DO THEY WORK? ALL OF THIS (AND MORE!) WILL BE COVERED IN OUR TROLLING EXPOSE! MAY CAUSE RAGE. ESPECIALLY AFTER YOU READ THE FIRST LETTER OF EACH SENTENCE.


X4510: STEAM Lecture Series in HSSP Spring 2011 (Feb. 19, 2011)
Do you think you might want to be an engineer, mathematician or scientist, but don’t know much about they do? Keep reading! Each week, a different teacher will speak about a topic in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Applied Mathematics (STEAM). In the past, topics have ranged from bioengineering to game theory, offering a mixture of lecture-based and activity-based classes. The following will be offered (subject to change): Chaos Theory Introduction to Topology Feynmanomena Aero/Astro Engineering This series is designed to touch upon topics -- there is no need to worry about overwhelming jargon and math will be kept at a basic level!


X4511: Weekly World News in HSSP Spring 2011 (Feb. 19, 2011)
Are you not content with just "living your life", oblivious to the terrors happening around the world every day? Have no fear! This class will cover the past week's world news, keeping YOU updated! Each week's class will be taught by a different teacher and will cover different areas of interest.


X4512: ESPrinkler in HSSP Spring 2011 (Feb. 19, 2011)
During the third block, middle school students are given the opportunity to participate in ESPrinkler, a mini-program that consists of several one-shot (Splash-style) classes each week, including: Improv Acting Activities Engineering Challenges Capture the Flag! While you don't have to individually register for each activity, you must register for this course (ESPrinkler) to partake in the different activities offered every week!


C3715: Beginner's Cryptography in Splash! 2010 (Nov. 20 - 21, 2010)
1205011814 081523 2015 051403150405 011404 040503150405 1305191901070519! (Learn how to encode and decode messages!)


A3716: A Brief History of Punk in Splash! 2010 (Nov. 20 - 21, 2010)
Why are those kids wearing studded jackets and sporting hair of neon hues? What's that noise to which they're enthusiastically listening and why are they flailing? While I can't promise the entire history of the punk subculture, I will explain how the style came to be, how the music developed and how other it influenced other subcultures.


X3888: How To Be a Secret Agent in Splash! 2010 (Nov. 20 - 21, 2010)
Government run organizations are always looking for new talent but few have what it takes to join their ranks. While this class does not guarantee a position in a government run organization, it will certainly help you stand out to recruiters. Here, you'll learn how one agent used Lady Gaga's music to facilitate the leak of countless classified documents. We'll even look at techniques used by spies employed during the Cold War and beyond. You'll walk away knowing how to: - Speak like an agent - Defend yourself using improvised weapons - Lie AND get away with it - Blend into foreign countries - Pack a spy toolkit - Debug a room in under 90 seconds


W4105: Chocolatology in Splash! 2010 (Nov. 20 - 21, 2010)
While the goal of the class is to gorge ourselves on chocolate, we're also going to teach you the fine art behind making it to justify all the materials we'll be purchasing. You'll leave with a newly acquired tolerance to curiously flavored dark chocolate and knowing way too much about ganache.


S4106: Feynmanomena in Splash! 2010 (Nov. 20 - 21, 2010)
Feynman wasn't your typical physicist - renowned for his quirky sense of humor and remarkable discoveries in quantum electrodynamics, he's right up there with the likes of Maxwell and Newton. We'll discuss his Caltech years, ogle the sweet shuttlecraft named after him and look at a few of his published papers. An extensive knowledge in physics isn't required but you must have a good sense of humor!


H3524: How to Question Everything and Argue with Everybody in HSSP Summer 2010 (Jul. 11, 2010 - Jul. 11, 2011)
In this course, we will teach you how to think logically, spot mistakes, formulate opinions and change those opinions in the event of new information. This should allow you to rationally carry on (and win) a debate or argument about any issue while avoiding common fallacies. Light reading and research will be assigned as homework — nothing that should take more than 30 minutes a week!


S3429: The Science Behind Trebuchets (series of 4 classes)) in Junction Summer 2010 (Jul. 01 - Aug. 11, 2010)
Used since the Middle Ages, trebuchets wreaked havoc for centuries in Europe. Adherence to the laws of physics allowed for a powerful weapon capable of destroying the most stable of structures. After examining the fine science behind them, a design competition will be launched in which you get to compete with your classmates. May the best trebuchet win!


H3431: Concealing a Lack of In-Depth Understanding Through The Use of Verbose, Obfuscating, Vapid and/or Redundant Language in Junction Summer 2010 (Jul. 01 - Aug. 11, 2010)
Learn how to stretch out writing assignments…eloquently!


M3432: How To Write Proofs in Junction Summer 2010 (Jul. 01 - Aug. 11, 2010)
To truly understand math, one has to know how to write proofs. Surprisingly, few are taught how to do so in school. Using maximum ridiculosity, we'll go into detail regarding how to read and write them!


X3433: A History of Punk in Junction Summer 2010 (Jul. 01 - Aug. 11, 2010)
Why are those kids wearing studded jackets and sporting hair of neon hues? What's that noise to which they're enthusiastically listening and why are they flailing? While I can't promise the entire history of the punk subculture, I will explain how the style came to be, how the music developed and how other subcultures were influenced by it.


H3451: How to Question Everything and Argue with Everybody (series of 4 classes) in Junction Summer 2010 (Jul. 01 - Aug. 11, 2010)
In this course, I'll teach you how to think logically, spot mistakes, formulate opinions and change those opinions in the event of new information. This should allow you to rationally carry on (and win) a debate or argument about any issue while avoiding common fallacies.


M3491: Beginner's Cryptography! in Junction Summer 2010 (Jul. 01 - Aug. 11, 2010)
1205011814 081523 2015 051403150405 011404 040503150405 1305191901070519! (Learn how to encode and decode messages!)


X3525: How Not To Be Awkward in Junction Summer 2010 (Jul. 01 - Aug. 11, 2010)
In this class, we'll play out awkward scenarios and come up with solutions to get out of them. Things that will be discussed: what to do with your hands while talking, how to take a compliment, conversation topics to avoid...and whatever your zany minds can come up with (yes, we are aware that the sentence was ended with a preposition...otherwise, the sentence structure would have been awkward).


X3164: How Not To Be Awkward in Spark! 2010 (Mar. 13, 2010)
In this class, we’ll play out awkward scenarios and come up with solutions to get out of them. Things that will be discussed: what to do with your hands while talking, how to take a compliment, conversation topics to avoid…and so on.


X3165: Concealing a Lack of In-Depth Understanding Through The Use of Verbose, Obfuscating, Vapid and/or Redundant Language in Spark! 2010 (Mar. 13, 2010)
Learn how to stretch out writing assignments…eloquently!


M3167: How To Write Proofs in Spark! 2010 (Mar. 13, 2010)
To truly understand math, one has to know how to write proofs. Surprisingly, few are taught how to do so in school. Using maximum ridiculosity, we'll go into detail regarding how to read and write them!


H3383: How to Question Everything and Argue with Everybody in HSSP Spring 2010 (Apr. 17, 2010)
In this course, we will teach you how to think logically, spot mistakes, formulate opinions and change those opinions in the event of new information. This should allow you to rationally carry on (and win) a debate or argument about any issue while avoiding common fallacies. Light reading and research will be assigned as homework -- nothing that should take more than 30 minutes a week!


X2586: Concealing a Lack of In-Depth Understanding Through The Use of Verbose, Obfuscating, Vapid and/or Redundant Language in Splash! 2009 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2009)
Learn how to stretch out writing assignments...eloquently!


X2587: How Not To Be Awkward in Splash! 2009 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2009)
In this class, we'll play out awkward scenarios and come up with solutions to get out of them. Things that will be discussed: what to do with your hands while talking, how to take a compliment, conversation topics to avoid...and so on.


Social Engineering in JUNCTION (2010)
The art of deception is difficult to master but worth learning. Each year, countless people fall prey to the cunning ...