ESP Biography



KENNETH COX, Biology major with an interest in diseases




Major: Biology

College/Employer: MIT

Year of Graduation: 2023

Picture of Kenneth Cox

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Hello! My name is Kenny, and I'm from southern Connecticut. I'm currently an MIT rising senior majoring in biology with a serious passion for infectious diseases (studying them, not actually getting infected by them). In my free time, I read ridiculous quantities of Wikipedia articles, play guitar, and work on my many side projects and hobbies.



Past Classes

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

S15938: Astrobiology in HSSP Spring 2024 (Mar. 02, 2024)
Where are they? In a universe so vast, there should be aliens around somewhere, so why haven't we seen them yet? In this class, we will take a galactic perspective of life and discuss the origins of life and space travel, engineering, and communication.


X15784: Personal Finance But Cool in Splash 2023 (Nov. 18 - 19, 2023)
There's a lot of personal finance advice out there, but what can you trust? In this class, we'll learn about balancing personal budgets and investing for the long-term - and justify our approach with economics and math.


S15636: Astrobiology 2: Electric Boogaloo in HSSP Summer 2023 (Jul. 09, 2023)
"If Astrobiology is so good, why isn't there an Astrobiology 2???" Well fear no more Earthlings, for there is one now! Because the astrobiology class I've taught the past couple HSSPs was so popular, I'm offering a ~~deluxe edition~~ that will expand on concepts introduced in the earlier class and introduce some new ones. Plus, you'll get to choose the topic for two of the weeks!


S15475: Astrobiology in HSSP Spring 2023 (Feb. 25, 2023)
Where are they? In a universe so vast, there should be aliens around somewhere, so why haven't we seen them yet? In this class, we will take a galactic perspective of life and discuss how life might arise on other planets, how aliens (and us) might move around space, and how we can communicate with extraterrestrials.


X15476: So, What's Next? Existential Risk in HSSP Spring 2023 (Feb. 25, 2023)
In case you've become too optimistic about humanity's future after we've survived the worst of COVID, in this class we'll take a scientific approach to the end of the world and explore climate change, nuclear war, bioweapons, and AI as potential sources of our downfall.


H15474: American Society: A Primer in Spark 2023 (Mar. 18 - 19, 2023)
Many have asked "Who is America?", but perhaps the better question is "What is the socioeconomic, cultural, demographic, and lifestyle portrait of America?" In this class, we'll meet the 90% of Americans who don't eat enough fruits and vegetables, the 10% of American Twitter users who generate 97% of our country's political tweets, and the 12% of American daters who have found love through online dating - and many more. We'll also begin to understand the sources of economic, political, and cultural diversity in America, and how all this information is gathered and analyzed.


X15114: So, What's Next?: Existential Risk in Splash 2022 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2022)
Has a pandemic not made you worried enough for humanity's safety? In this class, we'll explore the emerging science of existential risk, and learn about the greatest threats to our future, including genetically engineered diseases, nuclear war, and runaway AI.


S15055: Introduction to Epidemiology in HSSP Summer 2022 (Jul. 09, 2022)
Not tired enough of hearing about diseases? Want to actually understand where they come from, how they're treated, and what the future holds for disease management and prevention? In this class we'll consider these and other exciting questions within epidemiology, the science of diseases.


S15063: Astrobiology in HSSP Summer 2022 (Jul. 09, 2022)
Where are they? In a universe so vast, there should be aliens around somewhere, so why haven't we seen them yet? In this class, we will take a galactic perspective of life and discuss how life might arise on other planets, how aliens (and us) might move around space, and how we can communicate with extraterrestrials.


S14903: Introduction to Epidemiology in HSSP Spring 2022 (Feb. 26, 2022)
In this class, we'll explore epidemiology, the science of diseases. After covering some foundational topics in biology, we'll look at the methods scientists use to understand diseases. There will be an emphasis on disease treatment and prevention technologies.


X14671: So, What's Next?: Existential Risk in Splash 2021 (Nov. 20 - 21, 2021)
One pandemic down, but how many more to go? And what other stuff should we be worrying about? In this class, we'll look at potential future pandemics, climate change, and "evil AI" to see what may end up being humanity's permanent downfall - and what we can do to stop it.


S14585: Introduction to Epidemiology in HSSP Summer 2021 (Jul. 10 - 31, 2021)
Epidemiology is the study of diseases – how they spread, how they’re distributed, and how we can stop them. In this class, we’ll learn about the basics of diseases. We'll also cover some introductory biology and chemistry that will help you understand why diseases work like they do. Along the way, you'll also learn how to be a more critical reader of news about diseases, and which sources you can use to find credible information.


S14586: The Science of Happiness in HSSP Summer 2021 (Jul. 10 - 31, 2021)
What insights does psychology, neuroscience, and data science provide in the study of human happiness? This course will provide an overview of methods used to study happiness and what those methods have revealed about living a happy life. By the end of the class, you'll have more knowledge and skills to use when thinking about the role of happiness in your own life, and an ability to critically evaluate scientific studies.


S14503: The Science of Happiness in Spark 2021 (Mar. 13 - 27, 2021)
What can science tell us about happiness? In this course, we will explore the methods that researchers use to study happiness, the findings from prominent studies, and how this knowledge can be used in day-to-day life.


S14191: The Science of Happiness in Splash 2020 (Nov. 14 - 15, 2020)
We all know a thing or two about happiness from experience. But what can science teach us about it? In this class, we will review research on human happiness and explore what the scientific method can - and can't - teach us.


S14192: Epidemiology: Disease Snapshots in Splash 2020 (Nov. 14 - 15, 2020)
Are you tired of hearing about COVID-19??? Do you want to learn more about diseases that are deadlier, more contagious, and less manageable than COVID??? In this class, we'll survey a few prominent pathogens with pandemic potential (and some without pandemic potential).


S14057: Introduction to Epidemiology in HSSP Summer 2020 (Jul. 11, 2020)
Epidemiology is the science of diseases: how they spread, how they infect people, and how we can stop them. This course is designed for students with little to no background in biology. We will talk about topics in chemistry and biology and how they relate to diseases. We will also briefly discuss what an epidemiologist does and how disease outbreaks are stopped, in case you are interested in a career in the medical field. I realize, given the current situation of epidemiology being popular all of a sudden, that many students might want to take this to learn more about COVID-19. However, this class is intended as an introductory epidemiology course, covering broad principles of the discipline; I won't say too much about the current pandemic (but of course I won't ignore it either).


M14060: Mathematical Modeling of Diseases in HSSP Summer 2020 (Jul. 11, 2020)
Have you ever stared at a fourth degree polynomial and asked yourself, "When am I EVER going to use this in real life???" The answer is probably never. However, the ideas behind fourth degree polynomials - the concepts of math in general - are actually useful in many different scenarios, including the modeling the spread of disease. In this class, we'll look at a couple of models that epidemiologists use to model the spread of diseases and see how these models impact decisions regarding these diseases, including COVID-19.


S13705: A Gentle Introduction to Quantum Mechanics in HSSP Spring 2020 (Feb. 29, 2020)
Socially, quantum mechanics is mentioned quite a bit and is usually mystified as some sort of dark arts that only few are able to understand. You may have heard about the infamous Schrodinger's Cat thought experiment, Einstein's quote concerning quantum mechanics that "God does not play dice with the universe", entanglement, Quantum Computing, superposition, wave functions, Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, and many more buzzwords or "buzz concepts" of quantum mechanics. After finishing this course, you will soon be the life of the party with your fundamental understanding of these "buzz concepts."


S13748: Current Topics in Public Health in HSSP Spring 2020 (Feb. 29, 2020)
Do you ever think about diseases? If so, you should take this class. Each week, we will go in-depth on a specific current topic in public health (thus the name of the class), including encephalitis, the flu, nutrition, and others. Since this is the first time I'm teaching this class, I am also open to suggestions.


M13382: Mathematical Modeling (In Brief) in Splash 2019 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2019)
How can we use math to make sense out of the world? In this class, we'll explore different techniques that data scientists use to model real-world scenarios, and we'll provide examples of these techniques in action. Specifically, we'll look at how we can use math to describe physical systems and disease transmission.


S13384: Epidemiology: Disease Snapshots in Splash 2019 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2019)
We hear a lot about diseases in the news, but how much of that information is accurate? What are these diseases anyway, and how do they spread? How concerned should we be about a massive flu outbreak, or an epidemic of a completely unknown disease? In this class, we will begin the process of answering these important and complex questions by first briefly looking at general characteristics of diseases and disease prevention, and then considering some specific cases.


M13074: Inferential Statistics: How We Learn to Make Decisions in HSSP Summer 2019 (Jul. 07, 2019)
Are you a math nerd kinda annoyed by the handwaviness of machine learning? Do you want a more rigorous understanding of how machines learn, what kinds of models exist and when they're valid? This class will focus on the mathematical background of statistical learning theory, and will hopefully provide a more balanced perspective on all the buzzword-y content going around that you might be interested in.


S13079: Epidemiology: The Science of Disease in HSSP Summer 2019 (Jul. 07, 2019)
Ebola, influenza, tuberculosis, Zika - we hear about outbreaks of diseases like these all the time, but what actually are they? Where do these diseases come from, and how do they manage to infect so many people? Who are the scientists who control outbreaks, and how do they stop diseases from infecting more people? In this course, we will use the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report - a professional publication - to explore these questions and learn about the pathogens that make big headlines.


S13126: Introduction to Epidemiology in HSSP Summer 2019 (Jul. 07, 2019)
This is one of two courses on epidemiology I am teaching this summer. Epidemiology is the science of diseases: how they spread, how they infect people, and how we can stop them. This course is designed for students with little to no background in biology. We will talk about topics in chemistry and biology and how they relate to diseases. We will also briefly discuss what an epidemiologist does and how disease outbreaks are stopped, in case you are interested in a career in the medical field.


P12904: What is Physics? in Spark 2019 (Mar. 16 - 17, 2019)
In this class, we explore what exactly is meant by the term 'physics' and what the field hopes to do. This class is meant for students who are interested in physics but have little exposure to the formulas and concepts behind it. We will also do some basic demonstrations of classical mechanics.