ESP Biography



ELIZABETH BERG, ESP Teacher




Major: Not available.

College/Employer: MIT

Year of Graduation: 2016

Picture of Elizabeth Berg

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Not Available.



Past Classes

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

X10560: Intentional Talk in Splash 2016 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2016)
Come interact with other enthusiastic baseball nerds about the MLB 2016-17 season, playoffs, offseason, and sabermetrics! Don't know what the last word means? We can talk about that too! Yes, the name of this class is ripped off the MLB Network TV show.


S11170: Intro to Climate Change in Splash 2016 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2016)
An introduction to climate change from multiple angles. We'll talk about what people mean when they say the planet is warming, and then discuss both scientific and policy ways to address it. Bring your questions and opinions!


W10488: Chess Variants in Spark 2016 (Mar. 12 - 13, 2016)
Monster chess, antichess, bughouse. There are a lot of games you can play with an 8x8 grid and a set of chess pieces. Come by and play anything you'd like ...except traditional chess! I'll bring instructions for common chess variants, but feel free to make up your own rules too!


P10490: Intro to Climate Change in Spark 2016 (Mar. 12 - 13, 2016)
An introduction to climate change from multiple angles. We'll talk about what people mean when they say the planet is warming, and then discuss both scientific and policy ways to address it. Bring your questions and opinions!


X10190: Cheeeeeese please in Splash 2015 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2015)
From fresh and mild to aged and stinky, there are hundreds of types of cheese. Join us as we discuss the history and science of cheesemaking. We'll have a couple of varieties of cheese for you to try as well!


S10191: The Greenhouse Effect in Splash 2015 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2015)
You've probably heard that emissions of greenhouse gases are contributing to global warming, but what exactly are these gases, and how do they have any affect on the earth's temperature? In this class, we'll talk about how the greenhouse effect actually works, and what impact human influences have had on the earth's climate.


W10192: Kindergarten in Splash 2015 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2015)
Have you been spending Splash running from one advanced math class to another? Do you miss Kindergarten, when you would spend all day coloring and building with blocks? So do we! Take a break from learning philosophy or physics, and come join us in Splash Kindergarten. There will be legos, coloring, snack time, and more.


H9518: Book club! in HSSP Summer 2015 (Jul. 12, 2015)
Do you love to read? So do we! Come discuss books with us. We'll study a new book every week or two and meet in small groups to discuss what we've read. You'll get to read three books from the following list: Esperanza Rising, Monster, A Wrinkle in Time, and Stargirl


X9431: Hands-on Teaching Lab in HSSP Spring 2015 (Feb. 21, 2015)
You're an HSSP student... do you want to be an HSSP teacher, too? This is an experimental program where you get to teach younger HSSP students, instead of taking a class this block. This is NOT a regular HSSP class. We will train you and help you brainstorm your classes, but for the majority of HSSP you get to teach anything you want! IMPORTANT: Enrollment in this class is by application-only. To apply, send an email to spring-hssp@mit.edu and tell us why you want to take this class and any ideas you have for classes (none is also okay!). You do not have to sign up here -- we'll enroll you if your application is accepted.


X9374: Cheeeeeese please in Spark 2015 (Mar. 14 - 15, 2015)
From fresh and mild to aged and stinky, there are hundreds of types of cheese. Join us as we discuss the history and science of cheesemaking. We'll have a couple of varieties of cheese for you to try as well!


P9390: Extreme weather in Spark 2015 (Mar. 14 - 15, 2015)
Tornadoes have been known to carry cars and destroy buildings. The largest tsunami ever measured was over a quarter of a mile tall. Less extreme, but much closer to home, Boston received over 6 feet of snow over the course of a single month this winter. In this class, we'll talk about a number of historic storms and discuss the science behind these extreme weather events.


X9409: Born to Run: My First 5K! in Spark 2015 (Mar. 14 - 15, 2015)
Want to try a different type of exercise? Ever considered joining the track team but never had the time? Then this class is for you! Hit the ground running at Spark, quite literally, with a 5K race--that's 5 kilometers long, or about 3.1 miles. The race is open to anyone, whether you run high-altitude ultramarathons backwards or you still can't tie your sneakers. One important thing: This class moves very quickly, and it will be easy to fall behind. Show up on time--if you're late, it could be very difficult to catch up.


L9433: The Marble-ously Oolite-ful World of Fossils in Spark 2015 (Mar. 14 - 15, 2015)
Want to know the tooth about fossils? Of quartz you do! In this class we shale let ancient organisms teach us about what the Earth was like when they were alive. Granite, they're a little sedimentary now and don't get out much, but their remains are gneiss clues that can tell us a lot about where they lived, what they did, ore how they died.


W8900: Kindergarten in Splash 2014 (Nov. 22 - 23, 2014)
Have you been spending Splash running from one advanced math class to another? Do you miss Kindergarten, when you would spend all day coloring and building with blocks? So do we! Take a break from learning philosophy or physics, and come join us in Splash Kindergarten. There will be legos, coloring, snack time, and more.


H8902: Ethical and Environmental Food Issues in Splash 2014 (Nov. 22 - 23, 2014)
If you carefully stroll through the supermarket, you'll notice that everything is plastered with a variety of labels: Organic, Natural, Fair Trade, non-GMO. What do all of these words mean, and why should you care? In this class, we'll learn about and discuss both sides of many contemporary food issues.


S8904: The Greenhouse Effect in Splash 2014 (Nov. 22 - 23, 2014)
You've probably heard that emissions of greenhouse gases are contributing to global warming, but what exactly are these gases, and how do they have any affect on the earth's temperature? In this class, we'll talk about how the greenhouse effect actually works, and what impact human influences have had on the earth's climate.


W9000: Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream in Splash 2014 (Nov. 22 - 23, 2014)
Like ice cream? Watch us make it using liquid nitrogen, and learn about some cool properties of LN2 along the way. Served steaming cold!


X9125: The History and Science of Chocolate in Splash 2014 (Nov. 22 - 23, 2014)
Chocolate is delicious. Where does it come from? How do we get from cocoa beans to delightful squares of chocolate? Take this class to find out! Will include chocolate samples.


X9126: Cheese: Theory and Practice in Splash 2014 (Nov. 22 - 23, 2014)
Do you like cheese? Do you want to learn to make it yourself? Then take this class! We'll be making mozzarella and learning about the science behind cheese.


W8254: Chess Variants in Spark 2014 (Mar. 15 - 16, 2014)
Monster chess, antichess, bughouse. There are a lot of games you can play with an 8x8 grid and a set of chess pieces. Come by and play anything you'd like ...except traditional chess! I'll bring instructions for common chess variants, but feel free to make up your own rules too!


S7831: How to be an Ancient Greek Astronomer in Splash! 2013 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2013)
Nowadays, we study far-away planets and stars with fancy equipment and complex math. However, Greek astronomers like Aristarchus and Eratosthenes were able to accurately determine the sizes of the Earth, Moon and Sun, as well as the distances between them, with little more than patient observation and rudimentary geometry. In this class, we'll study astronomy the Ancient way, pretending that we don't have calculus (or the internet!) to aid us, as we derive basic astronomical measurements.


S7257: Exploring the Universe in HSSP Summer 2013 (Jul. 07, 2013)
From our perspective, Earth is gigantic. In comparison to the rest of the universe, it's almost nonexistent. So what else is out there? Starting with our tiny planet and expanding outwards, we'll get a sense of everything the universe is really made of. Come learn about planets, galaxies, stars, and more!


H6834: Ethical and Environmental Food Issues in HSSP Spring 2013 (Mar. 02, 2013)
If you carefully stroll through the supermarket, you'll notice that everything is plastered with a variety of labels: Organic, Natural, Fair Trade, non-GMO. What do all of these words mean, and why should you care? In this class, we'll learn about and discuss both sides of many contemporary food issues.


X6970: All About Chocolate! in Spark! 2013 (Mar. 16, 2013)
We all know that chocolate is delicious. But what else do you know about it? Do you know what tempering is? How about the differences between dark, milk, and white chocolate? Or that cocoa beans used to be so highly valued that they were used for currency? In this class, we'll study, play with, and most importantly, eat chocolate! We'll make truffles while learning about the science of chocolate, then discuss the history of chocolate while waiting for the truffles to cool (and eating them of course!)


H6428: Ewww! Are You Really Going to Eat That? in Splash! 2012 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2012)
Chicken is good to eat. Dog, not so much. But why is this the case? How has society decided what's appropriate to eat, and what's not? Come learn about "disgusting" food, and try some for yourself- if you dare!


H6641: Ewww! Are You Really Going to Eat That? in Splash! 2012 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2012)
Chicken is good to eat. Dog, not so much. But why is this the case? How has society decided what's appropriate to eat, and what's not? Come learn about "disgusting" food, and try some for yourself- if you dare!


S6754: Particle Accelerators in Splash! 2012 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2012)
Subatomic particles are too small to be seen by even the most powerful microscopes. Instead, researchers use particle accelerators, machines that rapidly accelerate and collide streams of particles. In this class, you will learn about the different components of the detectors and get the opportunity to identify and analyze real data!