ESP Biography



SAMANTHA YARMIS, Blue-haired medical student




Major: Medicine

College/Employer: SUNY Downstate COM

Year of Graduation: G

Picture of Samantha Yarmis

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I'm a 2nd year medical student at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn. I attended Splash throughout middle & high school, and then taught several classes in college.



Past Classes

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

A9709: Intro to Swing Dancing in Splash 2015 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2015)
Hey cool cats! Come learn some basic east coast swing moves to impress your friends (and enemies too). Absolutely no dance experience or partner necessary. Wear something comfy, including shoes that won’t go flying off your feet when you’re showing off your ultra-cool moves.


S9710: Island biogeography: evolution, extinctions, and komodo dragons in Splash 2015 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2015)
Did komodo dragons evolve to eat pygmy elephants? Why are island birds 50 times more likely to go extinct than mainland birds? And how is the Amazon rainforest similar to an archipelago? Come learn the answers to these questions in the broader context of evolution, extinctions, and island biogeography.


S9716: How inequality makes us sick: the intersection of social justice and public health in Splash 2015 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2015)
How does your neighborhood determine your lifespan? Infectious diseases can cause malnutrition, but how is it possible for malnutrition to cause infectious disease? Come learn about how the very society we live in can make us sick, and what we can do about these issues.


S9762: Anatomy via evolution, or: how many organs can you live without? in Splash 2015 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2015)
Taking out an appendix? No problem. Donating a kidney? Sure, that’ll work out. But what about your stomach? Your pancreas? Your heart? Come explore some of the stuff you’ve got under your skin, how it works, and why it’s there in the first place.


S9797: Harry Potter and the Half-Eaten Licorice Wand: The "Magic" of DNA Fingerprinting in Splash 2015 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2015)
Someone at Hogwarts has snuck into Harry Potter's snack stash! In an effort to identify the culprit and bring the heinous thief to justice, Harry stumbles into a short, breathtaking adventure that takes him and his friends through the exciting world of DNA. With Harry and Hermione as your guides, you'll learn some of the fundamentals about molecular biology, genetics, and the DNA-manipulation techniques we can use to unravel a mystery. Be prepared to be astounded, amazed, and astonished in this seemingly fantastical, yet scientific and interactive tale never before told beyond the gates of Hogwarts.


S7345: Nature or Nurture? Neither! in Splash! 2013 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2013)
The answer, in fact, is epigenetics! This field describes how your genes are affected by the environment, which means that: -if your grandparents starved, you're more likely to develop type II diabetes -identical twins look more different as they get older -"genetic" diseases like cancer don't affect everyone in a family -and more! Want to resolve the nature-nurture debate, learn why your cells can specialize, and have another reason to blame your parents for whatever's wrong with you? Come learn about epigenetics!


X7346: Potato Printmaking! in Splash! 2013 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2013)
Come make a cool, unique shirt with any pattern you can think of. With potatoes.


X7348: What to Do When You're Bored in School in Splash! 2013 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2013)
Do you wake up every morning, eager to sit through seven hours of classes, confident that you'll be suitably challenged? No? I certainly didn't. Unfortunately, it's mandatory, at least for a while, and you might not have other options open to you. However, there are many things you can do to keep yourself from wanting to claw your eyeballs out from sheer boredom! Even better, there are ways of beginning college early and finally doing interesting things in class - I know, because that's exactly what I did.