ESP Biography



VENKAT SIVARAMAN, Junior in CS and biology + classical pianist




Major: Computational Biology

College/Employer: MIT

Year of Graduation: 2020

Picture of Venkat Sivaraman

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I'm a junior at MIT studying computer science and biology (course 6-7), with a minor in music. So while I'm not writing code, you can probably find me in a practice room working on my classical piano repertoire. I'm also a huge fan of film music, and I enjoy watching all kinds of movies and geeking out over their soundtracks! I'm from Columbus, OH, and I have a 2-year-old golden retriever.



Past Classes

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

C13457: Quantum Computing for Dummies in Splash 2019 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2019)
Short intro to Quantum Computing and why everyone is so crazy about it. Goes over concepts behind superposition and entanglement.


S13458: The Science of Dr Stone in Splash 2019 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2019)
Do you like the anime Dr Stone? Ever wonder if all of the science actually checks out? Take this class! We will focus on the Senku's pulley system and his counting of 116,427,065,520 seconds, but other questions about things from the anime are welcome.


C13469: Sines, Signals, and Sick Beats in Splash 2019 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2019)
Did you know that math and algorithms form a huge part of the music industry? This class will introduce you to the fundamental math concepts behind autotune, Shazam, synthesizers, Spotify, DJ apps, rhythm games, and more. We'll use interactive examples to look at the connection between triangles and sound waves, and build up some essential signal processing tools that every good music producer should know. But this isn't just for aspiring musicians - the concepts you'll learn in this class are applicable all over science and engineering!


X12689: How to be a Pool Shark in Splash 2018 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2018)
We'll go over the basic rules of pool and some strategies that can be used to become a better player.


S12690: Quantum Computing for Dummies in Splash 2018 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2018)
A short intro into what quantum computing is. Why it's cool, and hopefully gives some good intuition into how it can be used.


A12700: The Magic of Movie Music in Splash 2018 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2018)
Do you love movies? Believe it or not, one of the most important aspects of how we react to a movie is in its soundtrack. And once you start listening, you'll start seeing movies in a whole new way. In this class, we'll talk about how different styles of film music work in a variety of movies, ranging from silent films to Star Wars. Then you'll have a chance to be a film composer yourself and choose music to underscore a real movie clip!