Amy Elliott

"The Southern Martha Stewart of Engineering"

Age: 26

IQ: 128

Location: Blacksburg, VA

Occupation: Ph.D. Student, Researcher for 3D Printing Lab

Education: BS in Mechanical Engineering, Currently in school for Ph.D.

This Virginia mech-head calls herself the Martha Stewart of engineering because she can do it all. She’s pursing a PhD in mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech and has already amassed a ton of experience in the machine shop, with mechanical design and in robotics competitions.

After serving as an apprentice machinist for 6 months, she used her metalworking skills to build robots, spending several years with First Robotics and NASA Robotics Academy. She also worked for NASA Marshall Space Flight Center for three years, where she designed and machined an experimental setup to test bearings.

Her current Ph.D work deals with rapid prototyping technologies; so she knows how to design and build extremely fast. Amy is undoubtedly smart, but she doesn’t take herself too seriously, describing herself as “hilarious, loving, dynamic, talkative... sometimes a baby and sometimes the boss... but always Southern.”

More Contestant Bios: Gui Cavalcanti | Joe Caravella | Amy Elliot | Corey Fleischer | Joel Ifill | Tom Johnson | Dan Moyers | Andrew Stroup | Eric Whitman | Alison Wong

Host & Judges: Kal Penn | Mark Fuller | Christine Gulbranson

Guest Judges: Buzz Aldrin | Jason Bardis | Bryan Clay | Burt Dalton | Carl Edwards | Bobak Ferdowski | Brian David Johnson | Kyle Lundequam | Dezso Molnar | Mike Massimino | Adam Stelzner