Meet the seven-year-old whizzkid who’s schooling the internet on college-level neuroscience from a lab in her bedroom.
Amoy Antunet has racked up over a million views on her Facebook page, which features explainer videos on everything from neurotransmitters to cell division.
The youngster’s love of science began at the age of three when she stumbled upon a microscope belonging to her college student dad, Davin Shepherd.
Davin, 43, says the second grader became his study buddy, with him explaining everything he was learning during biology classes to prepare for a psychology degree.
Amoy quickly built up a collection of chemicals, replica organs, test tubes and microscopes which she uses for experiments from a lab in her bedroom.
Then, at the age of five, the dad-daughter duo took to the internet to show off her talent, posting a series of videos of Amoy conducting experiments and giving lessons.
Donning a white lab coat, Amoy dissects mindboggling topics including cell division, the heart, pH testing and her favorite – the brain.
Her newest video, in which she talks about a neurotransmitter called gamma-Aminobutyric acid using a chart and stickers, has been watched 2.1 million times.
The talented schoolgirl, of Atlanta, Georgia, said: “I make my videos because I want to help people understand different types of science.
“When I was a little girl I said I wanted to be a pharmacist but now I want to be a neurosurgeon who helps people with neurological disorders.
“So far I’ve mostly learnt about the heart and the brain and I want to learn about Multiple Sclerosis in the future so I can help sick people like my aunt, who has it.
“My daddy will teach me.”
Amoy’s videos are posted on her Facebook page, Science for Children with Amoy Antunet, which has around 15,000 likes and is run by Davin.
Stunned commenters have described her as “a bright star”, “inspirational for everyone around the world” and say she is “rocking science”.
This summer Amoy – who also enjoys gymnastics and math, was invited to the University of Alabama’s Neuroscience Lab, which Davin says was “like Disneyland for her”.
She was shown around by Dr Farah Lubin, who even offered to mentor the youngster if she decides to pursue a career in neuroscience.
Davin, who has two teenage children with a previous partner, and lives with Amoy’s mom Takeya Shepherd, 40, a nurse practitioner, said he is “incredibly proud”.
He said: “At first I thought it was cute but then I started seeing how she really grasped some of it.
“After a while it became something we did together. We would go through lessons and she would pretend to teach me, and that’s how we learned.
“It’s one of the things she does for playtime now. She will put on a lab coat and run to the lab and do all the stuff she wants.”
He added: “She is very passionate about science. If she wanted to be a chef, I would cook with her.
“Ultimately, I will support her in whatever she wants to do. You have to create an environment that is conducive to that goal.
“Every kid has the potential to do what every they want to do.”
To watch more of Amoy’s videos, visit www.facebook.com/sciencebabies
