A Memorable TRIP by Jessica Joseph

 As I sit here reminiscing on the past ten weeks, I realize how truly immersive and unforgettable this journey was. I’m grateful for this opportunity in which I was able to cherish each moment in the lab with my peers while developing skills that I would never have experienced within the walls of a regular classroom.  Not only was I able to grow and learn more about myself as a young scientist, but I also got the chance to learn about research fields full of endless possibilities and innovations that I hadn’t considered before. 
With the opportunity to conduct an independent project, I had studied the effect of a prebiotic on the gut and mental health of fruit flies. But how did I get to this topic? Recently, I had faced bowel movement issues such as constipation, which took a toll on my body physically and mentally. But after taking fiber gummies (containing Inulin) on a daily basis, I felt much better and saw significant improvement. This led me to dive into the depths of research involving Inulin and its usage in treating millions of people’s digestive issues. Further exploring the effect of this prebiotic on gut health, I stumbled upon articles related to how these issues correlate to decreased mental well-being. Fascinated by the potential of Inulin, I hoped to find out if it could alleviate anxiety. Thus, my project was on the analysis of different concentrations (1x, 10x, and 100x) of Inulin and its effect on gut and mental health.

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Combining my personal experience and interest in this field, I decided to take a new route and connect the size and quantity of fecal droppings with gut health. Generally, a higher number of fecal droppings suggest better digestive health. Additionally, the size of the droppings indicates challenges in processing the Inulin. Ultimately, I concluded that an increase in Inulin concentration led to more fecal droppings. However, in terms of optimal digestion, the flies were able to process the Inulin most effectively at a 10x concentration, which seemed to be the ideal balance for gut health.

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With the aim of correlating gut and mental health, I conducted the Open Field Test in which drosophila anxiety could be analyzed with the concept of centrophobism, the more the flies cross the center of an agar plate the less anxious they were. After weeks of conducting experimental replicates in which the studied flies were given a week to feed on the normal diets and different concentrations of Inulin, it was concluded that the more Inulin the flies ate, the more anxious they became. So based on this experiment, Inulin does help with gut health but contrary to what is commonly hypothesized, it does not alleviate anxiety.
​From my experiences in TRIP, I was able to build resilience as a result of facing challenges with the earlier stage in successfully conducting my assays and creating a new procedure that contributed to the research community. I was able to gain a sense of maturity in facing adversity, knowing that setbacks are what push us forward. And every new understanding, regardless of the outcome, provides essential insight for our bright future.

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