A TRIP to Remember by Anoosha Shukla

How has it been 12 weeks? It is incomprehensible how fast my time with TRIP has passed. From week 1 of holding a micropipette for the first time to week 12 in the lab of swiftly sorting flies, I have gained invaluable skills. Thank you to Dr. Purdy, Dr. Leystra, the TAs, and Session B for making my Saturdays exciting and meaningful. Thanks to TRIP, I have an even greater appreciation for the research process and all that it entails. 
My independent research looked at the effects of aluminum-compounds found in antiperspirants on health and fertility. I was inspired by my personal issue of sweaty palms. However, aluminum is found in many  commonly used deodorants and antiperspirants, so the findings are relevant to all. To evaluate its effect on health, I took a step back to see the most important indicator of health: fertility. 

Each week, I set up four vials with one control vial and three with increasing doses of Carpe, an antiperspirant with aluminum as the active ingredient. I was able to replicate my study 5 times and even got to look at the second generation or the progeny of three replicates to see long-term effects. To assess fertility, I used the female fertility assay that quantified the number of progeny produced over time. I also utilized the male fertility assay to assess the effects on male reproductivity. My time in the lab consisted of making food vials, sorting flies, setting up collection cages and grape plates, setting up smaller vials for the males, and counting hatched embryos. When quantifying the embryos per female ratio and the success rate of embryos (% hatching), I noticed a pattern. The data trend followed the Goldilocks effect where low and high doses had less progeny but the middle dosage was just right. 

In addition, I collected developmental data of each vial by counting the total number of pupae and eclosion rate. This gives insight into the transition stages of a fly life cycle. Though tedious, it was beautiful to see the trends emerge from developmental data. The most unique and exciting part of TRIP is getting to work with live animals in a professional lab setting. These experiences elevated my comfort with the scientific research process and gave me confidence to pursue research in college and beyond. However, I did not just learn science and lab skills. I learned communication skills from discourse with  peers, TAs, and teachers. I learned how to cope from failures and mistakes. I learned data analysis skills and how to make numbers meaningful. I learned presentation skills and the science of slide design. I learned about careers and other exciting pathways in research. I learned how science is hands-on and fun. 

These hard and soft skills will be ones I can apply to whatever I do in the future. I am incredibly grateful to TRIP for this unique and unforgettable experience.