A Unique Experience

Hi! My name is Emma Müller and I am a rising senior at Perkiomen Valley High School! Theater is my life and I love to sing and act. I currently work at Landis Supermarket, Gap Outlet and the PVHS pool as an instructor. I am passionate about neuroscience and psychology and hope to pursue this in college but who knows!! 

My project for TRIP has been very exciting for me! I have never thought this much about science in my life and I am thrilled to be pursuing my interest. I am studying the effects of Holy Basil at varying concentrations on the stress levels of flies, but mainly I am studying how short term exposure to an ethanol/water solution affects the mating activity of male flies. So basically I'm getting a bunch of flies drunk to see how attracted they are to the ladies. I am interested in this because one of the hot topics in psychology is the reward system and both mating and alcohol are major rewards for a fly brain.

Though I am very excited about my project., I have struggled a lot. I took on a lot this summer with three jobs, 5 APs, 2 shows, college apps, vacations, etc. and I  have been falling behind in my math and my performance. However, the teachers in this program are so kind and forgiving and work with me to help keep my passion alive and to not allow it to be buried by fear and anxiety. As I go through the process, I am learning more about myself then I would have ever imagined. I laugh all the time and feel like I'm becoming a real scientist, a feat I never thought was possible. Even though I screw up and get frustrated, I wouldn't change this experience for the world. My teachers and my classmates are just stellar human beings and I love to be around such intelligent minds! 

Here's to TRIP and all the flies!!

Author: Emma Muller