All About Me! by Katie Daniels

Hey, y’all! I’m Katie Daniels and am currently a sophomore at Council Rock North High School in Newtown, Pennsylvania. Although I was born in Georgia, I have lived up north for most of my life. At school, I am extremely involved in my school’s student government organization where I serve as both the bridge between student government and the school board as well as a member of the constitutional committee. I have always been an avid member of my school’s community service club, SHARE, because it has allowed me to find something bigger than myself to support. Although I am no Picasso, I do enjoy painting with watercolors which are a great break from my usual Type A personality.

Growing up, I was always an avid athlete whether it was playing soccer for the ODP program or varsity field hockey in my freshman year. As you can imagine, playing many sports continuously caused quite a few injuries and, in my case, three concussions which later triggered a condition called POTS. POTS removed me from a core part of myself as I could not run or stand for extended periods of time, but it refueled my passion for science. I wanted to understand what was going on within my body, and the only way to satiate that thirst was through scientific research. Ever since I have pestered my family and friends with random neuroscience jokes and facts as well as looked for any opportunity to gain lab experience. Of course, TRIP is the perfect avenue to pursue this interest.

Although I am not a social butterfly, I am so excited to work with my fellow classmates as we learn and grow together over the next few months. The first week of TRIP has reminded me why I love STEM and especially science-- it is hands-on in a way no other subject can be.
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After learning about one another through a get-to-know-you exercise, I learned the basics of micropipetting and gained some practice working with the chemical balance which is far more precise than any other balance I have ever used. 

For my initial project, I will be working with St. John’s Wort, an antidepressant, and the stressor will be head trauma. As someone who has lived through a lot of concussions, I am very curious as to how flies with the medicine and stressor will respond in the locomotion assay as well as how head trauma will even be inflicted on the flies. As for now, I am incredibly excited to embark further on this adventure with my TRIP teammates and cannot wait for another great session!