An End of My TRIP by Victoria Li

Hi again! I’m so happy you’ve joined me for my third and final blog post.

​These past 11 weeks have flown by quicker than I ever could have imagined. This experience has taught me more than I could have ever imagined. From micro pipetting to learning to sort flies on ice (even if I lost quite a few flies in the process).

My independent project, where I tested the effects of NSAIDs on general health has concluded. I was initially interested in this topic due to the widespread use and level of accessibility of NSAIDs. On top of some dangerous and unexpected side effects, some previous research showed that NSAIDs had led to possible disruption of female ovulation. In a way, I found this ironic as a lot of women take NSAIDs to help with the pain that comes with a menstrual cycle. I used the ibuprofen as my form of NSAID. 
To quantify ibuprofen’s effect on health, I set up four vials. The only thing that varied from vial to vial was the liquid solution used to hydrate the dry fly food mix. My control was hydrated with just water and my second vial was (taking into account the weight difference between a fruit fly and a human, the number of flies in the vial, and the weeks the flies had to stay in the vial) hydrated with a solution equivalent to 200mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours, my second vial with a solution equivalent to 400mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours, and my fourth vial was hydrated with a solution equivalent to 2000mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours. I looked at three main aspects of health; developmental health, female fertility, and pain sensitivity.

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I quantified developmental health by looking at the number of total pupae and the percent of the pupal cases that eclosed in a 21 day period. In observing this, I would be able to see the level of success the flies had transitioning from larvae to pupae to adults. I quantified female fertility by looking at the average number of embryos laid per female in each vial over a 2-hour incubation period. Finally, I observed pain sensitivity by looking at the flies' reaction to extreme heat. Throughout 5 trials, it has become clear that as ibuprofen doses increase, female fertility decreases. Luckily, I concluded that ibuprofen doesn’t harm developmental health nor does it hinder the ability to sense pain. In the future, I would like to work with higher doses of NSAIDs or look at other stages of development. 

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Although I’ve learned a lot from the lab, I’ve also learned so much from the bonds I’ve made. I’ve had some of the funniest and most interesting conversations with my fellow TRIP-mates, instructors, and TAs. I realize now that I’ve taken those Saturday morning conversations (or as my session called it, “yap-fests”) for granted, and although it sounds sappy, I’ll genuinely miss them these coming Saturdays. I’d like to specifically thank my instructors, Dr. Leystra and Mr. Cozzone, for putting my experiment into action, Dr. Valdes for her constant warmth and support, Dr. Purdy for improving my final symposium presentation exponentially, my TAs for always listening to what I have to say, Fox Chase Cancer Center for providing me with this opportunity, William Tennent High School for providing a place to carry out these experiments, and last but certainly not least, my fellow TRIP mates for always keeping my spirits high in the lab! I’ve been SO fortunate to be in the presence of these talented and intelligent people, and I can’t wait to see where the future takes all of us!

And of course, thank YOU for reading about my “TRIP” through these blogs. Although this one is my last, rest assured that my “TRIP” in exploring the world of science will continue for much longer!