An Incredible TRIP! by Dylan Goodman

​Over the past two months, I have not only gained valuable skills and knowledge, but also witnessed others around me experiencing the same thing. Within the lab I learned to manage my time effectively through my assays, be able to work in a lab setting in an organized manner, and to grow from my mistakes! 

​With the help of Dr. Austria, Dr. Nick., and Dr. Valdes, I was able to go through with my project and be able to execute it correctly. Additionally, from the support of the TAs and my peers in the lab, I was motivated and excited to complete my project. 

​Through my last blog, I mentioned my focus on the effects of chromium picolinate on a high-sugar diet with life span and metabolic health. Because of how prevalent diabetes is in the United States, I chose to look at this diabetic model to see if this supplement could mitigate the negative effects high-sugar may hold. While I did face a few challenges along the way, specifically with this complexity in the glucose metabolism assay, I did find interesting results! Particularly, after performing the glucose metabolism assay on 5 replicates, I saw that chromium picolinate lowers glucose levels when seen with a high sugar diet. As glucose levels increased in flies consuming a constant high sugar diet, when chromium picolinate was paired with the high sugar diet, glucose levels decreased. This presents how chromium picolinate increases or allows for the improvement of metabolic health. Furthermore, I observed lifespan in all experimental conditions and found that in the control and high sugar vials, there were only 2 flies left, but in the chromium picolinate vial there were 3, and even more significantly, in the combination vial, there were 10 flies still alive. This shows chromium picolinate’s ability to bring greater lifespan. With the increase in lifespan and metabolic health when combining chromium picolinate and a high sugar diet, it’s evident chromium picolinate positively impacts these aspects of life!

---

Now, although the results and completing my project was an immense accomplishment, the lessons, skills, and relationships I gained through this experience will be unforgettable. Although my TRIP is now completed, the journey will remain forever engraved in my mind. Thank you to everyone involved in this opportunity and those who helped me get where I am today!