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Hi everyone! My name is Phoebe Ting, and I am a junior at Bensalem High School. I have lived here my entire life with my parents and my sister, and I love it here!
 At school, I am the captain of the varsity swim team, which is what I spend the majority of my time doing… Seriously, I’ve been swimming since before I could walk. I love the self-discipline that comes with the sport as well as the time I get to spend with my friends. I’m also involved in the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), Mathletes, and the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS). Through conducting experiments and presenting my findings to judges, PJAS has majorly influenced my decision to pursue a career in STEM and join the TRIP program. I am also passionate about giving back to my community as I’m a member and served as the secretary of my school’s Community Service Club. I enjoy combining this passion for helping the community and my love for creativity in student government, where I plan and design school events to boost spirit and morale. Additionally, as a part of my school’s mock trial team, I currently portray a food critic blogger, which is VERY on-brand for me. I enjoy trying out new restaurants -- though, Chipotle will always be my comfort food. Outside of school, I am a certified Emergency Medical Technician, which allows me to have a hands-on application and real-world experience of topics I’ve learned in school. I also volunteer in a children’s hospital in my free time where I can connect with people in my community by doing the thing I love to do most: talking. I am also looking forward to combining my love for swimming and helping others by teaching swim lessons to kids. Although I know I want to pursue a career in STEM, I’m not entirely sure what I want to do, so I’m grateful that TRIP gives me the opportunity to explore my interests. I’m looking forward to this experience to be able to design an independent research question and carry out an experiment. For my kickoff experiment, I will be measuring how Valerian and disrupted circadian rhythms affect sociability. Although we’ve only had one week of class so far, I can’t wait to see what the rest of this program has in store for me. I’m already having so much fun, and I can’t wait to learn more!
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I can proudly say I’ve been a “lawyer” for the past two years. If I were to tell the story of how I joined the Mock Trial team, it would take a whole day, but I can keep it short and sweet; I remember passing objection notes to my brother from the corner of his desk while he faced the computer screen. This was during his online Mock Trial “trial.” Ever since those days, I’ve held onto my goal of competing at mock trials until I graduate. If it isn’t obvious yet, it’s one of my favorite communities. In three days, it will be our second round of competition, so we have been busy preparing nonstop. Wish us luck!  Speaking of community, I feel myself most attached to my Muslim brothers and sisters out there. I don’t see many at my school, so I was excited to meet a hijabi at TRIP yesterday! I’m sure there are Muslims at my school that I haven’t had the chance to meet, so I’m in the process of starting a Muslim School Association (MSA) club by the end of this month. At the beginning of my high school career this year, I was eager to be a part of the MSA to connect with other Muslims. It’s common in other schools, but East didn’t have one yet, so now I’ve made it my goal to establish one as soon as possible. Hopefully, it will expand into a larger community as time goes by. By the end of these blogs, this club will be up and running.
Yesterday was our first day of TRIP. It was an exciting experience since I got to meet both of the directors, Dr. Leystra and Dr. Purdy, the teaching instructors, Dr. Valdes and Mr. Cozzone, and the teaching assistants, Anoosha and Niki. We got to try out the micropipettes and set up our drugs and stressors which we will be testing next class. At the beginning, I was nervous but as time progressed, we got to see a glimpse of what awaited us for the next three months. I can already tell we’ll make great memories with the team as I have met many goal-driven people. By working together, we’ll develop strong collaboration skills and leave Trip with useful ideas. I might start at zero today, but I aim to reach higher by the end of this trip. I’ve come here to sharpen my thinking skills and stretch my capabilities by challenging myself with the knowledge that I know I can achieve if I work hard enough. I truly want to make use of every opportunity that’s provided in this program. 
 Are you a fan of soda? Or many of the sweet treats that are consumed on the daily, such as M&Ms, Jolly Ranchers, and Skittles? Well, with my obsession with these sugar-inducing consumables, I consider myself a firm believer in the phrase, sugar brings happiness. But, is it just sugar in these delights that causes energy-boosts? Red 40, or scientifically known as Allura Red AC, is a synthetic food dye that we consume on a regular basis. Thrown in with a multitude of other ingredients, the true effect of Red 40 is lost to those wider-known properties, such as sugar. With these compelling thoughts in mind, my curiosity with Red 40 has made its presence known in my independent research question for this internship, which focuses on the effects of Red 40 on fruit flies, and whether or not it can cause anxiety. Licorice, with its anxiety-relieving properties, is another aspect of my research question, and will hopefully quench my curiosity for why the aftermath of sugar rushes isn’t so enjoyable.  Overall, with exciting new nicknames and a wide variety of lab materials at my exposure, I’m excited to see what I’m capable of when going off on my own and conducting my own experiment, with the help and support of my fellow TRIP participants, and my instructors. II cannot wait to see the direction that my individual experiment takes me, and the exciting stories that my next few weeks being a part of TRIP will bring!
Alongside my love for science and research, I also enjoy making art. Currently, I am taking Art II and hopefully can take more art classes in the future. In my art classes, I have been able to work with different materials and have been able to experiment with new ideas and techniques (which could be why I love science so much too!). Some of my favorite things to work with have been colored pencils, sketching pencils, and chalk pastels (which is what I made the landscape painting with)! I really love making portraits and landscapes of things that are important to me. So far I’ve drawn/painted a few of my friends and some of my family’s favorite locations. I find it really special to be able to give people something that I worked so hard on and to be able to show them how much I care about them!  My first day at the lab was extremely fun and interesting! We were able to prepare the fly food and use micropipettes. It was a wonderful introduction to the TRIP program. I was so excited to be around so many new people and have my first experience in a lab! I am so excited to see what my future in this program entails and I am so grateful for this opportunity! Hopefully, this is the start of my long journey in the field of science!
 Hey! My name is Ismaeel Qureshi, and I am a junior at Unionville High School in Kennett Square, PA. I got involved with TRIP because it allows me to channel my never-ending curiosity into something productive. I have always been interested in the “why” behind the way things work, so I am excited to get an opportunity to conduct research that can help me reach conclusions about why things happen the way they do. Also, I want to pursue a career in STEM, so I figured that getting experience doing research in a lab could help me develop skills that are integral to my future success. Finally, my favorite subject in school is biology, so an opportunity to further my biological knowledge with such an amazing community was one that I could not refuse. I have always been interested in the "why" behind the way things work...so an opportunity to further my biological knowledge with such an amazing community was one that I could not refuse. Here’s a little bit about me: I am of Pakistani heritage, and I enjoy keeping in contact with my cultural roots by eating Pakistani food and listening to Pakistani music. I am actually a dual citizen of the United States and Pakistan, which means that I have passports for both countries. Recently, I traveled to Pakistan to attend some weddings, and I had a lot of fun. I also love playing and listening to music. I play the alto saxophone school’s marching and symphonic bands, and I recently joined my school’s choir to explore my newfound interest in singing (except I’m not very good). As for listening to music, I mainly enjoy listening to R&B and rap, but if I think it sounds good, I’ll listen to it. Another activity I enjoy doing is Quiz Bowl. I am currently a member of my school’s Varsity Academic Team, which competes against other high schools in Chester County in quiz bowl matches that test our knowledge of everything from South African playwrights to American geography. One of my favorite hobbies is doing crossword puzzles and logic games; I love how they stretch my brain and challenge me. 
I’m also very passionate about promoting inclusivity in healthcare, and this led me to help cofound the EmpowerCycle Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to the accessibility of essential menstrual products and augmenting public involvement in combating the taboo around period poverty. I’ve also been able to explore my interest in medicine through shadowing physicians over the years, and I hope to specialize in dermatology or anesthesiology in the future. I’m also very passionate about promoting inclusivity in healthcare...I aspire to become a physician-scientist one day. I wanted to join TRIP after spending my last summer at the Abramson Research Center of CHOP, which sparked my interest in the process of conducting an independent research project. Through TRIP, I hope to develop my laboratory and presentation skills as I gain confidence in my work over the course of the program. Yesterday, I got the chance to meet an amazing group of peers passionate about science, and I’m looking forward to continuing the rest of this TRIP Journey together.
As children, we, including myself, are ignorant of the life outside of the walls that don’t include our loved ones, technology, and toys. When I first learned about cancer and the destruction that is left in its path, it drew me in. At the time, it was a complete mystery, and it still is. There are so many different kinds, and so many places where cancerous cells and tumors can appear in the body, and no way to stop it with a simple dose of medicine. Taking this into consideration, opened my eyes to a completely different kind of research: the unknown. This revelation became one of my newest and greatest obsessions. Learning about cancer, and the uncertainty that comes with each part of its discovery and further research has impacted my brain and given me a sense of determination to delve into its secrets, and influenced my choices, and my future career.  Outside of the science world, I am a profound lover of music. Whether stemming from 80s British rock bands like The Smiths, or to commonly known artists such as Taylor Swift, music fuels me into completing every assigned task, or writing a new story. My time spent, alongside listening to my multiple-hour playlists, would be spent with books, a pen, the tapping of keys, and frequent taps of the enter button. I cannot say that reading and writing is a hobby because, to me, it isn’t. They are tools that have helped build the person I am today, and without their guidance as an outlet, I would be lost. Personally, I find it fascinating that with only twenty-six letters in the English alphabet, so much can be created and shared. It is why I am obsessed with everything about them. Why talk, when you can write your emotions clearly and be understood completely? Is there any better way to get emotions off your chest than through writing? I couldn’t answer these questions, and it's why I’ve become so dependent on expressing myself through words on paper, and my abilities as a writer. 
In school, I am part of the track and field team. The thing I love about track is the nonlinear and often fluctuating pattern of growth, giving the sport a level of depth and requiring powerful dedication to improve. However, last spring, due to a recurring injury in my hips, I played volleyball for a season to give my hips time to heal. I am also a leader at the Christian Fellowship Club at my school. As for Honors Societies, I am in NEHS and Rho Kappa. In NEHS, I am a leader of a team project that is working on running a Reading Olympics Escape Room in elementary schools as a means of fostering literacy and nurturing curiosity among elementary school children. For Rho Kappa, I am pioneering another project that honors our nation’s veterans with a short film that includes interviews with veterans who attended my school and their families.
Alright, about today’s TRIP, it was SO fun and SO engaging. The icebreaker at the beginning was helpful for, well, breaking the ice, and it got pretty funny/embarrassing when I had to ask the same person like 5 times if a random fact on the icebreaker sheet was true or not. I’m glad I got to meet a wonderful community of like-minded peers who are passionate and curious about science and research. I’m also glad I met our kind and resourceful instructors Dr. Leystra, Dr. Purdy, Mr. Cozonne, and Anoosha. All of them were more than happy to help me whenever I had questions.  As for what we learned today, we were taught how to make solutions with a micropipette, which I had never used before. We were also taught the math required to calculate the varying concentrations and amounts of solutions. I found this exercise to be interesting as it was new but built on a lot of the math I had already learned in Honors and AP Chemistry. In addition, the mix of theory and hands-on activity was readily apparent and made the experience so much more fun and so much more different than school. Lastly, we were taught to make food for the flies, which I thought was the most fun as it marked the start of the kickoff experiment. I chose to investigate the effect of soap-induced intestinal inflammation on fly motility and the possible protective effect of Vitamin D3.  To set up the experiment, I made four vials of fly food (control, drug only, stressor only, and drug and stressor). This type of hands-on lab research also struck me as very different from the research I had done over the summer investigating antimicrobial resistance in pathogens found in American cattle, in which using complex mathematical models, namely principal component analysis, hierarchical clustering, dendrograms, etc., I analyzed NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) Pathogen Detection Isolates Browser (NPDIB) data to discover trends of resistance. Offering a view on a whole new facet of research, TRIP really hooked me. Sadly, this was the conclusion of our first day of TRIP. But on the bright side, I got to meet some cool people and experience new scientific techniques. I can just tell that this TRIP will be a fun, stimulating, and enriching experience.
Until next time. Hello! My name is Mirai (Mimi) Kambayashi, I am a junior at Conestoga High School. My favorite aspects of science are its investigative nature, as well as the fact that it is an expanding body of knowledge. I knew TRIP would be the perfect opportunity for me to learn how to contribute to the body of scientific knowledge that I so enjoy. I joined TRIP not only for its opportunities but also for the community that is provided there. Having the opportunity to work in a lab with fellow students seemed so exciting, and I was eager to get involved.
 I’m thrilled to be a part of the TRIP community after a wonderful first day in the lab. I anticipate a great semester!
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