After analyzing my data from the assay, I found that a combination of melatonin and circadian rhythm disruption actually increases female fertility- which is not at all what I hypothesized would happen. We then presented our findings the week after, which was super informative and fun- I loved hearing about all the different projects my TRIP friends worked on! 
This research topic is super interesting because it could possibly help us understand if healthy diets actually increase fertility. Also, I’m personally interested in this research because I find gut health, women’s health and reproductive science super interesting and really important, especially in today’s society. I’m really excited to begin my research and I’ll let you all know how it goes! 
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 The first few weeks at TRIP have been quite the adventure! I know the flies certainly have… So far, I have accidentally killed at least 20 flies, let a few more than that escape, and severely traumatized the unlucky survivors. While the flies have been relaxing and enjoying themselves, I’ve found my first introduction into hands-on research to be riddled with tons of unexpected twists, setbacks, and learning experiences. To start, my health has not been so great these past few weeks, so my kickoff experiment didn’t go exactly as planned. My shaky hands and delayed reaction time probably gave the flies a good deal of trauma when transferring them to do an open field test, explaining why, when tested, the flies didn’t move! Additionally while moving flies back and forth I might have accidentally dislodged some of the food resulting in a sticky fly food-fly sandwich that probably resulted in low number of progeny.  If anything, the data that I’ve gained from this experiment mostly lies in the lack thereof. My failure in carrying out a lot of routine techniques for transferring flies was unfortunate, but only serves to highlight the one way to get better- more practice! Although I made a lot of mistakes here, I largely expected this and walked away with a few major takeaways going into my independent project:
For the independent project, I want to assess the impacts of bisphenol A (BPA) on depressive symptoms in flies. Last year, I was asked to find some data on the neurological impacts of common organic pollutants involved in plastic manufacturing, and to my despair, couldn't really find any. So when I saw that BPA was on the menu of drugs available in the TRIP lab, I decided that now would be a good time to actually produce some data. As well as assessing the impact of BPA alone, I want to see if a few well studied antidepressants, or drugs used as antidepressants can alleviate any potential depressive symptoms caused by the BPA. The main problem here, along with my terrible hand eye coordination, will be solubility. In order to add the drugs to the fly food, I have to get them in fly safe, liquid form. Because BPA is largely insoluble in water, I have to find some other way to get it into the food without it recrystallizing. Fingers crossed that my efforts don't fail as disastrous as the kickoff experiment, but until then, I will keep you updated! That's all for now!   It didn't seem long ago that I was preparing for the first day of Trip! Time flies, they say, and it’s true. It’s officially the 5th week of Trip and I’ve made lots of memories with incredible people; they continue to inspire me everyday, each and every one of them. We’ve finished our kickoff experiments and presented as well. Although I realized I had many skills to learn about presenting, I’m glad that I got to share it with the curious members of Trip and receive helpful feedback. I aim to apply those tips for the last day of Trip; the final symposium!
My initial kickoff experiment was to determine how the drug, licorice, combats the negative effects of intestinal inflammation which causes slow mobility among flies. This isn’t surprising since humans also experience similar effects as a result of this condition. Earlier studies showed that licorice has anti-inflammatory properties which proved to be true since it reversed the effects of intestinal inflammation. However, I could not conclude whether this drug positively impacts the health of the flies even without the stressor. Hence, I might conduct another experiment aligning with that idea in the future.  Speaking of this mystery project, let me give you a short preview. I struggle with chronic migraine and I’ve attempted to reduce the pain by shaping certain parts of my lifestyle, especially my diet. This includes drinking lots of water, healthy food at a scheduled time, taking medicine, and consuming ginger products. Almost everyday, I drink ginger lemonade or my mom adds ginger to our food. She also has migraines and it has increased over the past six months that she has been studying computer science which requires intaking lots of information. Therefore, I decided to research the impact of ginger on cognitive function, specifically memory retention. Although I can’t necessarily spot migraines on flies, I can decrease their mental activity with a certain drug and test larval memory in response. My ultimate goal is to learn more about ginger and its benefits to improve our condition.   After the first four weeks of TRIP I completed my Kickoff Experiment and have gained a deeper interest in fruit flies. For my Kickoff Experiment I assessed how fruit fly sociability was affected by Constant Darkness and the Drug St. John’s Wort. For my experiment I wrapped my stressed flies in tin foil and labeled them. For the drugged flies I added St. John’s Wort to their food vials.
For my Independent project I am interested in researching the effects of food deprivation on fly anxiety and depression. I researched the drug Ashwagandha which is used to treat stress. For this I am considering using the open field and forced swim test assay. I chose the open field assay to determine how anxious the fruit flies were after food deprivation. I chose the forced swim test to test fly depression. I am interested in researching more about other drugs I could use instead or as well.  Hello! A little more than a month into TRIP and I have been enjoying every single second of it: awesome TA’s, awesome instructors, and awesome lab mates. A LOT has happened these past few weeks, I have learned so much about fruit flies and the entire experimental process. I am excited to start the next phase, my independent project!  In my kick-off experiment, I tested the effects of Vitamin D3 and head trauma on fruit fly motility. To do this, I conducted the negative geotaxis assay, where male fruit flies’ movement is tested against gravity to assess brain activity. I learned to be patient from sorting the male flies on ice, it was pretty stressful! After the assay, I found that Vitamin D3 made the flies D3 athletes and even healed the head trauma that was inflicted on them! I was extremely surprised by the degree that the simple vitamin could act as an anti-inflammatory. I had fun presenting my findings to my labmates and instructors, and everyone’s kick-off experiment presentations were so cool! The constructive feedback on the presentations taught me a lot about speaking and creating presentations. Let's start our independent projects! Even before TRIP, I knew I wanted to research the impact of epinephrine from Epi-Pens and Auvi-Qs. Its ability to stimulate adrenal activity and contractions in the muscles and heart saves the lives of so many people, including my sister. She has needed to keep one her whole life, so I want to determine if extended use of epinephrine would have negative impacts on hormonal levels and overall bodily health. I will have to rip apart some Auvi-Q’s to test epinephrine on female fruit fly fertility! With the help of Mr. Cozzone and Dr. Purdy, I came up with an organized plan for my research, and I cannot wait to get started.   Hi everyone! It has been a bit since I have written to you all, but these past few weeks have gone by super fast, and I can’t believe we are halfway through the program. I am having such a fun time in the lab getting to know my fellow peers, learning from instructors, TA’s and fruit flies!
 I now feel prepared and very excited to head into my independent project! After sorting through my ideas, I finally decided on researching the effects of intermittent fasting and Benadryl on cognitive health and memory. For 30 days in the month of Ramadan, I follow an intermittent fasting schedule and have always been curious about the physical benefits that it holds. I found articles stating the numerous advantages of intermittent fasting, but what stood out to me most was its effect on memory, and preventing Dementia and Alzheimer’s. Additionally, I chose to test Benadryl as it contains anticholinergic properties, which slows down acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter involved in memory retention. It is a very common over-the-counter medication and I am interested to see whether intermittent fasting will reverse the negative effects of Benadryl on adult fruit fly memory.  Hi everyone, I’m so glad you’ve joined me for my second blog post! I can’t believe the TRIP session is almost halfway over. I’ve enjoyed the past weeks getting closer to my TRIP family, and I’ve come out of my pupa. Time really does fly!
With my kickoff experiment complete, I have finally decided on my independent research project. I will be investigating the effects of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like Advil on female fertility. I see NSAIDs used around me all the time, whether it's utilized for migraines or menstruation cramps. However, according to past research, it has been known to affect the ovulation cycle, hence skewing female fertility. As female fruit flies do ovulate as well (although much more frequently), I was interested to see how the NSAID would affect them. For this experiment, I will be using Advil as my NSAID, which I will be diluting for a dose fit for a fruit fly. The setup entails 4 vials, each with 40 female and 20 male fruit flies, and increasing dosages of Advil. To quantify the results, I will be using a new assay, the female fertility assay, which measures the embryo laid per female within a two-hour time frame.
Next week, I will be starting this independent project! As I myself have used NSAIDs and am constantly seeing people use this over-the-counter drug, I’m excited to see the results of this experiment and how they can be applied to the women around me. Thanks for following this TRIP so far, and I hope you’ll join me for my next blog post where I’ll be back with a conclusion to my study.   Time flies when you’re having fun! I can’t believe I am already approaching Week 6 of TRIP. The past few weeks, I conducted my kickoff experiment examining the effect of valerian and constant darkness on female fertility. Using the female fertility assay, I quantified the number of embryos per female and the % hatching of embryos. More embryos per female and a greater % hatching indicate that the females are more fertile and produce more viable offspring. My results indicate that both valerian and constant darkness increase female fertility. However, I was surprised to see that many of the flies in the constant darkness vial died after the first 7 days, thus indicating the negative effects of a disrupted circadian rhythm (sleep/wake cycle). By combining valerian and constant darkness, not only did female fertility increase the most, but some of the negative effects of constant darkness were also ameliorated. Besides collecting data for my assay, I also learned how to collect developmental data by looking at the total number of pupal cases and then calculating the % eclosion (empty pupal cases/total pupal cases).  In addition to learning basic lab skills such as making fly food, making grape plates, and sorting flies using CO2, I have seen how science is a process of trial and error. Sometimes you lose a couple of flies when transferring flies between vials or have difficulty distinguishing between an unhatched embryo versus a larva — and that’s ok. Some skills are harder to master at first such as sorting flies efficiently. However, I believe with practice, I will be sorting flies quicker in the coming weeks. Since the moment I stepped into the lab about 5 weeks ago, I have definitely grown as an aspiring scientist. For this, I am grateful for Dr. Purdy, Dr. Leystra, the TAs Austin and Keith, and my TRIP classmates.  Looking ahead, for my independent project I am interested in comparing the effects of red yeast rice versus CoQ10 on overall health due to a personal connection to this topic. CoQ10 is a dietary supplement that helps improve heart health. My uncle takes various dietary supplements including CoQ10. After finding out that CoQ10 can be derived from red yeast rice, which is found in fermented red bean curd and other Chinese foods, I was curious about whether my uncle could eat foods with red yeast rice instead of taking CoQ10 tablets for similar health benefits. I look forward to examining this question in the coming weeks.
Hi again, readers! These past few weeks have flown by quicker than fruit flies escape from the vials—and all of my TRIPmates would certainly agree that they’re pretty quick. But in all seriousness, I’ve had a lot of fun creating solutions, sorting fruit flies, presenting to the class and performing behavioral assays. My fantastic peers have certainly assisted me along the way and I have enjoyed getting to know them a little bit more.  Fruit fly development has also been a blast to watch and since I absolutely enjoy counting birds, counting the number of pupae in a fly vial isn’t much different. Similarly, contrary to the reaction of some of my peers, I was delighted to have the opportunity to sort fruit flies into specific quantities. I enjoyed picking out the details between male and female flies, noting particular postures and field marks, just like with bird identification.  For my introductory experiment, I determined how the yellow flower typically used for depression, St. John’s Wort, along with head trauma, affects anxiety levels in the flies. Using my newly acquired knowledge about making solutions and inducing head trauma, I inflicted these onto my flies. After waiting a few weeks, I performed the open field test assay, measuring how anxious flies generally gravitate toward the edge of a container while unconcerned flies generally stay toward the center. I concluded that flies with St. John’s Wort were less anxious than those with head trauma. Interestingly, the St. John’s Wort flies seemed to develop slower than the rest. I decided to research how monosodium glutamate (MSG) affects fruit fly fertility Now for the thing that’s been on my mind for nearly half a year now—my independent project! After a bit of deliberation, I decided to research how monosodium glutamate (MSG) affects fruit fly fertility. MSG has been involved in much of the average person’s daily diet, including my own. As a common ingredient in many diets, MSG has been subject to many conflicting studies about its true effects on your health. As a result, I plan on testing their fertility while recording developmental data. I’m excited to see how my results turn out and if I can help contribute to the MSG debate scientifically!
It’s hard to believe we’re almost halfway through the program already! The past few weeks have involved a lot of learning, experimenting, and collaboration. It’s also been really enjoyable getting to know everyone more!
 For my independent project—after spending quite a while trying to sift through my ideas, I finally settled on noise pollution and its effects on overall health. Noise pollution is a major problem, especially in cities, that many people don’t even realize exists. It’s often overlooked because it’s not a tangible form of pollution the way air and water pollution are, but it’s pretty important as well! I experienced it a bit when I did a summer camp in the city. To me, it wasn’t too much more than an incredible nuisance, but studies show that, long term, it has adverse effects on sleep, stress, blood pressure, and more. Last time I was in the lab, we were working on fine-tuning our proposals for our independent planning projects. After a lot of planning, planning, and more planning, I now have a pretty solid idea of what I will be doing! I will be using the female fertility assay and also analyzing developmental data which will allow me to observe effects on oogenesis, spermatogenesis, embryogenesis, and overall health. I finally settled on noise pollution and its effects on overall health Next Saturday, I’ll be officially starting my project. I can’t wait to get started! Thanks for following along so far, and I’ll be back with more updates in no time!
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