Declaration of Independent Project by Jacqueline Faulk

My first few weeks in the program were super fun, but pretty stressful. It is a refreshing change of pace to find something that I love to do and make connections about something that I care about. I feel as though I am being pushed to be the best version of me that I can be, and showing myself everything I am capable of and more. Not only am I doing something I love, I’m doing it with people I love. When Dr. Purdy first said that TRIP is a family, I was a little skeptical. However, I have come to cherish and adore the 14 people I see at 8:30 AM every Saturday. 

I am choosing to study the effects of calcium, a typical nutrient in the human diet, on the microbiome as my independent project.  The microbiome is the scientific term for the bacteria in your gut, something I was unaware that I had until a few weeks ago. I predict that the calcium will positively affect the microbiome by increasing the quantity and diversity of the bacteria colonies. I will also be testing the effects of calcium with high sugar. A high amount of natural sugar is known to harm the microbiome by decreasing the quantity and diversity of the colonies, and I want to test and see if calcium when paired with high sugar can offset the effects of the high sugar. I am interested in this topic because it could change human health and the way we shape our diets in the future. ​

With my inspiration from TRIP, I decided to study the microbiome outside of the lab as well. In one of my other classes, we have a different type of independent research project, where I will be looking at how the microbiome affects depression and what we, as humans, could do to decrease the risk of depression by altering the microbiome. The microbiome has been known to influence mood, for it is responsible for long-term changes of systems connected to the brain. However, your microbiome is always changing, so it is a fairly new topic of research. Aside from my research, I use skills like scientific communication and the way to make a meaningful presentation every day. TRIP has influenced my life inside and outside of the lab, and I can’t wait to see where else it takes me!​