Flies, Fertility, Fun Times by Olivia Bamford

​WOW -- is it really the end already?! I can hardly believe that the symposium was just a few days ago; it’s kind of insane.  There’s a lot to say in just a few paragraphs, but hopefully I do my experience with this program justice.

First, I shall update you all on the details of my project--all of them, good, bad, and ugly alike.  To start, I didn’t quite end up researching what I was initially interested in.  Despite multiple attempts at construction, I was unable to perfect the courtship chambers for the courtship assay that I was creating, so I had to take a step back from physical male courting abilities and instead look at the next step in that process: male fertility.  That is, instead of looking at the technical aspects of fly sex among males, I looked at the aftermath of copulation. 

After researching the effects of my drugs (caffeine & alcohol) on male fertility, I realized that there really weren’t many studies done on what affects male fertility in general; we have so many things women should or should not do when trying to conceive, after giving birth, and everything in between, but there is a severe lack of accompanying male studies.  So, in an effort to unlock the best way to enhance male fertility, I decided to look at the effect of my drugs on the number of progeny (offspring) produced by male fruit flies.  Overall, I learned that none of my drugs significantly increased male fertility, but that isn’t to say they don’t in other concentrations, combinations, etc.

Here is my presentation where I explain in more detail the findings of my project:

Moving on, I have loved each and every moment of TRIP.  A friend of mine recently asked me how my July went.  My response?  I told him that every part of July that involved TRIP was fantastic, great, and amazing--everything else was was just alright.  Coming into the program, I was extremely apprehensive that I would be placed in an environment where everyone around me would understand things much more than I; ultimately, however, I’ve come to learn so much from this experience.  Not only did I gain basic lab skills (micropipetting, sorting flies, making stock solutions, etc.), but I also faced many, many challenges.  The best example I can think of is my failed courtship project, which showed me that even though I ended up doing something completely different than I had wanted, I didn’t feel dissatisfied with my work--in fact, I felt even more motivated to do something that worked.
​The “failure” didn’t prove to be a roadblock, but rather a detour.

In addition, Dr. Amanda Purdy, Mr. Robert Herbstritt and all of the TAs helped challenge and push me to think outside of the box, to problem solve, and to set my own standards high.  If it wasn’t for them, I do not think I would have given a presentation as confidently as I did.  Finally, my classmates, from both sessions, were extremely supportive as well!  While we may have not been the most talkative group, we all were very ready to help the other out if need be, which was a very nice environment to be exposed to.

Overall, I am incredibly grateful for my experience with the TRIP Initiative.  What was something that I approached with slight discomfort, I came out of it loving.  I’m very excited to stay active within the TRIP family, and I can’t wait to see what comes next for me because of this experience.

Thank you all for taking the time to read my blogs, I hope you’ve enjoyed them!