TRIP INITIATIVE
  • Home
    • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • ALUMNI GALLERY
    • Ursinus 2015
    • Temple 2015
    • WTHS 2016
    • Temple 2016
    • WTHS 2017
    • Temple 2017
    • WTHS 2018
  • Apply to TRIP!
    • Program Details
    • Suggestions for completing the application
    • Application Materials

Regular updates from students in TRIP

Getting Into the Swing of Things! by Tara-Al-Saleem

8/19/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Hey, everybody! These past few weeks have been so amazing and full of new friends, routines, and most importantly, flies. When I was asked to hone in on one question to explore as an independent experiment, my mind ran at a hundred miles an hour in all directions. I’m so excited about many different aspects of behavior/anatomy; how can I possibly focus on just one thing?
Picture
After some soul searching, I finally decided upon a topic that would not only pique my interest, but help answer a question I’ve been asking for years. 
​
Do artificial food colorings cause hyperactivity in children?
After searching online, I found that this connection between colors and chaotic behaviors has never been concretely proven. A study by the University of Southampton in the UK tested the hypothesis on 300 children and found a connection between artificial colors and adverse behavior shown at school and home. Many countries in the European Union have taken this study seriously and pushed for colors to be removed from popular children’s foods. The United States, however, has not taken any strong action against food dyes. For example, popular candy “Starburst” is dyed artificially when sold in the US, but in Europe the candy contains only naturally derived dyes. 
This stark contrast has inspired me to delve deeper into the controversy of artificial dyes and further study its effects on children’s behavior.
Picture
Picture
I cannot subject children to my scientific question, but I do have larvae at my disposal! I have set up some vials with a control versus a vial with Red #40 mixed in with the food. The level of dye was adjusted to match that of a 2-5 year old child’s maximum daily intake in the United States. When larvae are produced, I will test their memory and activity with a larval memory assay. This assay will allow me to see whether or not larvae can remember associations between scents and rewards. I can also set up a camera to quantify the larval activity levels and test for hyperactivity.
​Check back later for an update on my results!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    August 2017
    July 2017

    RSS Feed

Company

About
Fox Chase Cancer Center

Support

Contact
​Menu
WEBSITE DESIGN INFORMATION:
The TRIP Initiative website was built by Alesandra (Sasha) Temerte (TRIP@TU'17 alum) ​and is not a product of Fox Chase Cancer Center
© COPYRIGHT 2017. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
WEBSITE DESIGN BY ALESANDRA SASHA TEMERTE
  • Home
    • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • ALUMNI GALLERY
    • Ursinus 2015
    • Temple 2015
    • WTHS 2016
    • Temple 2016
    • WTHS 2017
    • Temple 2017
    • WTHS 2018
  • Apply to TRIP!
    • Program Details
    • Suggestions for completing the application
    • Application Materials