Gingko to green tea, I can't wait to see where TRIP takes me! by Ashli Lao

Welcome back! Much has happened in the past few weeks and time is flying by. Of course, one of the most important lessons learned: make ‘fly’ or ‘trip’ puns whenever possible. In all seriousness, TRIP has been an experience unlike any other. One minute I’m bonding with friends over books, music, and food, and the next I’m screaming because I accidentally released my fruit flies from its vial. Pro-tip: make sure you hold the plug when injecting your flies with CO2!

Sorting fruit flies was one of the first hands-on experiences we were introduced to. At first, it was nerve wracking watching the timer count down from fifteen minutes as I poked the flies with a paintbrush. Although, I very quickly got the hang of it and soon was able to sort two vials in the fifteen minute time frame allotted for the flies to safely inhale carbon dioxide

In my introductory experiment, I tested the impact of ginkgo biloba and head trauma on fruit fly mood with the social space assay. After taking pictures of the flies in small chambers, I used the computer program ImageJ to quantify the distance between flies and determine their mood. While brainstorming for my independent project, I considered studying anxiety with a similar assay, but ultimately landed on a different focus after further discussion with my peers and instructors. Specifically, I am interested in studying how hormonal birth control affects metabolism and weight gain and whether green tea can counteract these effects. Hormonal birth control pills have a multitude of side effects, yet many do not have significant statistical evidence linking these effects to the birth control medication. 

 I am interested in studying how hormonal birth control affects metabolism and weight gain and whether green tea can counteract these effects.

I look forward to finding a more clear relationship between hormonal birth control and metabolism through the glucose metabolism assay. Spoiler alert: I will be decapitating my fruit flies!