Goodbye TRIP! by Alex Piven

The last few days in the lab were great. I knew exactly what I needed to do each day and was able to perform my tasks with the utmost efficiency. Over these past few weeks, it has been interesting (and difficult!) to observe and analyze the data I have collected and come up with explanations about the trends I see. I tweaked my experimental question since the last blog to be focused on the effects of non-GMO and GMO cornstarch on fruit fly’s activity levels and development. Repeatedly, through four trials I observed that the GMO flies’ activity levels were extremely lower than my control flies, and even the non-GMO flies. These results surprised me, as my hypothesis had been that both the GMO and non-GMO flies would have around the same activity levels by the end of my data collection. 

 Besides learning a lot about fruit flies, I have also learned a lot about myself. Over the course of about one month in the lab I have realized that I enjoyed performing the assays, where I got to test flies in different ways, working with other people to carry out these experiments, and talking through any issues with the mentors in the room. I learned that analyzing and reviewing the data I collected was less enjoyable for me but an important skill to maintain, nonetheless. My favorite part about the lab was using the CO2 guns to sort flies.

While parts of my project proved difficult or frustrating, I overall enjoyed almost every aspect of it. I’m so glad I found a topic that was interesting to me, and worked to discover a way to expand it into a full blown lab experiment, with real results. I’m proud of myself for seeing my project through to the end and appreciating every step it took to complete it. I am tremendously grateful to have had a taste of the professional world of research and I’m looking forward to seeing how the skills I learned benefit me in my future endeavors.     

I’m proud of myself for seeing my project through to the end and appreciating every step it took to complete it.