I can't believe it is already over by Vikas Rana

​Wow, how quickly 5 weeks can go by. It feels like just yesterday when the 8 of us were just meeting over a modified game of ice-breaker bingo. Although it was sad to realize that our last TRIP class ended, it's fascinating just to imagine how my peers, including myself, will apply this experience when we enter the adult world over the course of the next few years. Anyway, I’m not going to spend anymore time talking about the future, because I got a lot of data I need to analyze, ASAP. 

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​With the symposium right around the corner, I am in the process of finalizing my presentation, which means I have to analyze the colossal amount of data I have collected over the past couple of weeks. I am studying the effects of artificial sweeteners, in specific sucralose found in Splenda, on the overall health of fruit flies. My questions about what I wanted to analyze has morphed over the last couple of research sessions, starting with obesity and ending with activity and metabolism. Next step? Finding out what my data means!

​With the program coming to an end, I have spent a little time reflecting on the journey TRIP has taken me on for the better part of my summer. I started off with very minimal out-of-school lab experience; I didn’t even know what a micropipette was, let alone how to use it. But, as soon as the program began, I knew that this would be the place to help foster my passion for science. All the instructors, including the TAs, were there to help me and my peers around every corner. They didn’t just give me the answers to my questions, though; they made me think about how I could approach a solution, and if I was not on the right track, they would guide me there with little hints along the way. This taught me that not all the answers you are looking for are right in front of you, and that problem solving can be the key to unlocking those answers. All in all, I am very grateful for this program, as it has taught me how to become better at something I didn’t even know I enjoyed.