Independent Project Time! by Margot Burstyn

Time has gone by a lot quicker than I expected! This past month has been super fun and I’ve been learning a lot of new things. We learned how to knock flies out using CO2 and ice, sort flies, make fly food, make grape plates, count total vs. empty pupae to quantify development, and more. I conducted my kickoff experiment which investigated the impact of melatonin and the disruption of circadian rhythms (via darkness) on fruit fly sociability. I really enjoyed the Social Space Assay which measured the flies’ sociability because it was fun to see the flies move around and hang out with each other. 

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We also came up with our independent projects! The research question for my independent project is “How does chamomile tea versus decaffeinated green tea affect fly anxiety and depression?” I’m asking this question because chamomile and decaffeinated green tea have been associated with lessened anxiety and depression, and anxiety and depression have been shown to go hand in hand. I want to see whether chamomile or decaffeinated green tea better alleviate anxiety and depression. I thought this question would be fun to ask because I like tea, and I have loved ones that like tea. I’ve seen how harmful anxiety and depression can be, and I want to investigate ways to mitigate it.

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I am really excited to conduct this research, and to discover something new! Although I am a little worried about how much time I have in the lab per week to get everything done, it’s all a learning experience and I’m sure I will get better each week.

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