Laughs & Smiles

Hello!
 
My name is Sofiya Lysenko, and I am rising sophomore attending Abington Senior High School in Abington, PA. This summer, I’m super excited to be a part of TRIP! I’ve learned so much in the past few weeks, from how to contain the flies’ excitement to explore the word outside of their hackneyed vials to how to measure the amount of glucose in their hemolymph.

For my project, I’m using an Arduino (a microcontroller), breadboard, and jumper wires to try and simulate an electrically polluted environment for the flies. I’m treating some vials simultaneously with varying degrees of turmeric, an antioxidant, to see if it can reverse the effects. I’m really excited to be investigating these conditions because we are exposed to them every day and the health effects are still not entirely clear. Plus, I get to do two of my favorite things at once - study Drosophila and wire circuits!! :)

Although science is super exciting and fun most of the time, it doesn’t always go as planned in the process. The instructors have all been really supportive, kind, and patient during all these weeks. Not only are they always willing to lend a hand in times of peril, but they also are helping cultivate our passions for science and grow as both scientists and students. Their enthusiasm is contagious and class has never gone by without lots of laughs and smiles in between!!

Author: Sofiya Lysenko