My Experience with Summer TRIP by Kenzy Ahmed

One of the most rewarding and eye-opening experiences I had was participating in the Summer TRIP program. During the program, I had the unique pleasure of working directly with fruit flies as a model organism for the study of the impact of environmental and dietary conditions on health. Having direct laboratory experience and being actively involved in the scientific process enabled me to look at research in an entirely different way. It made me look forward to being able to continue it in college and beyond.
My absolute favorite part of the program was the fruit fly work. There was something so gratifying about actually conducting experiments rather than merely reading about them in a textbook. I especially liked how the program enabled us to have our own personal flies and experiments to take care of. It really made me feel like a scientist. I performed three main assays during the program: negative geotaxis, centrophobism, and female fertility. All presented challenges and learning experiences, but I particularly enjoyed learning how each behavior assay could be connected to general health results in humans.

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That said, not everything was easy. One of the hardest things I had to do was transfer the flies from vial to vial. It took a steady hand, patience, and practice to do this without harming the flies or losing them completely. Analyzing my data was another unexpected challenge. There were several points at which the results that I found didn't align with the predictions that I had made. That forced me to think about the experiment more critically, go back to my hypothesis, and understand the limitations of biological variability. Though at times infuriating, it ultimately made me a stronger thinker and researcher.
Aside from the lab work, the Career Talks gave an eye-opening view of the myriad of directions that exist within the scientific and medical fields. The most interesting talk to me was the one discussing the hospitalist's role. It was comforting to know how it is possible for doctors to maintain a healthy work-life balance, which is widely seen as an issue in the medical profession. It gave me a greater sense of optimism in pursuing a similar path, finding out about flexibility and options in a medical career. ​

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Overall, Summer TRIP has definitely given me a greater interest in science and research. I appreciated how the program gave us a taste of a variety of laboratory techniques, skills, and scientific thinking. It made me realize that I would enjoy being more involved with research in the future, specifically in a college setting where I will have the opportunity to explore areas more in depth. I'm really glad that I had this opportunity, and I'm excited to see where this interest will take me in the future.