My Journey at TRIP Initiative

Hi!, my name is Zev Cotler and I’m a rising senior at Harriton High school. I’m passionate about science and medicine and hope to pursue in pursue a career in the medical field in the future. I also love sports, I play travel soccer for lmsc and also enjoy playing basketball as well. My project at TRIP has been a journey. Being in a lab is much different than school. Trust me. I thought that taking AP classes and all the advanced classes available in my school would help me prepare for this but I was wrong… I’ve already experienced failure, frustration, and miscalculation; however, Dr. Purdy always encourages us to keep at it and that everything will work out. I cannot thank Dr. Purdy enough for believing in me and especially in respect to my project which I had a fascination about.

I’m studying the effect of ADHD medication, specifically Dexmethylphenidate and seeing how it affects Drosophila appetite (measure of food level), fertility (number of pupae), and weight. To exhibit the correct amount of dosage, I thought it was best to have three different concentrations of the drug at 10 mg, 20 mg, and 40 mg of human equivalence. To analyze fly behavior, I also did a negative geotaxis assay, which is meant to not only test the climbing ability of the fruit flies but also to examine hyperactivity. All I have left to say is that I am so thankful to have this opportunity and everybody is so nice and friendly. Can’t wait to have more memorable experiences and present my project to everyone!

Author: Zev Cotler