Some Gruesome Techniques

My name is Sarah Nugent, and I attend Central Bucks High School East. I am a rising senior, and I aspire to pursue a profession in medicine. My favorite subject is biology, and I love studying human anatomy. If I decide to study medicine, then I’d like to explore neurology, pathology, neuroscience, endocrinology, or orthopedics. However, research is also interesting. I love TRIP because it gives students the opportunity to explore the field of research and all that it entails.

So far with my project, I’ve been studying the impact of intermittent starvation and nutritional supplements on the metabolic activity of fruit flies. Here’s how I do it: first I have to decapitate the given group of flies. After that, I place the bodies in a centrifuge tube and add PBS using something called a micropipette. I love practicing using the micropipette, as it’s a great tool for measuring out small quantities of solution. Next, I crush the bodies in order to extract the hemolymph. Doesn’t this sound gruesome!! After that, I centrifuge the bodies to form a pellet. Using the micropipette, I isolate the liquid from the pellet and add it to a conical tube and add the assay reagent. After incubating the tube at 37oC for 30 minutes, I add sulfuric acid, and measure the absorption of glucose using a spectrophotometer. The process as a whole is very interesting, as I’m learning new research techniques.
 
The program is very educational and allows students to exercise different skills beyond the classroom. If anyone is considering applying, I would highly recommend it.

Author: Sarah Nugent