The Beginning on An Exciting TRIP! by Matthew Uppani

Hi! My name is Matthew Uppani, and I am currently in my first week of TRIP. I am a Junior at Methacton High School, and I am involved in various clubs. I am an officer of the school Science Fair club, an active member of the Electric Car Club, an active member of the Medicine and Science Club, an NHS member, and a Student Ambassador. Also, I play tennis for the school team, and I hold Taekwondo Black Belt. My favorite science subjects in school are Chemistry and Biology. Apart from my love of science, I have a passion to serve my community. I volunteer at my church and non-profit organizations such as Mitzvah Circle, and Manna on Main Street on a regular basis. In my free time, I play piano, watch comedy/action/adventure movies, ride my bike, and read mystery books. Furthermore, I enjoy traveling to different places like Europe and Asia. Every year, my family and I travel to India to visit my grandparents. Staying with them opens my eyes to new and memorable experiences, such as traveling through a river on a houseboat watching kingfishers fly about or visiting the vast, scenic tea estates.

I have always been interested in medicine and science. The thought that I could discover something new through research is amazing.  Since my middle school days, I have frequently involved myself with science fair projects. However, my research exposure was limited to the school lab and online research programs. I wanted to join TRIP because hands-on research provides deeper understanding. I am very excited to be a part of the TRIP program and to learn more about the research design, hands-on experiments including data collection and analysis, presentation of findings, and real-world application of the experiment. The fact that the fruit fly research results can be applied to human research is truly remarkable, and the applications of this research are unlimited. In the future, I aspire to pursue a career in the medical field, so being a part of TRIP will give me insight into the research side of medicine and health. I am also excited to create new relationships with people who share similar interests and passions. I am looking forward to the weeks to come as I begin a challenging, but exceptionally promising journey with TRIP.

In the future, I aspire to pursue a career in the medical field, so being a part of TRIP will give me insight into the research side of medicine and health.