The Final TRIP by Punam Mojumdar

Hey everyone! Welcome to my last blog, as my time here at TRIP has ended :( 

It is safe to say that this was a one-of-a-kind experience in which I gained much valuable knowledge about science and community alike. I have met some truly amazing people, including my instructors —Dr.Austria, Dr.Nick, and Dr. Valdes—who guided me throughout this journey, as well as my peers, without whom this experience would not have felt whole. Becoming one with TRIP has granted me a glimpse into what lies ahead for me —a future filled with brilliant minds, thinking beyond the ordinary, venturing deep into the world of science, and each striving to better human health. 

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​Never did I imagine the capabilities held by something as small as fruit flies, nor the role they play in advancing our understanding of the world. Through TRIP, I was introduced to these tiny creatures, carefully cultivated for experimentation, and the benefits they bring to science. With the guidance of my instructors and my TAs (shoutout to Hannah, Sabina, and Martie), I learned the art of micropipetting, the careful practice of sorting flies, and the many, many assays that came with them.

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​As I spoke of in my last blog, my independent project centered on resilience —more specifically stress resilience. We as humans all endure stress and at times it weighs heavily upon both the mind and body. Though it is unavoidable, there must be ways to better understand and withstand it. Our bodies produce biological responses when faced with such trials, and I sought to uncover what might shape those responses. Inspired by the saying I so often hear—”Failure makes you stronger”—I set out to test whether experiencing stress at different stages of life could influence how we respond to it in the future. Such research may one day aid in understanding stress-related disorders and contribute to advancements in modern medicine. 

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​Within my experiment, I was spared the burden of drug calculation (while many of my fellow TRIP-sters were in distress, I was just chilling with my flies) but did employ two distinct stressors. One was overcrowding, where I limited the space the flies inhabited, creating a competitive environment. The other was a metabolic stressor, in which I had deprived my flies of food for 12 hours each day (Yes—a full day, meaning I had to take my fly vials home with me, which, as one might expect, led to some unforeseen incidents).

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​I tested these stressors across different generations and stages of life. Beginning with the flies I received from my instructors –whom I named “parental adults” —I later applied stressors to their offspring. Once the flies had eclosed, emerging as new adults I subjected them to the stressors once again, and continued to do so as they aged. At each stage, parental, eclosed, and aged —I introduced a secondary challenge through two assays: the negative geotaxis assay, which measures motor coordination and the forced swim assay, which observes behavior and how long it takes before they give up.  Throughout this process, there were many setbacks—both within the lab and beyond. Yet through guidance, encouragement, and support of my instructors and peers, I found the strength to preserve, much like my flies.

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​In the end, my results revealed a clear pattern. In both assays, control flies outperformed the stressed groups of flies. However, within the aged group the stress surpassed the controls. This suggests growth and adaption—that early-life stress may bring about biological changes that strengthen resilience later in life. More specifically, flies exposed to stress throughout their development proved more resilient than those exposed only in adulthood. 

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​Over the course of these past weeks, I experienced something truly rare —a sense of belonging. After a long and trying week at school, I had always found myself looking forward to rising early each Saturday morning to return to the lab, and working alongside both my peers and flies. Even in moments of stress and chaos, I cherish each experience there. 

​I offer my deepest thanks to all who made this journey possible. This opportunity has allowed me to step into the world of science—from my days spent in the lab, to presenting before a crowd at a symposium—this experience has granted me memories I shall carry with me for years yet to come.