The TRIP Comes to an End by Mekhriyona Ilkhomova

I can’t express in words how thankful I am for all the people that contributed to making this opportunity possible for me and how relieved I am that I applied many weeks ago. During this program, my favorite part was when I was in the lab in a comforting state of flow, running assays and doing all kinds of laboratory procedures. At first, it was difficult figuring out all the math for my drug stocks and figuring out how to make plates. But when I finally learned all the techniques, there was a pleasant, confident smoothness in my hands and mind. When I no longer was learning but rather immersing myself in my work, It was like my body was flowing with each movement, almost like a dance. When all the learning of laboratory procedures began to click and when the data I had been dedicated to collecting for several weeks produced legitimate results, the satisfaction and pride at the end of it felt so rewarding. This program has opened my eyes to my own interests and has exposed me to experiences that would have been inaccessible to me otherwise. It has led me to pursue other similar summer programs that will immerse me in the life of someone in a laboratory career and help me see the negative and positive aspects of such a career in order to come to a confident decision. 

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However, if someone is reading this who is thinking of applying to TRIP or has already made it, I would tell them to dedicate all the energy and time you need to produce your best work every time. For me, balancing TRIP, my rigorous schoolwork, and DECA all while being a competitive athlete of 2 sports made me lose some of the value and insight I would have gained if I dedicated just a little more time to TRIP. This is such a great opportunity to grow and learn (you learn more about yourself than you think) so that would be my biggest advice. I’ve learned to always produce work I am proud of even if it is something small. This decision requires me to cut down on the amount of things I do but I now realize that doing less activities but extracting greater and deeper value from each is more beneficial than doing a hundred things but only grazing the surface. TRIP has provided me so much deep value and I’m glad I was able to get that during my time here. ​

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As for what I explored in my independent project, I chose to focus on something relevant to my own life and the lives of all people around the world. My goal was to extract a real conclusion at the end that people and myself will actually take home and use to improve some aspect of our lives or sleeves. So I went for something we all experience and have been subject to— blue light. Our modern world is increasingly gearing towards more technology and screens. Blue light is everywhere. It’s in our homes, at our schools, at our jobs, stores; everywhere. Despite being so widespread, few of us are aware about the negative effects of these blue lights on our health and minds. In fact, it's not just  the content we see through these screens but the actual light emitted from them. It causes poor sleep, weaker memory, and worse overall health. So I asked: how can we mitigate these negative effects? Our brain is made up of 60% fatty acids one of which being Omega-3 fatty acids. Brain cells hold information and by reducing brain cell death, Omega-3 in theory would improve memory. Omega also increases the connections between neurons, in theory improving learning. Therefore, Omega-3 may be a good candidate to be able to mitigate the negative effects of the blue light and in fact that's exactly what I found in my data. Omega-3 significantly improved memory and learning, and not just that but overall health. Now I know to consume Omega-3 rich foods and supplements because it's good for our brains and bodies. However, it is important to remember that moderation and sleep also are important to regulate as those address the root of the issue. 
I’m so glad I was able to be a part of this experience and I’m very excited to end my TRIP journey through the final step of the scientific method: sharing my findings at the Symposium this Saturday.

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