This is Not a Goodbye, but a "See You Later" by Anjali Verma

“Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.” – Anthony G. Oettinger ​

This was the first result online when I typed in “Quotes about time flying” . I find it ironic that the first result just happens to be about fruit flies, but I find this to ring true. This quite humorous quote is reminding us of how fast our life passes by like an arrow propelling at a target, but to fruit flies, this is insignificant because they see in the present appreciating the good in front of them. 5 short weeks ago, I was fearful that I was going to break a micropipette and now I have strangely trained hundreds of flies to absolutely detest the scent of bananas (also ironic). ​

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I am beyond grateful for the skills, friends, and experiences TRIP has equipped me with, and will treasure these moments as I move to the next chapter in my life. This has also made me think, how often do we stop to take a second to appreciate the moment? TRIP has unexpectedly taught me this lesson. It is so easy to get caught up in the chaos of the world but spending hours on end with fruit flies and putting away distractions allowed me to more deeply appreciate the heart that goes into research as well as focus on the journey more than the destination, even when at times that feels impossible. ​

My TRIP Independent project explored, “The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Learning and Short-term Memory: Do De-stress Supplements That Claim to Improve Brain Alertness Really Work?” Creating my own assay from start to finish was an experience like no other. It was rewarding to see that it became a tangible reality that my other classmates were able to use as a tool to explore their projects as well. I am just going to say it: Training fruit flies is one of the coolest things I have ever done in my life. The feeling of the flies learning tasks and starting to hate the banana scent after experiencing discomfort gave me a deeper recognition of all that these tiny creatures can do to advance science even today.

 Creating my own assay from start to finish was an experience like no other. 

The exciting thing is that the flies were able to learn. It was amazing to analyze the differences and see if the OLLY de-stress and focus supplement was able to improve the way that a fly retains information even after being sleep deprived. And this all started, because one day I was wondering “Does cramming for a test really work when you don’t get enough sleep, and can its negative effects be ‘cured’?” 

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I wanted to take a moment to thank Dr. Leystra, Dr. Purdy, Ms. Pellegrin, Diya (our wonderful TA), and my amazing classmates for their unconditional support and dedication to the program. If you are on the fence about applying to TRIP, do it, I guarantee that you won’t regret it. You will end up surprising yourself with what you are capable of and gain so much. Until next time, it’s been an incredible TRIP.