TRIP 2021 Finale by Roman Ferraro

    Wow, what a ride this has been! I am so grateful to have had this opportunity and have learned so much in the short weeks I spent in the lab. I did not expect time to fly (get it?) by so quickly. I remember a few weeks ago not even knowing what the scientific name for a fly was to now being able to identify the sex of a fly and what stage of development it is in in mere seconds. I went from being annoyed by flies to sort of liking them in a weird way. I definitely appreciate them more than I used to. After 6 weeks, my disdain for flies turned into admiration and that in it of itself is a feat. We have only been out of the lab for 4 days and I already miss it. That’s one thing I am definitely taking away from this experience - I need to choose a career where I get to spend some time in the lab! 

        A few weeks ago, I shared with you all my idea to study water quality in the school district’s effect on the gut microbiome. This project was inspired by the Flint Water Crisis as well as my own experiences in urban and suburban high schools. During my freshman year, I went to a suburban high school before transferring to Roxborough. Prior to my time at Haverford, my suburban school, I had only gone to intercity schools with limited funding so I knew about the extreme differences in funding well before reentering the school district. However, upon starting at Roxborough, I truly began to take note of the differences between the schools, including the difference in water taste and quality. At Haverford, it didn't matter what fountain you used, the water tasted the same. However, at Roxborough only the water coming from the filtration fountains tasted okay. Because of these differences and my love for bacteria and disease, I figured testing water quality through the gut microbiome was a great choice for my project. 

   I tested water from Temple University, Roxborough High School, and William Tennent High School.  I ran the gut microbiome assay for myself 5 times, with six vials each time and multiple times for other people in the lab. In roughly 3 weeks, I probably tested close to fifty microbiomes! I had a lot of fun doing the microbiome assay, even though at first glance it might look boring given that it is over 75% micropipetting and creating dilutions. I ended up testing 6 different water sources and the results were pretty astonishing. My suspicions were confirmed that my suburban school, William Tennent, most matched my control, a water bottle. However, I discovered that the difference in a normal microbiome and an altered one was not a difference in school district but rather an urban vs suburban issue. I think this has a lot to do with environmental justice and the disparities in resources that urban people vs suburban people have access to.

TRIP was such an amazing experience and I had a blast meeting everyone! The lab was always buzzing (see what I did there?) and it was so fun to sort flies with everyone at the CO2 pads. A fair warning to everyone applying to TRIP: sorting flies will simultaneously be the best and worst experience you have in the lab.