TRIP-ing Into Research by Mitchell Morin

It’s hard to believe how quickly time is flying by – I feel like I just started my TRIP, yet I am already almost halfway through and have finished my kickoff experiment. Over the past few weeks, I analyzed how melatonin and disrupted circadian rhythm impact female fly fertility. While conducting this experiment was certainly more challenging than I anticipated, I learned invaluable skills such as time management, data collection, problem-solving, and data interpretation. Through this experiment, I observed results that both supported and refuted my hypothesis. Melatonin and constant darkness significantly reduced the number of embryos laid per female, but these factors combined resulted in only a slight decrease compared to the control. Furthermore, melatonin increased the hatch rate of embryos, suggesting it improved the health of progeny; constant darkness, on the other hand, reduced the hatch rate. Unfortunately, I was sick the weekend of my presentation, which was disappointing because I was looking forward to sharing my findings and getting feedback. Nevertheless, I definitely grew as a scientist over the course of these few weeks, and I’m looking forward to applying what I’ve learned to future research.
Building on what I’ve learned during the kickoff experiment, I am eager to dive into my independent project next week. I will be investigating how a high-cholesterol, high-fat diet and fenugreek supplementation impact larval memory and locomotor fitness. This question intrigued me because I eat a diet very high in eggs and have been told numerous times that I need to eat less. So, I want to determine if this high-cholesterol, high-fat diet will truly have a negative impact on model organisms, and if fenugreek, a supplement promoted to lower cholesterol levels, can ameliorate this effect. To do this, I will set up four distinct experimental vials for my fruit flies: a control with normal food, high cholesterol only, fenugreek only, and high cholesterol + fenugreek. Seven days after placing adult flies into these vials, I will perform the larval memory assay to test larval mental acuity. In this assay, I will condition larvae by placing them on a plate with a banana scent and sugar, followed by a plate with a pineapple scent and no food. After a few rounds of conditioning, I will test their memory by placing them in the center of a plate with a banana scent on one side and a pineapple scent on the other. I will measure their memory by tracking how many larvae move toward the banana scent. Additionally, this assay will measure larval fitness, since flies will need to move to approach the scent. This experiment feels especially meaningful to me, and I can’t wait to run it and discover the results!
Thank you for following along with my TRIP journey, and I look forward to sharing the outcome of my next experiment!

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