TRIPs to Target by Mahi Patel

Hey, hey everyone! Over the past 6 weeks, I have become incredibly well acquainted with fruit flies. So far, I learned how to distinguish between male and female flies, changing the diet of the flies, and how to test for various behaviors. For my introductory experiment, I focused on the effect of valerian and a high sugar diet on the anxiety/fitness of the fruit flies. Although my results were not what I hypothesized, I became hooked on the phenomenon of stress and anxiety with fruit flies.  

My independent project was actually inspired by my frequent “therapy walks” through Target. Whenever I am having a bad day or just need to clear my head, I aimlessly roam around Target - it is my therapy. As a junior in high school, there are definitely a lot of these kinds of days being that there are nights I do not get a full 8 hours of sleep. 

One day, while I was walking through the pharmacy aisles, I noticed vibrant, eye-catching bottles of vitamins called “Olly.” Specifically, there was one type, “Goodbye Stress,” that really piqued my interest.  Thus, for my independent project, I opted to test the effect of Olly Anti-Stress Vitamins on fruit flies who have been exposed to constant light. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be conducting the Open Field and Social Space Tests to assess how the Olly: GoodBye Stress Vitamins impact stressed flies.

I cannot wait to share my findings with you all in Blog 3!