Wait... We’re Done Already?! by Katherine Dankulich

7,862,400 seconds
​131,040 minutes
2,184 hours
91 days

That’s about 24.93% of 2019 that was spent living and breathing all things TRIP, or at least the time from the first lab day to the due date of the last blog.  Although we weren’t in the lab for 91 days, we were there for twelve Saturdays. It may seem like a lot, but before we knew it, it was the last day in the lab (even though I knew I’d be back in the same school on Monday, it felt weird leaving TRIP for the last time). 

Over the past twelve weeks, my peers and I have accomplished more than I think we thought possible (especially making agar plates; the first time we tried it by ourselves... it was a disaster).  

Over the past weeks, I have learned how to make agar plates, how to collect larva for the memory assay, how to perform the larval memory assay, and how to manage my time so that I would finish as close to five pm as possible, instead of after six, sorry!

The past twelve weeks have been crazy, grades needed to be maintained (even though senioritis kicked in), scholarships needed to be applied for, and TRIP homework assignments needed to be completed.  Some people might wonder why would anybody willingly apply for something that would take Saturdays away and result in an increased workload.

If it was up to me, I would do it all again in a heartbeat.  The skills and friendships I have made in TRIP will outlast twelve weeks, they will be what I remember from TRIP, not racing the clock to turn in assignments on time, well maybe I will remember that at least for a little bit. :)

Spending weeks on a project to have the data show there is no difference in fly offspring memory if the parental flies had head trauma, was disappointing.  I expected poorer memory in the offspring, but even though I did not see a decrease in offspring memory, there was an increase in fertility.  Honestly, I was disappointed, for I wanted to prove my dad wrong, to show him that the effects of a concussion could be passed down.  However, my biggest takeaway from TRIP was that data is data, the numbers don’t lie, and what Dr. Purdy, Dr. Leystra, and Dr. Gardiner showed me was that the numbers may not be what we want, but there is always something more to be found.  Using data I didn’t think I would use, the free developmental data, I found my greatest, most intriguing data. There was an increase in pupae in the condition where flies received double head trauma!  Unexpected and surprising, but that’s science for you.  That’s what I love about science: finding something you weren’t even looking for.

That’s why I love TRIP.

A few years ago I would think you were crazy if you said future me would give up my Saturdays, but it’s true; I would even give up a few more Saturday to train some more larvae.  My TRIP days as a student are coming to an end., the final symposium nears, and the nerves are starting to kicking in. But as I finish my last blog, I want to leave future TRIP students with this: don’t be afraid to try something new, try a new assay, make new friends, and most importantly don’t think you can’t draw, because trust me if I can make a graphical abstract, so can you.  :)