We’re Actually Doing This! by Madison Shelton

Hello again! I can’t believe how fast TRIP has been progressing. The past three weeks have been great and I am so excited to carry out my independent project. I am continuously shocked by how much I am learning, and I love that interacting with flies is beginning to feel more natural. I have learned numerous lab techniques and different ways of communicating my results. I didn’t think that I would get along with everyone so seamlessly.  I love the way we can just talk to each other and give ideas on projects and different approaches to a topic. Everyone is able to express their ideas and opinions in a casual way which I don’t experience much at school. 

As for my independent project, I have chosen a substance that we all know well - caffeine. Caffeine seems to make its way into everyone’s day whether it be in coffee, Diet Coke (Dr. Purdy’s favorite!), tea, or even in pills. Everybody is looking for their next cup to stay awake or for that little burst of energy. I will be testing the impact of increasing concentrations of caffeine on adult activity when given in a short term setting through the Negative Geotaxis assay. ​

In addition to adult activity, I will be testing larval activity using the larval locomotion assay with methylene blue in larvae whose parents were continuously fed caffeine. The larval locomotion assay with methylene blue uses methylene blue and the computer application “Fiji” to compare the distance traveled by larvae. I wanted to test the effects of caffeine on activity because I have read how excessive caffeine consumption is banned in some sports due to its effect on energy and activity levels.

Capillary tubes

I also wanted to test how higher concentrations of caffeine can create a dependency on caffeine. To test the dependency, I will be using the Capillary Feeding assay on adult flies which measures caffeine flies drink in comparison to a yeast sugar solution, a liquid they are naturally inclined to drink. I was drawn to test this because it seems as though my peers don’t always want more caffeine, but they need more caffeine. There is no legal limit on how much caffeine one can consume, just a recommended amount for daily consumption. ​Therefore, I’m intrigued to research how pushing the limits of caffeine consumption can impact activity, dependency, and development.

​I’m excited to see what the results show and for the last few weeks of TRIP! ​