What Have I Done in These Weeks ?! By Noella Idem

Hey guys! It has been a minute.. Well more like a few WEEKS! We are currently in Week 3 of the TRIP Initiative and We have now begun our independent projects. Prior to beginning our independent projects, we completed our introductory experiments. I was assigned the social space assay and my drug was Vitamin D3 while my stressor was Intestinal Inflammation. Over the course of the week, I examined the effect of intestinal inflammation solely, Vitamin D3 solely, and then both the drug and the stressor to investigate the impact of these conditions on the ability to socialize/ interact within a measured period of time. It was very intriguing and cool to take on this assay. Contrary to others, I rather enjoyed analyzing my raw data into numbers, although it was tedious in the beginning, I found myself enjoying the repetition in collecting the data,  organizing, and computing it into a visual representation.

Now, back to my independent project. When deciding what I wanted to study, I considered some options all having to do with the skin, as dermatology is something I would love to specialize in or explore in my future endeavors. Anyhow, I narrowed down my options to my final topic of Eczema. The Reality of Eczema can be very exhausting both physically and psychologically, motivating me to study the impact of eczema medication (Cephalexin and Prednisone) on the stress and anxiety in humans (or what I’m actually testing it on which is flies :) As a prior Eczema Victim (as I like to call it), it was necessary to use multiple medications to harbor the pain or discomfort on a day-to-day basis, whether it was topical or digestible. Luckily, I had less severe eczema, therefore my medications were very mild and I was on them for a short period of time. However, for many others this is not the case, when consuming these medications, the ultimate goal is to stop or prevent more eczema inflammation, therefore important side effects like stress or anxiety are often overlooked. On these medications, individuals often experience nausea or headaches, hunger or lack of appetite, all leading to bodily stress and anxiety. On the surface level this may not be a concern to many however it can influence an individual's day to the fullest extent. Thanks to Dr. Leystra, Dr. Purdy, and the many other coordinates involved in this program, I have been fortunate enough to bring my proposition to life. 

Over this past week, I have sorted and created my eczema drug stocks to prep for my open field assay in the upcoming weeks. I have also learned many important tips on drug calculations which I will use in future experiments. I can't wait to see how this project goes and most importantly, I can't wait to update you GUYS!!