In the Keesey Lab, which specializes in analyzing Drosophila neurobiology, biological sciences major Andrew Moyer serves as an undergraduate researcher in two primary projects.
"Thermal Preference in Drosophila"
This project aims to determine which species and strains of Drosophila favor which thermal environments. Depending on their location of origin, the elevation at which they were found, and other factors--including physiology--we speculate that many qualitative correlations can be made to the amount of time spent at a specific temperature.
To measure this, I use a heating array, composed of an eighteen-track apparatus, two modules (one that produces heat and one that expels heat), and a camera recorder.
I load the flies of the strain I wish to study (D. santomea #11, for example) one-by-one into each of the tracks via a small portal in a thick, plexiglass cover that can slide over the apparatus, preventing the flies' escape.
Once all eighteen tracks are filled (and the modules on either side of the track are turned on), I record their movements for fifteen minutes. I then repeat the process six times per strain, collect the MTS files from the SD card on the camera, convert the files into mp4 format, and upload them to an AI software for processing.
In processing each video, I label the ends of each track as well as the fly on the first frame. Once this is done, the AI system automatically tracks each fly and its movements across the track.
After proofreading, this data can be collated using a Python code and arranged into a synthesizable plot that shows each strain's average movements (across all six trials) in a continuous distribution (basically, by running the videos through AI and the Python code, we obtain a graph that we can draw conclusions from.)
This opportunity has been indispensable for me as a student, future researcher, and lifelong learner. As I progress onward, I hope to carry these first experiences with dignity and honor and continue to expand my knowledge and abilities.
"Throughput Analyses of Courtship in Drosophila"
This was actually the project I joined the lab to do. Though I spend somewhat less time on this project than the "Thermal Preference in Drosophila" project, the processes between the two are quite similar. I start by collecting flies from a strain of interest and anesthetizing them using carbon dioxide. In looking at a vial of flies under a microscope (while anesthetized), I sort them by sex into piles, which are then transferred to two separate vials.
From here, I can take one individual from each vial (one male and one female) to place in a 3D printed arena, covered by a small piece of plexiglass with a portal. This is just like the plexiglass on the eighteen-track apparatus, only smaller and with only one hole. The flies are then recorded for fifteen minutes, removed, and swapped out for another pair. Six pairs are recorded per strain, then the files from the SD card are uploaded to AI for analysis.
I have benefited immensely in knowledge and applicable skills. My career aspiration is to enter a neuroscientific field--possibly as a lab manager or psychiatrist--so understanding animal behaviors is fundamental to my future role. I find Drosophila particularly fascinating because, while they are significantly smaller than humans, they have astonishingly quick life cycles, are easy to breed, and can be observed for a variety of genetic and environmental influences. These features make them ideal model organisms, and with the first full connectome of the fly brain being publicized by the NIH earlier this month, the possibilities for research are broader and more diverse than ever.
My knowledge of fly behavior, as well as human behavior by association, has been enhanced due to my time in the lab. My lab skills—such as aspirating, using light microscopes, safely anesthetizing small subjects, and using AI tools—have also been improved.
Through the new connections I have made at lab meetings, during research sessions, and outside of the lab, I have found peers I call my friends. I even play recreational soccer with some of them on occasion!
Photos by Jordan Opp.