Quantification of Hydration in Drosphila Melanogaster
Department
Biological Sciences
Major
Biological Sciences
Research Advisor
Thimgan, Matthew S.
Advisor's Department
Biological Sciences
Funding Source
UM Research Board & Missouri S&T OURE
Abstract
In research labs using Drosophila, most commonly the source of food and water is the same. This could pose problems in that if the fly is not hungry, it may become dehydrated or vice versa in that the fly may become oversaturated. To combat this problem, a variety of 3D printed caps were placed over the fly rearing vial and a humidity and temperature sensor was used to evaluate the efficacy of the cap. Hemolymph provides the most information on the hydration of flies, but there currently is no standardized collection method. Trying to solve this problem led to the construction of a device that uses airflow and pressure to manipulate adult flies and extract hemolymph samples. To record the amount of hemolymph extracted, the hemolymph drop gets transferred to hydrated paraffin oil. A picture is taken of the hemolymph droplet in the oil and a volume calculation is performed.
Biography
Sarah is a senior from Richland, MO. She is studying Biological Sciences with an emphasis of Pre-Med and a minor in Chemistry. On campus, Sarah is a Student Ambassador for the Admissions office, a member of Scrubs Pre-Health Group, an Honors Academy student, and she is currently working in Dr. Thimgan’s Fly Lab.
Research Category
Sciences
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Document Type
Poster
Location
Upper Atrium
Presentation Date
16 Apr 2019, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Quantification of Hydration in Drosphila Melanogaster
Upper Atrium
In research labs using Drosophila, most commonly the source of food and water is the same. This could pose problems in that if the fly is not hungry, it may become dehydrated or vice versa in that the fly may become oversaturated. To combat this problem, a variety of 3D printed caps were placed over the fly rearing vial and a humidity and temperature sensor was used to evaluate the efficacy of the cap. Hemolymph provides the most information on the hydration of flies, but there currently is no standardized collection method. Trying to solve this problem led to the construction of a device that uses airflow and pressure to manipulate adult flies and extract hemolymph samples. To record the amount of hemolymph extracted, the hemolymph drop gets transferred to hydrated paraffin oil. A picture is taken of the hemolymph droplet in the oil and a volume calculation is performed.
