Working with Bugs!!

The second day of camp was even more fun for us than the first. We started with a teambuilding activity and then transitioned into our science activities. Up first was a discussion of the insect data from yesterday. We gave the campers a look at the data table as well as a number of graphs we generated from the table. They were then given the time to make observations and ask questions about the data. These initial observations are very important, because scientists use initial data sets to generate new research questions and new experiments! Next, we moved onto our fly protocol. We starved flies (Drosophila melanogaster or the common fruit fly) for 24 hours. Then, we added drops of different colored corn syrups (green, yellow, red, blue) to investigate what color food the flies preferred. We also had another petri dish with red corn syrup on one side and blue on the other, with the red side exposed to light and the blue side covered with duct tape. This petri dish was investigating whether fruit flies prefer light or dark places. We then went to have our lunch while the flies feasted on corn syrup. 

After returning to the lab, we put the flies in the freezer and did some non-science activities for about an hour. Not only did this give the campers a break from academics, it also allowed enough time for the flies to be euthanized. We then brought the flies back out and allowed the campers to look at them under the microscopes in order to determine what color food they ate.

We had even more fun with the campers today, and we are looking forward to tomorrow, when they will have the opportunity to develop their own research question and design an experiment to answer it!