This fall, two Brooklyn students, Anastajia Melika and Mandy Bhagwandeen, presented the results of their summer research at the 57th Annual Metropolitan Association of College and University Biologists (MACUB) Conference at Bronx Community College.
Working closely with Bor-Shuen Wang, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology on the Brooklyn Campus, Anastajia spent the summer focusing on research that explored how prenatal stress affects behavior and learning in fruit flies.
At the conference, Anastajia presented “The Effects of Prenatal Circadian Stress on Prodigy Behavior and Learning in Drosophila Melanogaster.” This study induced circadian stress in Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) during the prenatal stage. The larvae were then placed in controlled settings. After hatching, their behavior exhibited signs of ADHD-like traits, as indicated by increased mean speed and distance traveled during their wall-following assay compared to the control group. Subsequently, their learning ability was tested through olfactory sensation. The results showed that both control flies and the circadian stress flies’ prodigy could learn scent associations. However, there was no significant difference in learning ability between the control group and the circadian stress group. Interestingly, the circadian stress prodigy had a higher mortality rate which may show a decrease in stress resistance.
“The process of conducting and presenting this research introduced me to the research field,” said Anastajia Melika ’26. “As a student passionate about physiology, this experience showed me that I can have a place in scientific advancement and a place that provides continual exploration into a subject that I love.”
For her research, Anastajia earned 2nd place in the Physiology and Neuroscience Category at the conference.
“Attending MACUB felt like being part of a community where everyone is eager to share, learn and grow together,” said Dr. Wang. “It’s a space that sparks new ideas, strengthens connections and reminds you why you love biology.”
Also conducting research this past summer, Mandy worked closely with Pamela Lovejoy, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology on the Brooklyn Campus, to better understand the response that fruit flies have to the herbicide atrazine and how atrazine affects their reproduction.
“The MACUB Conference was the perfect environment for students to present their research for the first time outside of St. Joseph’s,” said Pamela Lovejoy, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology on the Brooklyn Campus. “Everyone was very supportive and it was great to learn about the research that is being done at other colleges in our area.”
