Gemstone Team Research

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/9070

The Gemstone Program at the University of Maryland is a unique multidisciplinary four-year research program for selected undergraduate honors students of all majors. Under guidance of faculty mentors and Gemstone staff, teams of students design, direct and conduct significant research, often but not exclusively exploring the interdependence of science and technology with society. Gemstone students are members of a living-learning community comprised of fellow students, faculty and staff who work together to enrich the undergraduate experience. This community challenges and supports the students in the development of their research, teamwork, communication and leadership skills. In the fourth year, each team of students presents its research in the form of a thesis to experts, and the students complete the program with a citation and a tangible sense of accomplishment.

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Author: search.filters.author.Patel, Mihir

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    Wind-Induced Vibration Energy Harvesting Using Piezoelectric Transducers Coupled with Dynamic Magnification
    (2014) Baker, Austin; Connolly, Kathryn; Dorsey, Lauren; Grissom, Ian; Grobicki, Alden; Keller, Kevin; Kittur, Chandan; Konecki, Daniel; Lee, Mark; Lee, Timothy; Ma, Boheng; Mulhern, Edward; Ng, Andrea; Patel, Mihir; Baz, Amr
    Flexible cylindrical structures subjected to wind loading experience vibrations from periodic shedding of vortices in their wake. Vibrations become excessive when the natural frequencies of the cylinder coincide with the vortex shedding frequency. In this study, cylinder vibrations are transmitted to a beam inside the structure via dynamic magnifier system. This system amplifies the strain experienced by piezoelectric patches bonded to the beam to maximize the conversion from vibrational energy into electrical energy. Realworld applicability is tested using a wind tunnel to create vortex shedding and comparing the results to finite element modeling that shows the structural vibrational modes. A crucial part of this study is conditioning and storing the harvested energy, focusing on theoretical modeling, design parameter optimization, and experimental validation. The developed system is helpful in designing wind-induced energy harvesters to meet the necessity for novel energy resources.
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    Herbal Dietary Supplements: Safety, Efficacy, and Use by Breast Cancer Survivors
    (2010) Frechette, Peter; Galanie, Stephanie; Hung, Anna; Kim, Sarah; Merrick, Kelsey; Nataraj, Krupa; Nooralian, Jessica; Patel, Mihir; Stevens, Jessica; Wang, Vivian; Zhou, Albert; Kantor, Mark K.
    Herbal dietary supplements (HDS) are widely used in complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine, but data on attitudes, behavior, safety, and efficacy are lacking. Using mixed methods, we administered an online survey to >1,000 breast cancer survivors to investigate HDS practices and perceptions and performed in vitro studies assessing the efficacy and toxicity of actein, a bioactive component of the HDS black cohosh (Actaea racemosa). Among cancer survivors, curcumin, flaxseed, and green tea were reported as the most frequently used HDS. Many subjects increased HDS intake after diagnosis and sought web-based information on HDS. In human breast cancer (MCF-7) and liver (HepG2/C3A) cell lines, actein had anti-proliferative and anti-estrogenic effects and did not exhibit hepatotoxicity or affect the action of tamoxifen and raloxifene.