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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    Characterization and analysis of the exogenous application of selected phytohormones on C. reinhardtii metabolism
    (2011) Chang, Andrew; Chang, Maria; Feng, Patrick; Khural, Jasjeet; Luo, Tana; McCarthy, James; Mekelburg, Cory; Nadig, Kelsey; Perry, Christine; Thaper, Sharad; Urbanski, Rick; Vohra, Pragun; Weber, Christian; Wong, Justin; Kahn, Jason D.
    Introduction of algal biofuel on an industrial scale will only be possible if production cost can be lowered, either by speeding algal growth, increasing lipid production per cell, or both. Our approach examined the application of phytohormones to algae to reach this goal. Bioinformatics and literature led us to four phytohormones: Indole-3-acetic acid, Epibrassinolide, Trans-zeatin, and Trans-zeatin-riboside. These were systematically introduced to algae at a range of concentrations. IAA, Epibrassinolide, and Trans-zeatin-riboside increased algae growth rates at concentrations of 10-8M to 10-12M. A treatment of Trans-zeatin-riboside yielded an increase in growth rate of 31.1 ± 9.4% (p < 0.05, n=8), an increase in algal dry mass by 38.9 ± 11.9% (p < 0.05, n=8), a negligable change in specific lipid mass (p < 0.05, n=8), and, most notably, a lipid concentration increase of 44.6 ± 42.1% (p < 0.05, n=8). A treatment of Trans-zeatin-riboside at 10-11 M yields practical benefits to biodiesel production.
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    Using sediment flocculation to reduce the impacts of Chesapeake Bay Microcystis aeruginosa harmful algal blooms
    (2011) Certner, Rebecca; Cho, Haena; Gallo, Natalya; Gibbons, Alexander; Kim, Christine; Liu, Tina; Miller, Hannah; Parikh, Neelam; Wooten, Matthew; Sellner, Kevin
    Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are proliferations of phytoplankton in marine ecosystems. Cyanobacteria, often referred to as algae, are one of the many microorganisms capable of reaching bloom abundances. In recent years, HABs have increased in prevalence in the Chesapeake Bay due to eutrophication from nutrient and pollution runoff into the watershed. Our research focused on the mitigation of HABs, specifically blooms of Microcystis aeruginosa, a cyanobacterium that blooms annually in the upper Chesapeake and its tributaries. Our mitigation approach used sediment-flocculant mixtures to remove cyanobacteria cells from the water column. We explored the environmental impact of our efforts and the potential for indigenous grass restoration by incorporating submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) seeds into our mitigation technique. Based on our data regarding efficacy, cost, environmental safety, and public opinion, we suggest mixtures consisting of local sediments and the flocculant chitosan for use in mitigating M. aeruginosa HABs in the Chesapeake Bay.