Our Crowdfunding Groups
We’re Team PISO, a group of multidisciplinary UMD students. Formed in spring 2020, our team is part of the Maryland GEMSTONE research program. GEMSTONE is an honors program which allows students to pursue research topics of their own choice to further both their own interests and the University’s vast deposit of knowledge. Our seven members joined UMD and the GEMSTONE program in autumn 2019 and are set to graduate as part of the class of 2023. We hope to achieve as much as we can between now and then!
Our project is centered around piezoelectric tiles, devices which use electrical properties of certain materials to create and store electrical power. These devices are currently seldom used due to the high cost and relatively low efficiency of current models. This project is currently in the planning stages, but once we get going (with your help) we will be utilizing a lab space and trying to improve the efficiency of these devices for wider use. This will allow us to more effectively generate power from areas with high foot traffic, such as a bus stop or the entrance to a campus building. As part of this, we will build and test our own piezoelectric tiles in a lab setting, creating and adjusting design as we go about research and experimentation.
Anything that we create has the possibility to be implemented on UMD campus. This project seeks to improve methods of generating clean energy, which could make the University of Maryland a higher quality and more green place to be. Consider how cool it would be to have electric tiles powering a building with your movements; that is the reality which we wish to further.
Gifts in support of the University of Maryland are accepted and managed by the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, Inc., an affiliated 501(c)(3) organization authorized by the Board of Regents. Contributions to the University of Maryland are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Please see your tax advisor for details.
One Small Step: This donation will allow us to purchase small amounts of materials for our project, or simple electrical components for designing our circuit, such as wiring.
Step It Up: This donation will allow us to purchase an Arduino microcontroller to use for our circuits.
Strong Foot Forward: This donation will allow us to purchase larger amounts of materials for our project, or more complex electrical components for designing our circuit, such as sensors.
Making Strides: This donation will allow us to purchase licenses for modeling software that we will use to design our circuits and hardware.
One Giant Leap: This donation will allow us to purchase well-crafted piezoelectric crystals and contribute to our funds for conferences to allow us to present our findings.