Undergraduate environmental engineering student earns U.S. Patent

The moment Madison Giles, E27, received her first patent, she truly felt like she’d made it as an engineer. “When I saw that letter and I called my parents, I cried happy tears,” Giles recalls. She recently received the U.S. patent for her unique hummingbird feeder design, all without the help of a lawyer.

A patent-worthy project

The process began at an independent science research class in her Bay Area high school, when Giles completed a project on hummingbirds. She found that most bird feeders do not mimic the natural environment, and she wanted to try creating something closer to the flowers that hummingbirds prefer. Unlike other birds, hummingbirds tend to feed without perching, so she also prioritized a design that could accommodate feeding while hovering midair.

Her final design mimics the red passionflower, a favorite of hummingbird species on the West Coast. Additional features include an easily refillable nectar basin and an insect moat to prevent nectar contamination. Giles refined her design through a series of testing conducted across California. She partnered with several research mentors on the project, including Peter Auger, a Tufts alum who earned a Ph.D. in Biology. Her mentors, teacher, and parents all encouraged her to take the next step and pursue a patent for her unique design. Although it sounded daunting at first, she was willing to give it a try.

Giles first applied for a provisional patent in 2023 and began her non-provisional patent application in January 2024. By that time, she had started her undergraduate journey. At Tufts, she found a distinct environmental engineering program and an emphasis on interdisciplinary studies that suited her perfectly. “The way I’ve gone through my academic journey, I’ve always wanted to emphasize that art and engineering are necessary together,” she notes.

Continuing success at Tufts

As her patent process continued, Giles settled into life at Tufts and sought out new experiences. Faculty members like Research Associate Professor Ethan Danahy have been a major influence on her. “Besides the patent process he’s been very instrumental in helping me find my community at Tufts,” she said. Giles has served as a teaching assistant (TA) for Danahy’s EN-1 and ES-2 courses for three semesters. “Seeing the fruits of my labor has been incredibly rewarding,” she said, speaking about her time as a TA. “With a patent, it's through a certificate, whereas as a peer leader and TA, it’s about giving back to the Tufts community and helping out future classes of students,” she said. She’s also a website editor for the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach, and a peer leader at the Asian American Center.

Her advisor, Professor David Gute of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has been another positive influence. “The professors are beyond amazing. They’re very supportive and they genuinely care about my learning,” she shared.  

This fall, the seemingly endless stream of patent paperwork, government forms, and design revisions, came to an end and Giles made her patent official. “Usually, the lawyer would be the one in communication with the patent office, but because I didn’t have one, it was me,” said Giles. When her patent was finally issued, Giles felt like she was walking on air. “All of it has culminated into a tangible achievement and that has made me beyond happy.” She attributes her success to encouragement from her family, friends, and supporters at Tufts and beyond.

Now that she’s secured a patent, Giles is considering options for production and would like to continue testing her product on the East Coast with the ruby-throated hummingbird, the only species of hummingbird present in New England. She’s also contemplating alternative hyper-realistic flower designs, such as a feeder that looks like a tube-shaped flower.

Beyond a sense of personal accomplishment, the experience has proven useful for her career growth. Through working on the feeder and her courses at Tufts, Giles discovered that her heart lies in environmental engineering. According to Giles, Dean of Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies Jennifer Stephan has been instrumental in helping her figure out how she can harness her passion into a career. Ultimately, she hopes to bring her technical excellence and creative spirit to a career in urban planning. As a next step, she’s considering the Joint Master’s in Environmental Engineering Policy and Planning degree, which is run jointly between the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts.

No matter where her path leads, Giles wants fellow young inventors to know that getting a patent at an early age is possible. And of course, she looks forward to doing more birding on the East Coast in her remaining years at Tufts.