Congratulations to Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering graduate student William Ballance, who has been selected to receive a TechnipFMC Fellowship for 2018-2019.
Ballance is a third-year PhD student and member of Dr. Hyunjoon Kong’s research group. In the Kong Lab, Ballance’s projects have centered on antibacterial soft materials, namely, using hydrogels as base materials. One project focused on a hydrogel that releases an antibacterial drug in response to external stretching. Another project involved developing a vibrating device that removes biofilms that collect on the surface of the hydrogel. For his next research project, Ballance plans to use an iodine sequestering gel that eliminates corrosive bacteria that accumulates on steel in anaerobic environments such as pipelines and oil wells.
The TechnipFMC fund was originally created by Bert A. Gayman, a mechanical engineering graduate of the University of Illinois with a gift of shares of Chicago-based Link-Belt Company, later acquired by FMC Corporation. FMC recently merged with Technip to create TechnipFMC, a global leader in subsea, onshore/offshore and surface projects. The fund supports scholarships, fellowships and research.