Polymer Science student wins 2021 Alan Gent Distinguished Student Paper Award
Amal Narayanan, a Ph.D. candidate in polymer science, won the 2021 Alan Gent Distinguished Student Paper Award for the best presentation at this year’s Adhesion Society 44th Annual Meeting held virtually from February 22-25. Amal is advised by Dr. Abraham Joy, Assistant Director and Professor in the School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering.
The winning presentation of Narayanan was entitled “Synthetic Liquid Phase Condensates as Underwater Adhesives”. In this talk, he described the development of underwater adhesives using synthetic polymers that are partially soluble in water. These adhesives can be applied and cured underwater, making them a potential candidate as a tissue adhesive. The study was recently published in ACS Nano and highlighted by Chemical and Engineering News.
Amal Narayanan
“It is an honor to receive the award in the name of Prof. Alan Gent since the foundations of my research are Prof. Gent’s contributions to the science of adhesion. The past winners of this award continue to do a phenomenal job and it is a privilege to be a part of this list of respected scientists.”
According to the Adhesion Society’s website, “The Peebles Award Symposium presentations will form the basis for choosing the winner of the Alan Gent Distinguished Student Paper Award, sponsored by Henkel. The winner of the Gent Award will receive a cash prize in addition to the remuneration associated with being a Peebles Award winner.”
“Through his Ph.D. work, Amal has made significant contributions towards the design of degradable polyester adhesives with high adherence on wet and conformable surfaces and understanding the parameters that influence their performance. His work sets the stage for designing polymer adhesives for very challenging environments such as hemorrhagic tissues,” said Dr. Abraham Joy.
Dr. Alan Gent, for whom the award is named, was on the polymer science faculty at UA from 1961 to 1994. Internationally known, Gent was widely regarded as the foremost expert on the fracture mechanics of rubber and plastics. His work had the potential of impacting nearly every rubber or plastic product developed today. Gent remained active in the field and with the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering until his death in 2012. Read more about Prof. Gent’s role in the Adhesion Society.
“Professor Gent was a pioneer in the area of Adhesion Science, and it is exciting that Amal has continued the tradition of winning this prestigious Gent Award from the Adhesion Society this year,” said Dr. Ali Dhinojwala.
Past winners of this award include University of Akron students Gary Harp (2004), Kumar Nanjundiah (2007), Vasav Sahni (2012), and Adrian Defante (2015), and Dharamdeep Jain (2016).
Congratulations Amal on this outstanding achievement!