Campbell alumnus helps restore coastal reefs

     Campbell graduate Eugene Ballance has always gone the extra mile to accomplish a goal. While studying math at Campbell, he sought out additional coursework in the form of independent studies. Today, Ballance makes his living as an Ocracoke fisherman. Over the past two years, he has worked on a project to restore the Eastern oyster that has been dying in the Pamlico Sound due to pollution.
     Ballance takes maps dating back to 1886 and modernizes them through satellite mapping and sonar imaging. The intersecting points established by Lt. Francis E Winslow of the U.S. Navy who studied the reefs serve as a guide. Geographic Information systems allow Ballance to transform Winslow’s findings. This technology shows where the reefs once thrived and where they could possibly function again.
     Ballance’s findings have aided the selection process for finding a site for the oyster restoration. The North Carolina chapter of The Nature Conservancy was given money to restore the oyster reefs at the Pamlico Sound. With the project well underway, Ballance has spent numerous hours checking projections and discovering how many of the oyster reefs remain in tact.
     Ballance developed his strong work ethic while still in undergraduate school at Campbell. Dr. Jerry Taylor, professor of mathematics, granted him an independent study in non-standard analysis. “After a few weeks of the class, Eugene began asking questions that I couldn’t answer,” Taylor said, so Ballance began attending lectures at North Carolina State University on the subject.
     “Eugene always makes me think,” said Taylor. “I am proud of the work he is doing on the coast now.”
     Ballance dropped out of school for a while to become self-educated. Eventually, he returned to Campbell and finished his degree. His education from Campbell University encouraged him to explore options on how to protect and restore the oyster reefs of the Outer Banks.