SALINA Harrah, Oklahoma native Apryl Saunders is compelled by the idea of one day defeating multiple sclerosis, or MS, a disease from which her mother suffers. But thats a long way from the love of softball that helped her get to Kansas Wesleyan University five years ago.

Saunders entered her freshman year at KWU as a talented softball infielder with dreams of becoming a doctor. As she pursued a pre-med track, her biology and chemistry classes began to capture her attention. Seeing her talent for the sciences, Dr. James Townsend, chair of the KWU chemistry department, helped her to apply for and get two remarkable research experiences.

First, she participated in a study abroad opportunity at the Nottingham Trent University in England.

Her research in chemistry there further stoked her interest and led her to apply for and receive a Research Experience for Undergraduates grant, funded by the National Science Foundation, to conduct research in structural biology at the University of Oklahoma.

Dr. Townsend helped me so much at Kansas Wesleyan, Saunders. The study abroad and REU opportunities were so important. Between sophomore and junior year, I still wanted to go to medical school after college, but I felt so confirmed by the research opportunity at OU that I came back to college determined to get a degree in chemistry.

After graduating with honors from KWU with a bachelors degree in chemistry and biomedical chemistry, Saunders entered the graduate program in chemistry at OU to pursue a doctoral degree in medicinal chemistry.

Currently working in the Duerfeldt Lab, Saunders is researching medicines targeting diabetes and vision loss. For Saunders, the work is increasingly personal as she learns to manipulate molecules and medicines that can change and save lives. Her mother suffers with multiple sclerosis, and Saunders would one day like to dedicate her research efforts to treatments for MS.

I discovered I liked being behind the formation of medicines, Saunders explains, and less inclined to want to give or prescribe drugs. And as I learn about the chemistry of medicine and the differences we can make in treatment, I want to continue my work and see if I can possibly help change the outcomes of MS treatment. My mother suffers with MS and making a difference with MS is very important to me.

At KWU, a full 60 percent of the science faculty are women, which was a quiet but powerful inspiration for Saunders. The majority of science professors are women at KWU, Saunders says. Seeing so many women leaders created a great environment, and I felt like I had a place there. I was pushed to excel and felt as though I could be an accomplished scientist at KWU.

Kansas Wesleyan University is a private four-year college founded in Salina, Kansas in 1886.

Affiliated with The United Methodist Church, KWU offers unique and innovative undergraduate degrees and a Master of Business Administration. The university, recognized as a College of Distinction, is characterized by excellence within a caring environment and student-centered education. At Kansas Wesleyan, students are encouraged to get involved in the classroom and in the community, explore academic interests and participate in activities, learn and serve in Salina and the world. Learn more at http://kwu.edu.

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Saunders studies chemistry to beat mom's MS - McPherson Sentinel