April Berlyoung

Thanks to Mrs. Higgins, April Berlyoung will be spending her summer conducting research in physical chemistry – and loving it. The holder of the Georgia Southern University Foundation’s Bill Ponder Scholarship, Berlyoung credits her high school chemistry teacher with recognizing her potential to excel and backing that up with constant encouragement and assistance.

“‘Inspired’ does not even begin to describe what she did for me,” said Berlyoung, a rising junior from Alpharetta, Ga. “She struggled with me, helped me with problems and involved me in the National High School Honors Society.” Her teacher encouraged and led her to enrich her experience and learning, working with her school’s lab equipment that rarely found use in the usual coursework.

Berlyoung has not narrowed her future field of research because has “enjoyed all aspects of chemistry. I try to think of it as what don’t I like, and I haven’t found anything yet.”

She does, however, have definite plans for graduate school, a goal that will be bolstered by this summer’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) experience. The National Science Foundation-funded program is held at several university campuses around the country, and she was recommended by her Georgia Southern professors for the Georgetown University program. “I really love my department,” she said, “and I really love my professors. They and the staff are always helpful and you need that help to do any science. I research with Dr. (James) LoBue. He has been a great mentor.”

Berlyoung has been assisting LoBue with simulations of chemical reactions within cells in search of better ways to target chemotherapy to cancer. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce the negative effects of chemotherapy on healthy cells while maximizing their effectiveness on the target cells.

Berlyoung has been a member of the University’s Chemistry Club since she was a freshman and is now an officer in the club. She is also a member of Alpha Chi Sigma, the nation’s only college chemistry fraternity and, with her colleagues, is working to elevate Georgia Southern’s colony into an independent chapter. — David Thompson