Alumni Spotlight Erin Stempinski Erin Stempinski serves as a research associate at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon, specializing in electron microscopy applications. A technique for obtaining high-resolution images of biological and non-biological specimens, electron microscopy is used in biomedical research to investigate the detailed structure of tissues, cells, organelles and macromolecular complexes. Stempinski performs a variety of electron microscopy techniques, including conventional transmission and scanning electron microscopy, correlative light and electron microscopy, and 3D techniques. “There are many interesting questions that researchers are exploring at OHSU,” Stempinski said. “Two recent projects I helped with are understanding wound healing in the tympanic membrane and Zika virus infection in the placenta. We’ve even received a few COVID-19 research projects.” Stempinski has been recognized with the Distinguished Achievement Award by the National Institutes of Health, the primary U.S. agency responsible for biomedical and public health research. She earned a Bachelor of Science in environmental science and biology from SFA and was first introduced to the field of electron microscopy as an undergraduate. While earning a Master of Science in botany from the Miami University of Ohio, she built upon this foundational knowledge and utilized electron microscopy to conduct research into protein subunits found within chloroplasts of the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Prior to her current position, Stempinski worked at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s Electron Microscopy Core Facility.
26 Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture
