Louisa Mezache
The Ohio State University

I am a PhD student at The Ohio State University in Dr. Sai Veeraraghavan’s lab, where I study the functional effects of structural remodeling of the cardiac intercalated disc. I was introduced to microscopy while working for a small start-up, but have gained a greater appreciation for it while working with Dr. Veeraraghavan. Prior to returning to school, I worked as a clinical research coordinator in neuromuscular diseases. There I helped patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) access a novel multimillion-dollar drug treatment. I have been a member of the MSA Student Council (StC) since 2019 and have developed important leadership skills over the years as a continued member and have truly grown as a person. As President this year, I am so excited to continue StC’s mission to help provide my fellow microscopists in training with the same access to resources that being a part of this MSA community has afforded me.

Andres Marques Rossy
University of Tennessee, Knoxville

I'm a second year M.S. student at University of Tennessee, Knoxville working with Prof. Brett Compton on Additive Manufacturing (A.M.) of Polymers and Hybrid Materials. I'm also a technical researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) specializing in characterization of processes and materials for A.M. components via destructive and non-destructive mechanisms. In both of my fields I have to study materials using an array of techniques like mechanical testing, nano indentation, heat treatment, computed tomography (CT), SEM and other techniques to better understand how A.M. affects material properties. During my bachelor's degree, I was the student chapter president for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) for my university in Puerto Rico as well as vice president for the local society known as Institute of Chemical Engineers of Puerto Rico (IIQPR in spanish). I'm looking forward to helping bridge the gap of this society that encompasses such a large country, while assisting future researchers on finding mentorship and internship opportunities.

Aubrey Penn
MIT.nano

I am a S/TEM Research Specialist at MIT.nano and a 2021 graduate from Materials Science and Engineering at North Carolina State University, where I worked under the advisement of Profs. James LeBeau (MIT) and Divine Kumah (NCSU). Before going to NCSU, I received my master’s degree in chemistry from Western Kentucky University, where I first became acquainted with electron microscopy. Since then I have grown in knowledge of the techniques and love of the microscopy field, in part, through my association with MSA and the Student Council. I have been a member since 2017 and this is my fourth year on Council. In the coming year, I will support StC’s mission to provide educational resources, professional development opportunities, and foster community among student microscopists.

Jackson Spurling
Pennsylvania State University

I am a PhD student at Penn State in Dr. Jon-Paul Maria's lab; my research focus is on high-entropy oxides for electronic materials applications. I first became involved with MSA StC as an undergraduate student while at the University of Tennessee, serving as Region VIII Liaison (2017-18), Secretary (2018-19; 2021-22), and Treasurer (2019-21; 2022-23). As a researcher, I have a passion for microscopy as a field of study, but what makes MSA unique is the community of microscopists. As a member of the Student Council, it is important to me to help create opportunities for networking and growth within this community; I look forward to doing so in the next year as Treasurer.

Huiming Guo
University of California, Irvine

I am a 3rd year graduate student at University of California, Irvine with Dr. William Bowman. I focus on ionic/electronic transport across grain boundaries/heterointerfaces in solid oxide fuel cells. I use scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) to analyze atomic arrangement, segregation and fields at grain boundaries to analyze the relation between interface structure and electrical properties. I firstly joined the MSA Student Council (StC) as the communication chair in 2021 for organizing social media platforms and activity propaganda. Now I am involved as the secretary in 2022 for meeting recordings. I feel greatly delighted and excited that I can contribute to the setup and development of this excellent networking platform for young scholars and facilitate more students to learn microscopy and microanalysis.

Yifan Wang
Arizona State University

I am a third year PhD student working with Prof. Peter Crozier at Arizona State University. Currently, I am working on detecting photonic modes in nanostructure. The main technique I use is monochromated electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Besides, I also have interest in low-loss EELS including vibrational EELS which focuses on local phonon properties in materials. I attended my first in-person M&M meeting in 2022 and I really enjoyed the PMCx60, both the symposia and the social event afterwards. It is my pleasure to be the PMC physical co-chair to continue organizing high quality events and building a platform for the society to highlight their work, gain new knowledge, and communicate with each other.

Neerja Zambare
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, WA

I am a Linus Pauling Distinguished Postdoctoral fellow at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, WA. I received my PhD at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT. My background is chemical and biological engineering, and I currently work on biomineralization projects in the Environmental and Molecular Sciences Lab. I use correlative techniques including plasma FIB, SEM, STEM, TEM, and some synchrotron based STXM. I am excited to serve on the PMC Planning Committee and hope to bring in more postdoc participation and engagement at M&M events in the future.

Stephanie Ribet
Northwestern University

I am a 5th year PhD candidate in the Dravid group at Northwestern University, currently working at the National Center of Electron Microscopy as a SCGSR fellow. My research is at the intersection of characterizing soft and hybrid structures with 4D-STEM and studying materials for energy and the environment. I have enjoyed getting to know the microscopy community the past two years through student council and look forward to serving as communications chair. Reach out to us on social media, so we can highlight you and you work!

Ayanthi Thisera
University of Kentucky

I am a Ph.D. graduate student at the University of Kentucky working under the guidance of Prof. Beth S. Guiton. My reseach focus is on using electron microscopy to better understand the interactions between liquid metals and crystalline metal oxides at the atomic level in real-time. Currently at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, I am applying these techniques to the understand Aluminum-based alloys, with the goal of linking their nanostructure to their mechanical properties. In my free time, I enjoy exploring new places and capturing my adventures through photography. I am thrilled to be a member of the MSA student council and to be a part of the scientific community.

Solange Steadman
Arizona State University

I am in the final year of the accelerated masters program for an MS in Biology at Arizona State University. My research focuses on the modulators of smooth muscle contractions in the male reproductive system. I have been working as a histology lab technician in the Regenerative Medicine core facility at ASU. My work heavily involves bright field and fluorescent microscopy as I train users on these techniques. Within my own research, I have learned SEM to create correlative images with fluorescent ones. I also work in the Advanced Light Microscopy core facility at ASU; as regional liaison I have the unique opportunity to interact with researchers interested and trained in microscopy to promote the StC.

Sally Karstens
University of California, Berkeley

I am a 3rd year PhD candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, co-advised by Prof. Jeffrey Long in Chemistry and Prof. Andrew Minor in Materials Science & Engineering. I develop S/TEM techniques to map local structure, elemental distribution, and gas adsorption in metal-organic frameworks. My goal is to expand the toolbox we can use on these beam-sensitive materials. I am excited to serve as a regional liaison on MSA StC; it's especially important to me that MSA serves as a platform for researchers from different backgrounds to meet and learn from each other.

Lyanna De Leon
West Texas A&M University

I am a second year graduate student at West Texas A&M University (WTAMU), working under the guidance of Dr. Nabarun Ghosh. I am working on observing the frequent presence of fungal spores that are considered as potential allergens and causal factors for allergic rhinitis and related symptoms. Utilizing a Leica DM-750 digital microscope equipped with LAS V4.9 software for capturing and analyzing micrographs. My continued research will include collection of fungal samples, capturing images and analyzing them based on their spore morphology using the standard identification keys. This research will provide important data on the fungi that are prevalent in my area causing illness to the dwellers within my local community. I hope that my role in the student council can help other students become better acquainted with their microscopes and their techniques to further enhance their research capabilities.

Julio Ortega Rojas
University of Tennessee, Knoxville

I'm a second year M.S. student at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville working on additive manufacturing processes with Dr. Chad Duty. Since 2019, I've been working at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, supporting a R&D team in processing high temperature metals via AM processes (powder bed fusion and direct energy deposition). As part of the MDF team my role focuses on characterization and analysis of materials via microscopy techniques (SEM, EBSD, EDS), correlating the microscopy data with the materials mechanical behavior. As a member of the MSA StC I would like to bring enthusiastic ideas to engage with other students and professionals in the field, allowing them and us to grow in our professional careers.