Team
Current Program Members
Miguel S. Castillo (Professor, [email protected])
Dr. Castillo was born in Loja, Ecuador. Dr. Castillo’s training was in Plant and Animal Sciences at Zamorano University (B.S.), Agronomy at University of Florida (M.S. and Ph.D.) and business administration at North Carolina State University (MBA). Dr. Castillo joined the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at NC State University in 2013 and was appointed Professor of Grassland Science in 2026.
Bessy S. Velazquez (Research Assistant, [email protected])
Bessy is from Tela, Honduras, Central America, one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. She is a happy mother of two little girls and a happy wife. She loves to work in research which is what I have been doing since I graduated with a B.S. in Crop and Animal Sciences from Zamorano University, Honduras. I also studied an MBA at UNITEC Honduras. “…I am grateful for my family and my professional career. I love the sea, seafood, dancing, swimming and enjoying life. I like to make the life of others around me a little bit better and happier…”.
J-1 Scholars, Fall 2026
Valeria Moreira, ESPOL, Ecuador
Jamael Chan, Zamorano, Belize
Past Program Members
Post-docs and Visiting Scientists
Dr. Jorge Maicelo, Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodriguez de Mendoza, Chachapoyas, Amazonas, Peru
Dr. Carlos Gomez, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Peru
Dr. Eduardo Fuentes Navarro, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima, Peru.
Dr. Hector Vasquez, Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodriguez de Mendoza, Chachapoyas, Amazonas, Peru.
Dr. Juan J. Romero, University of Maine, USA.
Dr. Heba Salama, University of Alexandria, Egypt.
Dr. Eduardo Alava, Escuela Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), Ecuador.
Alumni
Laura Bautista, Graduate Student (MS)
Nicolas Calvete, Graduate Student (MS)
Nuesly Flores, Research Scholar
Stephanie Sosinski, Graduate Student (MS) and Research Technician
Dante Pizarro, Research Scholar
Raul Rivera, Graduate Student (MS)
Marcelo Gutierrez, Undergraduate Research Scholar
Perejitei Bekewe, Graduate Student (M.S.)
Izamar Gonzales, Research Scholar
Tommaso Gaifami, Research Scholar
Ruby Vega Ravello, Research Scholar
Adam Heitman, Graduate Student (M.S.)
Diego J. Contreras, Undergraduate Research Scholar, Honduras
Mari Dalman, Undergraduate Research Scholar, USA
Marco Balseca, Research Scholar
Jinwoo Park, Research Scholar
Yuchen Zhao, Research Scholar
Young ho, Joo,Research Scholar
Axel Gonzáles Murillo, Research Scholar