Program Leader
Professor
Director, Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research & Extension Center
Email Address: milesc@wsu.edu
Dr. Carol Miles has diverse international experiences both growing up and in her early career where she has lived in subsistence agriculture communities in places such as Panama, Afghanistan, Cameroun, Malawi and Tanzania. Carol received her B.S. (1983) in Bio-Agricultural Science from Colorado State University, and her M.S. (1989) and Ph.D. (1993) in Vegetable Crops from the Department of Fruit and Vegetable Science at Cornell University. Carol’s goal has been to work with farmers to create sustainable production systems which provide a source of well-being to both the family and the community.
Program Technical Staff
Ed Scheenstra grew up in eastern Washington, living on farms in both the Yakima Valley and the Tri-Cities area. After obtaining his B.S. in Environmental Science in 1999, he spent 4 years working with the Weed Science Dept. and USDA-ARS in Pullman, WA. Ed has lived in the Mount Vernon area since 2004 and is excited to be back with WSU as a part of the Vegetable Horticulture team.
Program Office and Field Staff
Adam Elcan’s work focuses on cider apple research with Aidan Kendall in addition to helping with other Vegetable Horticulture projects. Born and raised in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia and currently residing in Bellingham, Adam made the move from the east coast after graduating with a B.S. in Geology from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. During the winter months he can typically be found exploring the Cascades on skis and honing his skills as an amateur photographer. He also enjoys hiking, biking, and sea kayaking when there’s no snow in the mountains and has recently been experimenting with brewing fruit wines.
Natalie Bell‘s work focuses on tea propagation research with Srijana Shrestha and assisting with other Vegetable Horticulture projects. Natalie was born and raised in the Skagit Valley. She began working at NWREC right after graduating from high school in 2022, starting with general maintenance of the surrounding gardens. A few months later, Natalie started working with Srijana and has been with her ever since. Outside of work, she plays music with the Skagit Community Band and is working towards her associate’s in music. In her free time, she enjoys reading, photography, and painting with watercolors.
Radhika Koppuravuri has a Masters degree in Computer Applications from India. She moved to Washington State in February 2021 from Colorado. Radhika is currently working as a web technician at WSU Mount Vernon NWREC.
Program Graduate Students:
Current
Alex Cornwall is a lifelong native of Western Washington and being surrounded by such a lush environment, he developed a great love of plants and nature. He graduated from Washington State University in 2010 with a BS in Environmental Horticulture and joined the USDA-ARS Plant Introduction Unit in Pullman in 2011 as the Field Technician for the Horticultural Crops Program regenerating the highly diverse collection under the direction of the curator, Barbara Hellier. He has worked with the USDA for the last 10 years and will begin his studies in a PhD in horticulture in conjunction with his work in the fall of 2020 with major advisor Dr. Carol Miles. His project will be identifying Lactuca sp. with genetic barcoding and taxonomy and gene exploration of wild relatives of Lactuca sativa. Alex’s personal interests include running, botanical illustration and the fine art of cheese making.
Jordan White grew up in Arizona before moving to North Idaho. She developed a love of small farm systems and vegetable production during her time at the University of Idaho, where she ran the student farm club. She graduated with a B.S. in sustainable food systems and a B.S in horticulture and urban agriculture in 2024. Jordan joined the Vegetable Horticulture program in June 2024 and is working on sweet potato production for Western Washington.
Laura Schulz grew up in Minnesota, where she developed a love of gardening and being outdoors. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2023 with a B.S. in Plant Science and a B.E. in Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering. Laura joined the Vegetable Horticulture program in May 2023. Her research focuses on developing sweetpotato production guidelines for direct-market farms in western Washington.
McKenzie Shelton is an incoming master’s student who will be working with tea plants under Dr. Carol Miles. She grew up in Auburn, Alabama, attending Auburn University for her BS in Organismal Biology. McKenzie spent the last three years living in Honolulu, Hawaii, and working as a server in Waikiki. She is very excited to be returning to lab work and furthering her education, all while exploring a beautiful new part of the country. Outside of her professional interests, McKenzie loves reading, yoga, doing puzzles, and catching sunsets.
Srijana Shrestha was born and raised in the Lamjung district in Nepal. She completed her B.S. in Agriculture in 2018 from the Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal. She worked for one year as a project officer in Biodiversity and Resource Management for Sustainable Food Security in Mountain Community Project with the Nepal Group of Helping Hands, in the very remote Dailekh district of Nepal. She joined the Vegetable Horticulture program at WSU Mount Vernon NWREC in Spring 2020 and completed her MS project in Spring 2022 with a focus on new crops for the region and soil-biodegradable plastic mulch. She commenced her PhD project in Fall 2022 with a focus on tea plant propagation.
Completed
- Abigail Attavar. M.S. 2017–2019 (Committee chair). Grafting as a management practice for Verticillium wilt: Evaluating Cucurbitaceae and Solanaceae rootstocks for resistance.
- Kelly Atterberry. M.S. 2013–2015 (Committee chair). Nutrition education and school garden projects with K-12 students to promote consumption of dry beans.
- Travis Alexander. Ph.D. 2015-2018. Advancing Washington state cider apple production through a branch-to-bottle assessment of mechanized harvest and a comparison of regional juice quality.
- Callie Bolton. M.S. 2009–2011 (Committee co-chair). Organic weed control in a newly established vineyard.
- Fairuz Boujaila. Ph.D. 2016–2018 (Committee chair). Tomato production under high tunnels; application rates and timing of different types of fertilizer.
- Seth Brawner. M.S. 2022-2024. Mechanization in the cider apple orchard to reduce labor time.
- Jamie Cummings. M.S. 2006–2007 (Committee member). Evaluation of seed and drench treatments for management of damping-off and seedling blight pathogens of spinach for organic production.
- Jeremy Cowan. Ph.D. 2010–2013 (Committee chair). The Use of Biodegradable Mulch for Tomato and Broccoli Production: Crop Yield and Quality, Mulch Deterioration, and Grower’s Perceptions.
- Sahar Dabirian.M.S. 2015–2017 (Committee chair). Optimizing watermelon grafting to control Verticillium wilt in Washington.
- Pinki Devi. Ph.D. 2017-2021. Optimizing watermelon grafting to enhance grafting efficiency and its impact on fruit maturity and quality.
- Whitney Garton. M.S. 2015-2017 (Committee chair). Apple anthracnose canker control in cider apple orchards in western Washington.
- Shuresh Ghimire. Ph.D. 2015–2018 (Committee chair). Biodegradable plastic mulch for pumpkin and sweet corn production.
- Charlene Grahn. M.S. 2013–2015 (Committee chair). Direct market production of baby-leaf salad greens during spring and fall seasons in Western Washington.
- Holly Ingle. M.S. 2008–2010 (Committee member). The effect of environment and management on yield and NO3-N concentrations in organically managed leafy greens.
- Sacha Johnson. M.S. 2010–2012 (Committee chair). Grafting Eggplant, Tomato, and Watermelon to Manage Verticillium Wilt Caused by Verticillium Dahliae.
- Aiden Kendall. M.S. 2020-2022. Regulated deficit irrigation and the effects of mechanical hedging in cider apples.
- Ann Kowenstrot. M.S in Ag (2023). Research Focus: Rhubarb Research in Alaska and Recommended Varieties for Commercial Production.
- Yao Mu. M.S. 2017-2019 (Committee chair). Identifying bulb fennel cultivars suitable for organic production in NW WA.
- Vincent Mwale. M.S. Bunda College of Agriculture, Malawi, 2004-2006 (Committee member). Performance and stability of advanced bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) lines under two systems of on-farm evaluation in thee bean agro-ecological zones of Malawi.
- Kristy Ott. M.S. 2006–2007 (Committee member). Impacts of winter growing conditions on yield and nitrate accumulation in organically produced leafy greens.
- Robin Taylor. MSAG 2015-2016 (Committee chair). Quantification of food policy groups within the Puget Sound region.
- Jennifer Wagner. M.S. 2004–2006 (Committee Chair). Heirloom-niche market dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) as an alternative crop for small-scale farmers.
- Jesse Wimer. M.S. 2013–2015 (Committee chair). Grafting Watermelons to Manage Verticillium Wilt in Washington State.
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