University of Kentucky senior Taylor Lloyd got involved in research as a freshman, and she says it shaped her career path. In February 2012, Taylor was honored on the floor of Rupp Arena as a recipient of two prestigious scholarships: the NASA Astronaut Scholarship and the Goldwater Scholarship. Her research, in the lab of Bruce Downie (associate professor of horticulture at the UK College of Agriculture), focuses on light and temperature signals that govern the germination of seeds. Understanding these mechanisms will allow researchers to improve agriculture in light of rising global temperatures.

• Read the UKNOW press release "UK's Taylor Lloyd Named Astronaut Scholar"
• Dr. Bruce Downie