Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Introducing 2025 Astronaut Scholar Jaesylin Stephens from the University of Kentucky.

Jaesylin is earning a degree in Biology, and her primary research has combined field work, genetic sequencing, and bioinformatics to investigate the effects of host diet and ecology on the gut microbiome, specifically in endangered wild lemurs. Jaesylin's other research projects include genetic engineering bacteriophages at the NSF's Precision Microbiome Engineering Research Center, as well as studying gene expression during retinal development using zebrafish at the University of Kentucky.

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#stemeducation #stemlearning #astronautscholars #biologymajor #kentuckywildcats