03/20/2026
Ella Shields, an undergraduate student in Horticulture, has been selected as a 2026 NAPB Borlaug Undergraduate Scholar. This is a highly competitive and prestigious recognition through the National Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB), one of the leading professional organizations in plant breeding.
This year’s Borlaug Scholars cohort includes only 24 students nationwide: 3 undergraduate students, 3 M.S. students, and 18 Ph.D. students from across the United States. She is also the first undergraduate from the University of Kentucky, and from the state of Kentucky, to be selected in this cohort.
Through this award, Ella will receive support to represent UK at the NAPB annual meeting, where she will engage with leading plant breeders from across the country and globe. She will be paired with a mentor through the Borlaug Scholars program— an opportunity that will give her valuable exposure to the broader plant breeding community and allow her to bring back valuable ideas, perspectives, and connections to our program.
Ella has earned this recognition through her strong academic performance, initiative, maturity, and commitment to learning plant breeding and research. Ella currently works in the Sapkota Horticultural Breeding and Genetics lab at UK. Congratulations to Ella on this outstanding and well-deserved accomplishment!
