The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) has named Jessica Atkin the recipient of the 2026 CAST Science Communication Scholarship (CSCS).

Atkin is a NASA FINESST Fellow and Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University. Her research focuses on plant–microbe partnerships capable of making lunar regolith — the rocky surface material of the Moon — into a viable growing medium for food production. Her work sits at the intersection of astrobiology, soil science and space exploration.

Beyond the lab, Atkin has reached more than 5,000 K–12 students through Skype a Scientist and serves on the Science Advisory Board of the Plant the Moon Challenge. In 2026 she delivered a TEDx talk in Mumbai on growing food beyond Earth.

The scholarship includes a $1,000 award, to be presented at the CAST Awards Ceremony on Dec. 10, 2026, at 6 p.m. ET at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. — the anniversary of Dr. Norman Borlaug’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance in 1970. The ceremony takes place alongside the Borlaug CAST Communication Award and the CAST Lifetime Achievement Award.

“The Moon is the perfect test bed for agricultural purposes because you have such extreme conditions and limited resources — and we face a lot of those same limitations here on Earth. If we can understand how crops can be more resilient and survive these stresses on the Moon, we can absolutely apply that to areas facing nutrient limitations, poor soil, or limited water. Every single thing we learn in this extreme environment goes right back to feeding people here.” — Jessica Atkin

The CSCS was evaluated by a panel of judges from across CAST’s governance bodies, including the Board of Directors and Workgroups. Evaluations were scored on Clarity, Accuracy, Creativity and Impact.