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Kayla Smith was awarded the Mensch Prize for her research on the temporal evolution of brown dwarf habitable zones. Alongside this technical work, she has co-authored a philosophical paper on epistemic pluralism and astrobiology and holds an Arizona Astrobiology Center seed grant to develop astrobiology curriculum for incarcerated youth. Her breadth of contribution across science, philosophy, and outreach exemplifies the spirit of the Mensch Prize. Kayla is a second-year Ph.D. student advised by Professor Mark Marley. 

The Mensch Prize in Astrobiology, hosted by the Arizona Astrobiology Center at the University of Arizona, is a scholarship recognizing undergraduate and graduate students whose research or creative projects advance our understanding of life in the universe. Two $1,000 prizes are awarded annually, one at each level, to students who demonstrate creativity, interdisciplinary thinking, and academic excellence across the broad landscape of astrobiology. Nominations are evaluated on the originality and academic merit of the work, its relevance to astrobiology, and its potential to push the boundaries of how we think about life in the cosmos.