Texas botanists will collaborate with other U.S. institutions and international personnel to conduct research in threatened forests of Southeast Asia. FORT WORTH, Texas (August 28, 2018) – Researchers at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT®) have received a $1.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to conduct a project titled “Plant Discovery in the Southern Philippines.” Dr. Peter Fritsch, BRIT’s Vice President of Research, will head the team as Principal Investigator with co-Principal Investigators Dr. Taylor Quedensley (BRIT), Dr. Darin Penneys (University of North Carolina at Wilmington), and Dr. Daniel Nickrent (Southern Illinois University Carbondale). The project begins this month and field expeditions will begin in the spring of 2019. The Philippines...

BRIT continues to celebrate its Year of Botanical Art with an exhibition organized by the American Society of Botanical Artists The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT®) invites the community to be part of a worldwide artistic appreciation of native plants with the exhibition “ Botanical Art Worldwide: America’s Flora ” Sept. 26 through Nov. 27. BRIT is one of just four venues in the United States for the exhibition, which was organized by the United States Botanic Garden and the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA). BRIT will host a reception with ASBA Director of Exhibitions Carol Woodin on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 1 to 3 p.m. Ms. Woodin will introduce the exhibition and lead a gallery tour at 1 p.m., with a complimentary dessert and coffee reception to follow. The program i...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT®) $1.5 million over four years to digitize its 355,000 herbarium specimen collections from Texas and Oklahoma. The prestigious grant is part of a larger project that brings together 46 collaborating herbaria from across these two states and elsewhere to digitize the data from nearly two million plant specimens. The project funding totals $4.7 million, which supports BRIT as the lead institution, with co-leads at the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, the University of Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State University, as well as 11 other institutions. “This grant will help to close a large geographic gap in our knowledge of North American plant biodiversity and facilitate both reg...

Dr. Shirley Sherwood, OBE, Botanist, Author and Respected Collector of Botanical Art, credited for generating a revival of interest in botanical art across the world The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) is proud to announce that Shirley Sherwood, OBE, Ph.D. is the recipient of its 2019 International Award of Excellence in Conservation for her lifelong work in botany through the collection, preservation, and exhibition of botanical art. The award dinner will be held on Oct. 2, 2019 at Frost Tower Fort Worth. Since her childhood, Dr. Sherwood has been interested in both plants and art. She graduated from the University of Oxford in England with a degree in botany and earned her Ph.D. as part of the research team of Nobel Prize winner Sir James Black, whose group discovered Tagame...

BRIT and UNTHSC Co-Host Lecture, Panel Discussion The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT®) and University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) will launch a new annual lecture series by co-hosting “Medical Cannabis: Illness & Symptom Relief,” at 7 p.m. Sept. 19. Event location is the UNTHSC MET Auditorium, 1000 Montgomery St., Fort Worth. Tickets, which cost $10 and include a 6 p.m. lobby reception, may be purchased by visiting http://bit.ly/2YQadkV . Featured speaker Dr. Michael Moskowitz, MD, MPH, will outline his research and practice using medical cannabis as a means of treating pain for his patients. His book, “Medical Cannabis: A Guide for Patients, Practitioners and Caregivers,” emphasizes integration of this treatment into standard medical care using neuroplastici...

The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT®) Operating Board is pleased to announce the recent election of two new board members: Jay Rutherford and Mike Malone. Their individual, three-year terms begin 2020. Jay Rutherford is a partner with Jackson Walker LLP and has more than 25 years of experience serving as a trusted advisor to clients on employment issues. His litigation experience includes labor arbitration, collective bargaining and defense of unfair labor practice charges, employment discrimination, wrongful termination, sexual harassment, civil rights, and other employment-related matters, such insurance benefits disputes, independent contractor agreements, and more. Mike Malone is a shareholder with Greenberg Traurig LLP and has a business and regulatory practice focusing pr...

The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT®) presents “An Evening with Richard Louv: How Natural Learning Environments Improve the Ability to Learn and be Creative,” Aug. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden Lecture Hall. Tickets are $35 for GROW members, and $45 for non-members — both include a signed copy of his book Vitamin N. Purchase tickets at brit.org/grow . “Richard Louv’s views on exposure to nature and how it improves children’s cognitive abilities perfectly aligns with our mission, and provides further support for our GROW educational programs,” said Tracy Friday, director of the BRIT SEED School. “We are thrilled to offer the community this opportunity, providing them with information on ‘Nature-Deficit Disorder’ and our shared commitment to connecting children to...

As the only international sustainable winegrowing award of its kind, the BRIT/FIVS competition honors wine organizations that demonstrate a commitment to the environmental, social, and economic aspects of winegrowing. FORT WORTH, Texas (May 1, 2019) – Come join the competition! The Botanical Research Institute of Texas and FIVS are pleased to announce the start of their 2020 sustainable winegrowing competition. Competition applications can be downloaded from BRIT’s web site at www.brit.org/wineaward and from the FIVS website www.fivs.org . The submission deadline for applications is September 30, 2019. This is the first BRIT/FIVS co-branded and co-managed competition since the event began in 2010. The new partnership engages FIVS’s global membership of regional wine associations, wine prod...