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...

New state-of-the-art facility will be a plant research and teaching center for Texas universities and public school programs FORT WORTH, Texas (December 6, 2018) Doors opened today for the new Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) George C. and Sue W. Sumner Molecular and Structural Laboratory, adding unique dimension and depth to research education programs in plant systematics, or the biological classification of plants. T he facility will house advanced molecular-level tools allowing BRIT’s plant scientists to conduct research and train the next generation of botanists who will answer fundamental questions about plant diversity and help solve environmental challenges. A ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony with remarks from local leaders marked today’s occasion just months after an...

Ms. Eckler comes to BRIT after development posts at UTA’s College of Science and Samaritan House FORT WORTH, Texas – The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) announce Christie Eckler as its new Vice President for Advancement. Ms. Eckler brings more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector to BRIT’s newly named Advancement Department, where she will oversee development, fundraising, membership, and marketing programs and help to guide the Institute into its next phase of growth. Most recently, Ms. Eckler served as Development Director for UTA’s College of Science. Prior to her foray into the university setting, Ms. Eckler demonstrated great success in the philanthropic side of social service. In the last ten years, she has raised more than $20 million federally and privat...

The first complete floristic treatment of all the native and naturalized flowering plant species known to occur in Trans-Pecos Texas FORT WORTH, Texas (October 15, 2018) – The Botanical Research Institute of Texas is pleased to announce the availability of its latest research book, Flowering Plants of the Trans-Pecos Texas and Adjacent Areas, written by Dr. A. Michael Powell and Dr. Richard D. Worthington. Both authors have spent their careers researching and documenting the plants of West Texas. Located west of the Pecos River, the Trans-Pecos is a mostly mountain and desert region and is part of the northern Chihuahuan Desert. Teeming with plant life, botanists agree it is the most biologically diverse arid region in the Western Hemisphere. With a land area roughly the size of South Caro...

This multi-purpose lab will be used as a plant research and teaching center for Texas universities’ graduate and post-graduate doctorial programs FORT WORTH, Texas (August 9, 2018) Focused solidly on the future, the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) is taking another big step in realizing its goal of becoming a top-tier plant research and education organization with the construction of a molecular and structural laboratory. On August 9, 2018, BRIT board members and supporters will be on hand to celebrate the start of the laboratory’s construction. Named the George C. and Sue W. Sumner Molecular and Structural Laboratory, the facility will house advanced molecular-level tools allowing BRIT’s plant scientists to conduct research and train the next generation of botanists who will...

The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) is proud to announce that Dr. Sylvia Earle has been selected to receive BRIT’s 2018 International Award of Excellence in Conservation for her lifetime of work in marine biology and ocean conservation. Dr. Earle will be the first ocean conservationist to receive BRIT’s conservation award in its 23-year history. The award will be presented at BRIT’s annual ceremony on October 25, 2018, at the Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas. An American oceanographer and explorer known for her research on marine algae , Dr. Earle has lived by her mantra, “no blue, no green.” She has spent her lifetime protecting and conserving the world’s oceans . Earning undergraduate and post graduate degrees in botany helped form Dr. Earle’s be...

FORT WORTH, Texas (May 8, 2018) Dr. Ed Schneider, BRIT’s executive director and president, was presented with the Center of Plant Conservation’s prestigious Star Award during the organization's national meeting held at BRIT on Thursday, May 3, 2018. The award is presented annually by the executive members of the Center of Plant Conservation (CPC) to select individuals who have shown a long-term commitment to the conservation of flora of the United States. The CPC lists 4,400 rare and endangered plant species in the U.S. and Canada. Through its members, more than 1,400 (roughly one-third) of the endangered plants are now in conservation collections. Throughout Dr. Schneider’s 30-year career as a botanical teacher, researcher, and executive administrator, he has worked to save many of the pl...

FORT WORTH, Texas (May 2, 2018) The Botanical Research Institute of Texas is pleased to announce that it is hosting the Center for Plant Conservation’s 2018 national meeting May 3 – 5, 2018 on the BRIT campus. The three-day conference brings together the leaders in plant conservation from the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) participating institutions to share and learn cutting-edge science and technology used to save plants. Sessions will include presentations from CPC member institutions and network partners on plant conservation accomplishments and challenges. Widely regarded as the center for information about the plants of Texas, BRIT joined the CPC in 2016 as a participating institution, one of four in the state of Texas. Other Texas members include: Mercer Arboretum (Houston), Sa...