Botanical Research Institute of Texas
Encyclopedia
The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) is a global botanical
research institute
and learning center in the U.S. that provide accessible resources to both scientific and public communities. Located in downtown Fort Worth, Texas
, USA, BRIT will move to a new 70000 square feet (6,503.2 m²) facility next to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden
in spring 2011.
BRIT was established in 1987 to hold in public trust the herbarium
and botanical library collections amassed by Dr. Lloyd Shinners at Southern Methodist University
. It is a 501(3)c private, non-profit organization
governed by a Board of Trustees.
Focused on conservation and knowledge sharing
, BRIT serves as a plant information center for scientists and professionals, and an interpretation center for people wanting to learn more about the plant world and how they can help conserve earth’s natural heritage
for future generations. BRIT is dedicated to supporting science
and increasing its collections by discovering and documenting plant diversity
both regionally and globally, and by teaching conservation science
through public education
.
BRIT’s International Award of Excellence in Conservation is presented annually to an individual or organization that exemplifies ideals expressed in BRIT’s mission.
world and achieving public understanding of the value that plants bring to life.
of H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture. The building is one of only six buildings in Texas
to earn a LEED-NC Platinum Rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. The building’s ingenuity and efficiency is supported by sustainable design
and organized into two parts: an Archives Block and a Think Block.
The Archives Block houses BRIT’s herbarium in a two-story, 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²), climate-controlled space, with the remaining 5000 square feet (464.5 m²) for research and BRIT’s library
. This space is constructed of tilt-up concrete and partially topped with a solar-paneled roof. The 44000 square feet (4,087.7 m²) Think Block for BRIT’s education, exhibit and administrative areas is filled with natural light
through floor-to-ceiling glass on the north façade. The design allows for future expansion of 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²). A Living Roof will cover the Think Block. The new BRIT will be located at 1700 University Drive, next to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden (southwest corner of University Drive and Harley Avenue).
s, workshop
s, programs and publications; and is distinguished by an educated staff committed to conserving earth’s natural heritage through research, discoveries and education.
Herbarium
BRIT's herbarium represents much of the earth’s diversity and is among the largest in the United State
s with more than one million dried plant specimens, some dating back to the late 1700s. BRIT is the custodian of two large herbaria: the Lloyd H. Shinners Collection in Systematic Botany, formerly housed at Southern Methodist University (SMU Herbarium), and the Vanderbilt University Collection (VDB Herbarium). In addition to these two well-known collections, BRIT also houses a number of smaller collections from various individuals and institutions. Additions of orphaned herbaria and new collections have brought the number of specimens housed at the institute to approximately one million, representing most of the Earth’s plant families. BRIT-SMU-VDB Herbarium is the largest independent herbarium in the Southern US.
Library
BRIT offers one of the best botanical libraries in the world, with more than 125,000 book
s, journal
s and periodicals in all the world’s major languages from more than 100 countries. The nucleus of the BRIT library focuses on research in systematic botany, supplemented by a comprehensive collection of books and publications on other plant-related subjects. In 1997, BRIT received the Burke Children's Library, a private collection of 2,500 children’s books on botany and natural history.
Research
BRIT has conducted extensive botanical research in Texas and in tropical rainforest
s in the Philippines
, Costa Rica
, and currently in Peru
and Papua New Guinea
. In the last 10 years, BRIT is credited with more than 80 new plant species discoveries. BRIT research is divided into three programs: Floras, Plants and Peoples, and Landscape Ecology. Floras encompasses the discovery, classification, and characterization of plants and vegetation
. Plants and Peoples explores the relationship people have developed with plants over millennia. Landscape Ecology investigates plants and the environment.
BRIT botanists are engaged in floristic and systematic research and have detailed taxonomic
expertise in a number of families. BRIT staff and research associates are currently involved in a number of floristic inventories and summaries in Texas and the southeastern USA, as well as the larger North American region, and also internationally. A secondary component of the Floras program includes activity by BRIT’s research associates, some of whom work on contracts for professional services to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy
, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
.
The Illustrated Texas Floras Project
The Flora of North America (FNA) Asteraceae Project
The Andes to Amazon Botany Program (AABP)
Publications
BRIT’s nationally recognized publications bring new discoveries in plant science to the world and increase public understanding of nature’s diversity. In 1999, BRIT published the Shinners & Mahler’s Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. Written in collaboration with the Biology Department and Center for Environmental Studies at Austin College
, this is the most comprehensive guide to a large portion of diverse Texas plant life, including 2,223 fully illustrated species.
BRIT also publishes two scientific periodicals: Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (formerly called Sida, Contributions to Botany) and Botanical Miscellany
, as well as a newsletter, IRIDOS, which is distributed to Friends of BRIT throughout the world. The journal is a series of peer-reviewed scientific papers and is a source of information about current research in botany worldwide. Botanical Miscellany is published as an occasional series of monograph
s in which each edition is devoted entirely to a comprehensive study of one topic.
Education
BRIT’s education
program emphasizes the interdependence among all living things and the critical role plants play via lectures, workshops and classes. BRIT’s new facility will include a teacher’s learning center for educators to learn how to teach their students about conservation and nature. The teacher learning center is endowed by The Rainwater Charitable Foundation.
BRIT’s plant collections and educational programs are open to the public, to help everyone understand the value that plants bring to life. The Distinguished Lecturer series serves as an information forum on current plant-related topics as a public service to the community, drawing its audience from the North Central Texas region and Austin, Texas
. The T.M. Barkley Plant Science and Ecology Seminar, in collaboration with Texas Christian University
, provides a forum for faculty and university students to present current research. The Schools program offers inquiry based, TEKS correlated Discovery Programs for K-12 students on life science and environmental topics. BRIT’s Environmental Science Program for middle school and high school students provides high quality classroom resources and professional development opportunities that highlight Texas major ecosystem
s and local, regional, and global environmental and conservation issues.
BRIT also provides consulting and resource services to research scientists, students, teachers, gardeners, ranchers, lawyers, museums, hospitals and many others.
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
research institute
Research institute
A research institute is an establishment endowed for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research...
and learning center in the U.S. that provide accessible resources to both scientific and public communities. Located in downtown Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, USA, BRIT will move to a new 70000 square feet (6,503.2 m²) facility next to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden
Fort Worth Botanic Garden
The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is a botanical garden located at 3220 Botanic Garden Boulevard, Fort Worth, Texas. It is open daily; an admission fee is charged for the Conservatory and Japanese Garden...
in spring 2011.
BRIT was established in 1987 to hold in public trust the herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
and botanical library collections amassed by Dr. Lloyd Shinners at Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
. It is a 501(3)c private, non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
governed by a Board of Trustees.
Focused on conservation and knowledge sharing
Knowledge sharing
Knowledge sharing is an activity through which knowledge is exchanged among people, friends, or members of a family, a community or an organization....
, BRIT serves as a plant information center for scientists and professionals, and an interpretation center for people wanting to learn more about the plant world and how they can help conserve earth’s natural heritage
Natural heritage
Natural heritage is the legacy of natural objects and intangible attributes encompassing the countryside and natural environment, including flora and fauna, scientifically known as biodiversity, and geology and landforms ....
for future generations. BRIT is dedicated to supporting science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and increasing its collections by discovering and documenting plant diversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
both regionally and globally, and by teaching conservation science
Conservation science
Conservation science is the interdisciplinary study of cultural heritage conservation through the use of scientific inquiry and analytical equipment...
through public education
Public education
State schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
.
BRIT’s International Award of Excellence in Conservation is presented annually to an individual or organization that exemplifies ideals expressed in BRIT’s mission.
Mission and Purpose
BRIT’s mission is to conserve our natural heritage by deepening our knowledge of the plantPlant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
world and achieving public understanding of the value that plants bring to life.
BRIT’s New Building in the Fort Worth Cultural District
In spring 2011, BRIT moved into a new 70000 square feet (6,503.2 m²) facility designed by Hugh HardyHugh Hardy
Hugh Hardy is a leading American architect born in Majorca, Spain in 1932. He is best known for his work designing theaters, performing arts venues, public spaces, and cultural facilities across the United States....
of H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture. The building is one of only six buildings in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to earn a LEED-NC Platinum Rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. The building’s ingenuity and efficiency is supported by sustainable design
Sustainable design
Sustainable design is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability.-Intentions:The intention of sustainable design is to "eliminate negative environmental...
and organized into two parts: an Archives Block and a Think Block.
The Archives Block houses BRIT’s herbarium in a two-story, 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²), climate-controlled space, with the remaining 5000 square feet (464.5 m²) for research and BRIT’s library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
. This space is constructed of tilt-up concrete and partially topped with a solar-paneled roof. The 44000 square feet (4,087.7 m²) Think Block for BRIT’s education, exhibit and administrative areas is filled with natural light
Natural light
Natural light can mean:*Sunlight*Moonlight*Natural Light Beer a product made by Anheuser-Busch....
through floor-to-ceiling glass on the north façade. The design allows for future expansion of 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²). A Living Roof will cover the Think Block. The new BRIT will be located at 1700 University Drive, next to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden (southwest corner of University Drive and Harley Avenue).
BRIT Collections and Programs
BRIT offers a world-class collection of plants and books; lectureLecture
thumb|A lecture on [[linear algebra]] at the [[Helsinki University of Technology]]A lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history,...
s, workshop
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
s, programs and publications; and is distinguished by an educated staff committed to conserving earth’s natural heritage through research, discoveries and education.
Herbarium
BRIT's herbarium represents much of the earth’s diversity and is among the largest in the United State
United State
United State may refer to:* Union of Russia and Belarus, sometimes called the United State * United States* United State of Electronica, the Seattle dance/rock band...
s with more than one million dried plant specimens, some dating back to the late 1700s. BRIT is the custodian of two large herbaria: the Lloyd H. Shinners Collection in Systematic Botany, formerly housed at Southern Methodist University (SMU Herbarium), and the Vanderbilt University Collection (VDB Herbarium). In addition to these two well-known collections, BRIT also houses a number of smaller collections from various individuals and institutions. Additions of orphaned herbaria and new collections have brought the number of specimens housed at the institute to approximately one million, representing most of the Earth’s plant families. BRIT-SMU-VDB Herbarium is the largest independent herbarium in the Southern US.
Library
BRIT offers one of the best botanical libraries in the world, with more than 125,000 book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s, journal
Journal
__FORCETOC__A journal has several related meanings:* a daily record of events or business; a private journal is usually referred to as a diary....
s and periodicals in all the world’s major languages from more than 100 countries. The nucleus of the BRIT library focuses on research in systematic botany, supplemented by a comprehensive collection of books and publications on other plant-related subjects. In 1997, BRIT received the Burke Children's Library, a private collection of 2,500 children’s books on botany and natural history.
Research
BRIT has conducted extensive botanical research in Texas and in tropical rainforest
Tropical rainforest
A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...
s in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, and currently in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. In the last 10 years, BRIT is credited with more than 80 new plant species discoveries. BRIT research is divided into three programs: Floras, Plants and Peoples, and Landscape Ecology. Floras encompasses the discovery, classification, and characterization of plants and vegetation
Vegetation
Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader...
. Plants and Peoples explores the relationship people have developed with plants over millennia. Landscape Ecology investigates plants and the environment.
BRIT botanists are engaged in floristic and systematic research and have detailed taxonomic
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
expertise in a number of families. BRIT staff and research associates are currently involved in a number of floristic inventories and summaries in Texas and the southeastern USA, as well as the larger North American region, and also internationally. A secondary component of the Floras program includes activity by BRIT’s research associates, some of whom work on contracts for professional services to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas...
.
The Illustrated Texas Floras Project
The Flora of North America (FNA) Asteraceae Project
The Andes to Amazon Botany Program (AABP)
Publications
BRIT’s nationally recognized publications bring new discoveries in plant science to the world and increase public understanding of nature’s diversity. In 1999, BRIT published the Shinners & Mahler’s Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. Written in collaboration with the Biology Department and Center for Environmental Studies at Austin College
Austin College
Austin College is a private liberal arts college affiliated by covenant relationship with the Presbyterian Church and located in Sherman, Texas, about 60 miles North of Dallas....
, this is the most comprehensive guide to a large portion of diverse Texas plant life, including 2,223 fully illustrated species.
BRIT also publishes two scientific periodicals: Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (formerly called Sida, Contributions to Botany) and Botanical Miscellany
Botanical Miscellany
Botanical Miscellany was a short-lived botany magazine edited by William Jackson Hooker. Only three volumes appeared, in 1830, 1831 and 1833.-Publication details:* London : John Murray, 1830-1833....
, as well as a newsletter, IRIDOS, which is distributed to Friends of BRIT throughout the world. The journal is a series of peer-reviewed scientific papers and is a source of information about current research in botany worldwide. Botanical Miscellany is published as an occasional series of monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
s in which each edition is devoted entirely to a comprehensive study of one topic.
Education
BRIT’s education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
program emphasizes the interdependence among all living things and the critical role plants play via lectures, workshops and classes. BRIT’s new facility will include a teacher’s learning center for educators to learn how to teach their students about conservation and nature. The teacher learning center is endowed by The Rainwater Charitable Foundation.
BRIT’s plant collections and educational programs are open to the public, to help everyone understand the value that plants bring to life. The Distinguished Lecturer series serves as an information forum on current plant-related topics as a public service to the community, drawing its audience from the North Central Texas region and Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. The T.M. Barkley Plant Science and Ecology Seminar, in collaboration with Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
, provides a forum for faculty and university students to present current research. The Schools program offers inquiry based, TEKS correlated Discovery Programs for K-12 students on life science and environmental topics. BRIT’s Environmental Science Program for middle school and high school students provides high quality classroom resources and professional development opportunities that highlight Texas major ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s and local, regional, and global environmental and conservation issues.
BRIT also provides consulting and resource services to research scientists, students, teachers, gardeners, ranchers, lawyers, museums, hospitals and many others.