The Ted R. Bradley Herbarium
What is the Herbarium?
The Ted R. Bradley Herbarium is an internationally-recognized scientific collection of dried, pressed plant specimens that are maintained for research and teaching. Its specimens are prepared with archival-quality materials, are intended to last for centuries, and are loaned to researchers nationwide and around the world.
An Introduction to the George Mason University Herbarium
The Ted R. Bradley Herbarium engages the next generation of botanists and champions the careful stewardship of Virginia’s plant diversity through hands-on education, collections-based research, and public outreach.
Mission
The Ted R. Bradley Herbarium engages the next generation of botanists and champions the careful stewardship of Virginia’s plant diversity through hands-on education, collections-based research, and public outreach.
Vision
The Ted R. Bradley Herbarium will grow as a regional center for plant diversity education and locally-relevant research that advances our understanding of and ability to preserve Virginia’s flora.
Educating the next-generation of botanists at Mason
The herbarium provides teaching resources for multiple university courses and research materials for undergraduate projects and graduate theses and dissertations. The herbarium sponsors an undergraduate student intern through the Turnage Trust Internship Program with Meadowlark Botanical Garden. Since 2015, the herbarium has been working with undergraduate students through the Patriot Green Fund program in developing the George Mason University Arboretum on the Fairfax campus.
Collections-Based Research at Mason and Beyond
History: The collection was begun in 1967 by its first curator in the Department of Biology, Professor Ted Bradley. Dr. Bradley added thousands of collections over the course of his career and was instrumental in developing the Atlas of the Virginia Flora. By the time he retired in 2003, he had expanded the collection to over 60,000 specimens of vascular plants, non-vascular plants and lichens.
Herbarium Specimen Curation for Global Research
With support from the National Science Foundation (EF-1410086 “Digitization TCN: Collaborative Research: The Key to the Cabinets: Building and sustaining a research database for a global biodiversity hotspot) and the Virginia Native Plant Society, all Virginian vascular plant herbarium specimens of the Ted R. Bradley herbarium have been digitized and are searchable at sernecportal.org.
Public Outreach
The herbarium hosts tours for members of the broader Mason community, children’s groups such as Girl Scout troops, and civic organizations such as the Vienna Garden Club, the Virginia Native Plant Society and the American Chestnut Foundation. Community engagement activities have included sponsoring a native plant rescue on campus, a workshop at the Sally Ride Science Festival, and training Virginia Master Naturalists.
Additional Information
Contact: Dr. Andrea Weeks
Campus Location: Exploratory Hall, L109 and L110
Policies for Visitors and Loans: GMUF Policies and Procedures
Shipping Address:
Department of Biology – Ted R. Bradley Herbarium
George Mason University
4400 University Drive MSN 3E1
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
USA
