research

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As part of Illinois State University, we at the Horticulture Center gladly provide use of our gardens, collections, facilities, and expertise in the pursuit of learning and teaching. We welcome opportunities to collaborate with students and personnel from all departments and disciplines at ISU and other universities, botanic gardens, conservation and sustainability organizations, as well as our local and global communities.

Individuals or groups who wish to collaborate with, conduct research, collect plant material, or exhibit art at the Center are required to submit a permit request.  This allows us to keep a record of what activities are occurring at the Center and protect our gardens, grounds, and facilities for the benefit of all.  This also helps our Center staff to know where ongoing projects or displays are located so that our regular activities do not impact usage areas.

Permits are required for all research and activities and are issued following review.  Contact the Horticulture Center Director, Jessica Chambers, by email (Horticulture@IllinoisState.edu) or phone (309-438-3496) if you have questions about your application.

BIOMASS RESEARCH

While perennial grasses such as switchgrass and Miscanthus have been used as ornamental plants for decades, they have more recently become the focus of intense research as biomass sources to generate ethanol for powering vehicles and burnable fuels for generating electricity and heat.
In an effort to break our addiction to foreign oil, the United States has set a goal of generating 60 billion gallons per year of a “new kind of ethanol” from biomass by the year 2030. Dr. John Sedbrook, Dr. Gary Bachman, Dr. William Perry, Dr. Roger Anderson, and others at Illinois State University are researching ways to make bioenergy crops more suitable for fuel production while at the same time determining how these new crops will impact the environment and local economies.
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The Horticulture Center will become a university focal point for interdisciplinary research and study as well as a demonstration site allowing for community observation.
  • Exploration of horticulture and the overlap between medicine, psychology and horticulture, known as horticultural therapy, will allow for study of the ways people perceive and are affected by their environment.
  • Experience Art/Music in the Garden, which will provide opportunities to combine contemporary sculpture and music by Illinois State students with the backdrop of the horticultural display gardens.
  • Provide a facility to conduct pertinent research for the Illinois landscape and nursery industry.
  • Provide undergraduates the opportunity to conduct research under the mentorship of Illinois State research faculty.

ONGOING RESEARCH

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Admission is free, but we gratefully accept donations to help the Center flourish.