Department of biology – Abilene Christian University

Brokaw

Research Lab

Get Involved!

The Brokaw Lab offers undergraduates from any major at ACU an opportunity to join a molecular genetics/ecology/systematics research team.

Apply for a Position

Join the Lab and Become a Member of the Biology Research Club.

And learn to create and present your research!

Research Blog

I began as a sophomore under the direction of Dr. Joshua Brokaw where I discovered my love for plants and the environment! I was later given the opportunity with Dr. Jennifer Huddleston to survey bacteria for antibiotic production. I could write a novel about how the experiences impacted me, and I am thankful to carry them with me into graduate school and beyond.

Destiny Brokaw

Featured Research Blogs

“The last semestester in Biology Research has provided me with amazing experiences I will never forget. I have always been interested in working on a research project, but I did not think I had the skills or experience necessary, especially as a freshman, to be a good candidate for a team. However, when I was given the chance to join Dr. Brokaw’s research team, I knew I needed to take a leap of faith and join.”

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Brianna Garrett
Biology ’23

“Another fun thing about this semester is that Dr. Brokaw asked Madeline and I if we wanted to be the first research tutors for the Biology Department. Every Wednesday and Friday one of us is in the lab to help with lab upkeep and teaching new student researchers the basics of biology research. We teach them how to run PCRs, DNA extractions, and how to run EtBr or SYBR gels. The necessity of lab tutors shows just how much the biology research group has grown in the past couple of years. Yay, biology!”

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Kathryn Davis
Biology ’14

“This blog post will focus on my research experiences outside of the lab: specifically, a two week research expedition with Christian Hofsommer (a fellow research student) and Dr. Brokaw. The first half of our trip centered on the Evolution Conference in Snowbird, Utah, and the latter half focused on fieldwork we conducted in Mono County, California. Unbeknownst to me at the time, this journey would shape the very way I perceive myself, others, and ultimately science itself.”

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Tina Johnson
Biology ’16

ACU Undergraduate Research, Creativity and Innovation Festival

Every spring, ACU hosts the URCI Festival. Students from Abilene and beyond exhibit creative products and research in poster and oral presentations representing Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, and STEM. Prizes are awarded to outstanding presentations and faculty mentors!

Festival Webpage

Field Research/Course Opportunities

Mentzelia Field Research

The Brokaw Lab specializes in the systematics of Mentzelia sections Bicuspidaria and Trachyphytum. These arid land wildflowers inhabit the American West from Colorado to British Columbia to Baja California.

Range and Wildland Plants

Range and Wildland Plants is a field botany course taught every fall. Students travel to West and East Texas to learn to identify major vegetation types and components of the Texas Flora.

Systematic/Medicinal Botany

Plant Systematics and Medicinal Botany are taught in alternating summers (1st three weeks of June). Each consist of substantial plant identification and field components in local ecosystems.

Brokaw Lab Numbers (2009 – 2024)