Botany Research
![a student poses with a research poster](https://our.eku.edu/sites/our.eku.edu/files/imagecache/page_header_preset/page_header_images/williamciocca_1.3.jpg)
Podostemaceae is the largest aquatic flowering plant family with approximately
270 species. They are found throughout the tropics, though a few species occur
in cooler regions, including one species native to Kentucky. Several of these species are endangered. William Ciocca and his mentor, Dr. Brad Ruhfel, are confirming genetic relationships between these species of aquatic plants by analyzing molecular data in order to improve conservation.