Digital library
Textbooks, references and open learning resources.
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Digital Cartography
Dorris Scott · Washington University Libraries · 2024
Digital Cartography covers foundational cartographic principles that are needed to make effective maps. lt explores such concepts as data, lettering, along with multivariate and uncertainty visualization. By the end of this book, a reader will be able to: (1) Describe how cartographic concepts such generalization, scale and projection will affect mapping products; (2) Identify the medium, purpose, and spatial data requirements to create a map that is appropriate to a specific audience; (3) Evaluate maps produced by peers and various organizations; and (4) Construct maps that effectively use color, font, and other design elements using ArcGIS Pro.
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Natural Resources Sustainability: An introductory synthesis
Christopher Lant · Utah Education Network Digital Press with Pressbooks · 2023
This text has evolved from 20 semesters teaching the undergraduate courses Geography, People, and the Environment and Environment and Society. It is designed for freshmen through junior-level courses at community, junior and four-year colleges and universities in the United States. Focused upon the dilemma of environmental sustainability, geography and the emergent field of ecological economics are emphasized in a trans-disciplinary framework. It provides—in a one semester or one quarter undergraduate course that requires no prerequisites—a fundamental background in the essentials students need to deal with natural resource and environmental issues as an informed citizen while building a foundation for further study.
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Cultivar Development
Walter Suza; Kendall Lamkey; Rita Mumm · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2023
This open textbook places emphasis on the design of a process pipeline for continuous development of new improved cultivars as a means to implement the cycle of crop improvement. Essential topics in New Line Development and New Line Evaluation are addressed, such as choice of parents, creation of progeny, and evaluation and selection of progeny. Students learn to design a process pipeline to produce improved cultivars that meet a specific product target which represents stakeholders’ needs.
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Quantitative Genetics for Plant Breeding
Walter Suza; Kendall Lamkey · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2023
This open textbook is intended to expose students to the application of quantitative genetic models to plant breeding populations. Specific topics include conducting and interpreting multi-environment trials, resource allocation using engineering principles, genetic modeling of quantitative traits, simulation modeling, variance, covariance and heritability, prediction, selection, and genetic gain.
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Quantitative Methods for Plant Breeding
Walter Suza; Kendall Lamkey · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2023
This open textbook covers common statistics used in agriculture research, including experimental design in plant breeding and genetics, as well as the analysis of variance, regression, and correlation.
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Principles of Cultivar Development
Walter Fehr; Walter Suza · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2025
Principles of Cultivar Development is intended to help you learn how to be a successful manager of a cultivar development program. In this text, you will apply the principles learned in Plant Breeding Methods to design a breeding program that makes effective use of available resources and alternative breeding strategies. By the end of this volume, readers will be able to describe the process for developing clonal, pure-line, hybrid, and synthetic cultivars. Each chapter includes additional readings and examples of how breeders have implemented the concepts in their breeding programs.
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Plant Breeding Methods
Walter Fehr; Walter Suza · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2024
This text has been compiled to provide an overview of how plant breeders develop cultivars of plant species. The methods that breeders use depend directly on the type of cultivar used to produce a commercial crop. The four most common types of cultivars are (a) clonal cultivars (b) synthetic cultivars (c) pure-line cultivars and (d) hybrid cultivars. These types of cultivars will be discussed throughout the book, alongside review questions for self-study.
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Experiences in Biodiversity Research: A Field Course
Thea Gessler · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2024
This handbook was developed to support the course, Experiences in Biodiversity Research, which exists to provide early undergraduates with experience in the practice of biodiversity research and demystify the path to careers in this field. Although this course is situated within Iowa State University, guidance for educators is provided throughout the handbook to support those interested in teaching similar courses at other universities.
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Introduction to Soil Science
Amber Anderson; Rivka Fidel · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2025
This textbook introduces readers to introductory soil science topics including the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils; soil formation, classification, and global distribution; soil health, soils and humanity, and sustainable land management. The second edition brings forward new information about soil water and soil chemistry alongside updates to the core chapters.
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Crop Improvement
Walter Suza; Kendall Lamkey · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2023
This textbook covers basic principles in the genetic improvement of crop plants. Emphasis is placed on methods of cultivar development in self-pollinating, cross-pollinating, and asexually propagating crops. Relevant examples of crop improvement research in Africa are utilized to cover factors affecting cultivar release, multiplication, and distribution of high-quality seed.
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Cell and Molecular Biology: What We Know & How We Found Out
Gerald Bergtrom · University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee · 2020
CMB5e is the latest edition of an interactive Open Educational Resource (OER) electronic textbook (iText), available under a Creative Commons CC-BY license. Like earlier editions, CMB5e opens with a short history of the discipline and a discussion of scientific method. The book remains focused on the understanding of evolution that informs all of the life sciences and continues to provide experimental support for what we know about cell and molecular biology. Having a sense of how science is practiced and how investigators think about experimental results is essential to understanding the relationship of cell structure and function, not to mention the natural world around us. CMB5e is available in three versions (plus a sample chapter): In each chapter of the Basic CMB5e iText, an introduction includes learning objectives and context-embedded links to short explanatory voice-over PowerPoint recordings (VOPs) and other web-links of interest. QR codes allow the reader just-in-time access to the VOPs on smart phones or any camera-enabled portable device. The Annotated CMB5e adds pre-written, interactive context-embedded Challenge boxes to the Basic version of the book. These contain open-ended questions that expand on text readings. Any or all of them can be the basis of informal class and online discussion or as graded assignments. The Instructor’s CMB5e iText adds a series of 25 Words or Less essay questions that the author used as short (i.e., easy to grade!) writing assignments to strengthen student’s critical thinking and writing skills. A CMB5e Sample Chapter. The Art and Illustration Resource for Cell and Molecular Biology contains high resolution JPGs of figures in all CMB5 digital and print versions. JPGs are all public domain or CC-BY licensed (a source list is included).
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Food Preparation Lab Manual for FSHN 1150
Erica Beirman; Kate Gilbert; ISU Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2025
This lab book is intended for use in both the lab and kitchen. Each section of the book contains learning objectives, lab problems to be solved, recipes, questions, and observation charts for the input of data. This book is aligned with the introductory Food Preparation Laboratory course at Iowa State University.
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Basic Scientific Food Preparation Lab Manual
Iowa State University Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2023
This lab book is intended for use in both the lab and kitchen. Each section of the book contains learning objectives, lab problems to be solved, recipes, questions, and observation charts for the input of data.
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Human Reproduction
Hala Bastawros · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2023
This open textbook is designed to provide a deep understanding of the biological and biomedical aspects of human reproduction, covering a wide range of topics from basic reproductive biology to clinical applications. The book starts with foundational knowledge and progresses to more advanced topics while also including real-world clinical orientation for practical contexts.
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Introduction to Applied Statistics for Psychology Students
Gordon Sarty · University of Saskatchewan · 2022
Introduction to Applied Statistics for Psychology Students, by Gordon E. Sarty (Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan) began as a textbook published in PDF format, in various editions between 2014-2017. The book was written to meet the needs of University of Saskatchewan psychology students at the undergraduate (PSY 233, PSY 234) level. In 2019-2020, funding was provided through the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning, along with technical assistance from the Distance Education Unit, to update and adapt this book, making it more widely available in an easy-to-use and more adaptable digital (Pressbooks) format. The update also made revisions so that the book could be published with a license appropriate for open educational resources (OER). OERs are defined as “teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others” (Hewlett Foundation). This textbook and other OERs like it are openly licensed using a Creative Commons license, and are offered in various digital and e-book formats free of charge. Printed editions of this book can be obtained for a nominal fee through the University of Saskatchewan bookstore.
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Slavery to Liberation: The African American Experience
Joshua Farrington; Norman Powell; Gwendolyn Graham; Ogechi Anyanwu · Encompass Digital Archive · 2019
Slavery to Liberation: The African American Experience gives instructors, students, and general readers a comprehensive and up-to-date account of African Americans’ cultural and political history, economic development, artistic expressiveness, and religious and philosophical worldviews in a critical framework. It offers sound interdisciplinary analysis of selected historical and contemporary issues surrounding the origins and manifestations of White supremacy in the United States. By placing race at the center of the work, the book offers significant lessons for understanding the institutional marginalization of Blacks in contemporary America and their historical resistance and perseverance.
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Introduction to Biosystems Engineering
Nicholas M. Holden; Mary Leigh Wolfe; Jactone A. Ogejo; Enda J. Cummins · American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), Virginia Tech Publishing · 2021
The discipline of Biosystems Engineering emerged in the 1990s from the traditional strongholds of agricultural engineering and food engineering. Biosystems engineering integrates engineering science and design with applied biological, environmental, and agricultural sciences. Introduction to Biosystems Engineering is targeted at 1st and 2nd year university-level students with an interest in biosystems engineering but who are not yet familiar with the breadth and depth of the subject. It is designed as a coherent educational resource, also available for download as individual digital chapters. The book can be used as a localized, customizable text for introductory courses in Biosystems Engineering globally. It is written as a series of stand-alone chapters organized under six major topics: Food and Bioprocessing; Environment; Buildings and Infrastructure; Information and Communications Technology and Data; Machinery Systems; and Energy. Each chapter is organized around stated learning outcomes and describes key concepts, applications of the concepts, and worked examples. Instructors adopting or reviewing this text are encouraged to register with the publisher using this form.