The Iowa State University Library houses a variety of statistics related collections documenting the advancement of statistical knowledge and methodology locally, nationally and internationally, and the establishment and development of the Statistical Laboratory and Department of Statistics at Iowa State University. This digital collection contains a selection from these materials.
The Archives of Women in Science and Engineering (WISE Archives) documents and preserves the historical heritage of American women in science and engineering. The collection includes the personal and professional papers of women scientists and engineers, except that of the medical sciences, as well as records of national and regional women's organizations in these fields. The digital collection contains a selection of these materials.
To illustrate the critical role of women in science, the Archives of Women in Science and Engineering sponsored an oral history project focused on women who devoted their careers to the study of chemistry in the post-World War II era. This collection contains the oral histories of women chemists.
Descartes Pascal Digital Collection contains a selection of images from the glass plate negative collection documenting rural life in Iowa around the turn of the twentieth century, including homesteads, buildings, and the Pascal family.
The first building of the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm was completed in 1861. Renamed Iowa State College of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts in 1898 and Iowa State University of Science and Technology in 1959, the institution now covers more than 1,800 acres. This collection comprises maps of the campus and surrounding areas in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Sarah Tefft married Horace Underwood on November 30, 1851 in Kingston, Rhode Island. Within a few years, the couple would move to eastern Iowa, near the town of Princeton. The pair had a daughter, Mary Lilian in 1859. In the early 1860s, they returned to Rhode Island. This collection includes letters detailing Sarah's life in Iowa, asking after family and friends in Rhode Island, pressed flowers, a photograph, and a mourning shroud sample.
The history of Pammel Court is a story of community and place. Originally founded after World War Two to provide temporary housing for returning veterans and their families, Pammel Court's collection of surplus metal units and narrow streets became a significant part of the Iowa State landscape for over fifty years. During its existence, Pammel Court was known by many names, including "boomtown," "the silver city," "fertile acres," "the city within a city," and even the "slums" of Iowa State. Few places on campus have evoked such strong feelings and memories. From 1946 to 1978, Pammel Court was reserved for married students and their children. This exhibit is their story. It is about the creation of a housing development, the building of a community, and the lasting memories of place.
Alexander Lippisch Digital Collection contains the technical designs and conceptual drawings for Lippisch's aeronautical designs including wingless aircraft, delta-wings, and aerodynes, as well as numerous photographic images of delta wings.
Mary B. Welch was the organizer and head of the Department of Domestic Economy at Iowa State from 1875 to 1883. She was married to Iowa State College's first president, Adonijah Welch. This collection includes writings and lectures by Welch on various topics, including home economics, rhetoric, etiquette, Italy, and the early history of the Department of Domestic Economy. The collection also includes correspondence by Welch and biographical information.
The Iowa Agricultural College/Iowa State University yearbook, the Bomb, was published annually from 1893 to 1993 (with the exception of 1902). The digital collection currently includes 1894, 1895, 1992-1994, and the Centennial Album (1993).
After the Stonewall riots in New York City in 1969, gay rights activists became increasingly vocal in the United States. At Iowa State, students identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer joined the fight for equal rights. This collection, originally curated by an ISU student, includes clippings of newspaper articles, fliers, and newsletters that document LGBTQ+ students' activism and the backlash they faced in the last three decades of the 20th century.
Statistics was first taught at Iowa State by George W. Snedecor in 1914. In 1927 the college established the Mathematical Statistics Service, which became the Statistical Laboratory in 1933. The Department of Statistics was organized in 1947. This single-item collection includes a brief history of the Department of Statistics and the Statistical Laboratory from 1914 to 1950.
The Statistical Laboratory at Iowa State was organized by George W. Snedecor in 1933. The laboratory provided consulting work and promoted statistical research, becoming one of the most prominent statistical labs in the country. This single-item collection contains a brief history of the Statistical Laboratory published in 1949.
Founded in 1858 as Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State has been led by 16 presidents beginning with Adonijah Welch in 1868. Current president Wendy Wintersteen began her term in 2017. The collection includes inaugural addresses and programs, photographs of inauguration and installation ceremonies, and portraits of Iowa State presidents.
The Statistical Laboratory at Iowa State was organized by George W. Snedecor in 1933. The laboratory provided consulting work and promoted statistical research, becoming one of the most prominent statistical labs in the country. This collection contains selected annual reports from the Statistical Laboratory from 1944 to 2006 documenting the laboratory's activities.
Carrie Lane Chapman Catt (1859-1947) was a suffragist, early feminist, political activist, and Iowa Agricultural College (Iowa State University) alumna (1880). She was president (1900-1904 and 1915-1920) of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. She also formed and was president (1904-1923) of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance. In 1920, she helped found the League of Women Voters.
Frederic Leopold (1895-1989), the brother of wildlife ecologist Aldo Leopold, was active in conservation efforts and wildlife ecology in Iowa. Concerned about the possible extinction of the wood duck, he designed houses for wood ducks and conducted extensive studies on their mating and nesting habits. This collection contains correspondence, photographs, wood duck studies, notes, and other materials documenting his ecological work.
