Springer Handbook of Robotics


Book Description

The second edition of this handbook provides a state-of-the-art overview on the various aspects in the rapidly developing field of robotics. Reaching for the human frontier, robotics is vigorously engaged in the growing challenges of new emerging domains. Interacting, exploring, and working with humans, the new generation of robots will increasingly touch people and their lives. The credible prospect of practical robots among humans is the result of the scientific endeavour of a half a century of robotic developments that established robotics as a modern scientific discipline. The ongoing vibrant expansion and strong growth of the field during the last decade has fueled this second edition of the Springer Handbook of Robotics. The first edition of the handbook soon became a landmark in robotics publishing and won the American Association of Publishers PROSE Award for Excellence in Physical Sciences & Mathematics as well as the organization’s Award for Engineering & Technology. The second edition of the handbook, edited by two internationally renowned scientists with the support of an outstanding team of seven part editors and more than 200 authors, continues to be an authoritative reference for robotics researchers, newcomers to the field, and scholars from related disciplines. The contents have been restructured to achieve four main objectives: the enlargement of foundational topics for robotics, the enlightenment of design of various types of robotic systems, the extension of the treatment on robots moving in the environment, and the enrichment of advanced robotics applications. Further to an extensive update, fifteen new chapters have been introduced on emerging topics, and a new generation of authors have joined the handbook’s team. A novel addition to the second edition is a comprehensive collection of multimedia references to more than 700 videos, which bring valuable insight into the contents. The videos can be viewed directly augmented into the text with a smartphone or tablet using a unique and specially designed app. Springer Handbook of Robotics Multimedia Extension Portal: http://handbookofrobotics.org/







Architecture That Speaks


Book Description

When the A&M College of Texas opened its doors in 1876, its early buildings followed a Victorian architectural style. Classical architecture came to the campus with the Academic Building, after the 1912 fire that destroyed Old Main. Subsequent buildings generally followed this neoclassical path, but the growth of the campus in the Depression era saw the addition of an extraordinary group of buildings, sited in accordance with a master plan developed by college architect F. E. Giesecke and designed by S. C. P. Vosper, each of whom also held faculty positions in the first architecture program at a state college in Texas. The buildings designed by Vosper are arguably the finest buildings on the campus, uniquely expressive of the agricultural and mechanical origins of the university; they delight the senses with color, sculpture, and wit. Nancy T. McCoy and David G. Woodcock, distinguished preservation architects and scholars, review the history of Texas A&M campus architecture and provide in-depth coverage of Vosper and his legacy. Illustrated by the sumptuous photography of Carolyn Brown, Architecture That Speaks concludes with observations on recent approaches toward the reuse and rehabilitation of campus heritage architecture and a view to the future, as plans evolve for further development of the campus that maintains a respect for both strategic vision and historical heritage.




Rudder


Book Description

Rudder From Leader to Legend Thomas A. Hatfield In this first comprehensive biography of James Earl Rudder, Hatfield covers Rudder's storied military exploits -- from years spent stateside training the all-volunteer 2nd Ranger Battalion to the unit's trek over the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc during the D-Day invasion. 540 pp. 68 b&w photos. 8 maps. Bib. Index. $30.00 cloth




The Writings of Ferdinand Lindheimer


Book Description

Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer is known as the “father of Texas botany.” While he was not the first botanist to collect plants for scientific examination in Texas, his collections are credited with helping botanists around the world to understand the nature, extent, and significance of the diversity of plants in the state. In partnership with Asa Gray of Harvard University, Lindheimer spent eight years collecting Texas plants to distribute to a list of paying subscribers—including places like the British Museum, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, and the Smithsonian Institution. Today, no fewer than 362 plant names are based, at least in part, on Lindheimer collections, and 65 plants have been named in his honor. Lindheimer was a founding settler of New Braunfels, raising his family on the banks of the Comal River while he continued to collect and ship plant specimens. He was “elected” as the first editor of the Neu-Braunfelser Zeitung (still published today as the Herald-Zeitung), and served from 1852 to 1872. He wrote a number of articles for the Zeitung on topics ranging from plants, climate, and agriculture to Texas Indian affairs, optimism, and teaching schoolchildren. In the last year of Lindheimer’s life, one of his students worked with him to collect an assortment of his essays and articles from the Zeitung. In 1879, the collection was published as Aufsätze und Abhandlungen von Ferdinand Lindheimer in Texas (Essays and Articles of Ferdinand Lindheimer in Texas). John E. Williams now offers the first English translation of these essays, which provides valuable insight into the natural and cultural history of Texas.




The Book of Aggie Lists


Book Description

The Book of Aggie Lists brings together in one volume a vast amount of information that will be welcomed by current and former students of Texas A&M University. Focusing on the military heritage of the university--and especially the Corps of Cadets--this reference work is an invaluable resource for researchers and curious readers alike. Former Commandant of Cadets James R. Woodall and eleven other contributors have painstakingly gathered and organized the names, class years, and ranks of various individuals who served in wars, were decorated, or died in the line of duty, to name just a few of the informative categories presented here. This book represents a way to remember all who served both Texas A&M University and the United States and will aid readers for decades to come. It focuses on and goes beyond the military history of the university to encompass many other fascinating lists, including Hollywood movies with a connection to the university and time-honored Aggie traditions. The Book of Aggie Lists is a never-before-seen wealth of knowledge and will be a frequently accessed book on shelves across campus and throughout the larger Aggie network. Woodall also invites readers to contribute to a larger, ongoing project to compile additional information and Aggie lists to serve the future generations of Texas A&M University.




Houston, Space City USA


Book Description

On July 20, 1969, humanity paused with attention locked to television and radio broadcasts as the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission dramatically touched down on the dusty face of the moon. The first word from the lunar surface: Houston. Houston, Space City USA is a visual celebration of the city’s historic ties to the US human space program. When President Kennedy declared, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard,” he did so from the campus of Rice University. More than half a century later, Houston continues to serve as the nerve center of the American human space program. Author and photographer Ray Viator, a longtime Houstonian, has lovingly captured the spirit of a city’s devotion to space exploration from then to now. Using striking photographs of the full moon as a visual motif of Houston’s connection to spaceflight, Viator also weaves together historic images to show how former cow pastures transformed into mission control. Some connections are obvious—the Houston Astros or the Houston Rockets. Others are hidden in plain sight, like the arm patches on the uniform of every Houston police officer that read, “Space City U.S.A.” Viator’s lens captures this and more. Houston, Space City USA not only marks the important milestone of the first lunar landing, but it also helps readers discover and rediscover a city’s constellation of connections to one of humankind’s greatest achievements. The author's proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit Houston Public Media.




Sul Ross at Texas A&M


Book Description

Most Texans today know of Lawrence Sullivan Ross only by his namesake, Sul Ross State University, or for his role in the capture of Cynthia Ann Parker as a fabled Texas Ranger. A few may know that he was a general in the Confederate army or that he served as the nineteenth governor of Texas. But for former and current students of Texas A&M University, he is known as “Sully”—an affectionate nickname referring to the oldest campus statue, which is the repository of wished-upon pennies left for good luck prior to taking final exams. In Sul Ross at Texas A&M, John A. Adams Jr., chronicler of Texas A&M University history, presents an in-depth examination of Ross’s life as a college president. Adams shows how by the late 1880s, the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas was on the brink of collapse. Student discontent, administrative mismanagement, and faculty factionalism threatened the continued existence of the fledgling school. The college’s board of directors were desperate and offered the presidency to Ross. Adams details the steps Ross took to bring order out of chaos, expanding and modernizing the college and leading the school’s finances out of the red. Many Aggie traditions first took shape during Ross’s tenure: the class ring, the band, and even the school’s first intercollegiate football game against the University of Texas. Ross’s years at the helm were transformative. Fans of A&M and Texas history will be enthralled by this captivating account of Sul Ross’s time as president of A&M.




Faith and Power


Book Description

"Faith and Power is framed within the larger processes of immigration, refugee policies, deindustrialization, the rise of the religious left and right, the human rights revolution, and the Chicana/ o, Puerto Rican, and Immigrant freedom movements. The book explores religion and religious politics as part of the larger ecosystem that has shaped Latina/o communities specifically and American politics in general"--




Texas A&M Aggies 123


Book Description