UC Davis courses, teaching insights and student fiction are just some of the rich recordings that the public can download for free from UC Davis on iTunes U in partnership with Apple.

The iTunes U site, which made its debut in early May, now has more than 100 audio and video recordings related to UC Davis (see http://itunes.ucdavis.edu). Courses are among the most popular offerings. Bernd Hamann, a computer science professor, was the first faculty member to put a videotaped course, "Advanced Visualization (ECS277)," on the site. He added "Introduction to Geometric Modeling" over the summer.

Four audio-recorded courses were added this month, including three taught this quarter. They are "Literature and the Environment" by English professor Timothy Morton; "Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants," by John Harada, professor of plant biology; "Developmental Psychology," by psychology lecturer Victoria Cross; and "Introduction to Biology: Biodiversity and the Tree of Life," taught by Jonathan Eisen and Brad Shaffer, professors of evolution and ecology, and Julin Maloof, assistant professor of plant biology.

A new feature, "Great Teachers Project," will be heard initially as monthly segments on the campus radio station KDVS' "Dr. Andy's Poetry and Technology Hour."

It will make its debut in mid-October when University Writing Program and English lecturer Andy Jones interviews Eric Schroeder, recent winner of the James H. Meyer Distinguished Achievement Award. Schroeder is a lecturer in the University Writing Program and has taught in a number of programs, including American Studies and Nature and Culture.

The interviews will focus primarily on faculty members whose work as teachers has been recognized by a campus teaching award, such as those presented by the Academic Senate, the Academic Federation, and the Associated Students of UC Davis.

Another new series, "Nameless Writers," will feature undergraduates reading their short-stories and poetry. "Nameless Magazine" is the official undergraduate literary journal of UC Davis Department of English, publishing short fiction, poetry and mixed-media art on its Web site three times a year and in an annual print issue.

Over the summer, a number of single recordings were also added, including a series of physics lectures called "Unveiling Natures Secrets," a collection of vintage and current videos about UC Davis' most famous art professors called "You See Artists," several years' worth of state-of-the-art talks about autism through the MIND Institute, and a series of news pieces called "CSI: UC Davis" about our forensic science research.

About UC Davis

For 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has 31,000 students, an annual research budget that exceeds $500 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges -- Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science -- and advanced degrees from five professional schools: Education, Law, Management, Medicine, and Veterinary Medicine. The UC Davis School of Medicine and UC Davis Medical Center are located on the Sacramento campus near downtown.