School of Natural Sciences

From Soil to Climate Solutions: Berhe Leads Sierra Nevada Research Institute into its Next Chapter

September 11, 2025

When Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe arrived at UC Merced in 2009, she and her husband, Professor Teamrat Ghezzehei, were leaving major research institutions to join a brand-new campus in California’s Central Valley. It was a leap of faith — one made easier by the Sierra Nevada Research...

Undergraduates Win Coveted APS Summer Research Fellowships

Two UC Merced undergraduates will spend the summer immersed in research after winning prestigious fellowships from the American Physiological Society. Sophomores Debby Lee and Meagan Moreno competed...

Professor’s Work Earns Her a Spot in Prestigious Journal

Using some of the tiniest fossils in the world to help clarify how climate change is modeled has earned Professor Jessica Blois a big honor – publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of...

Science, Math Program to Offer More Paths to Aspiring Teachers

Armanti Hardesty is ready to join the next generation of teachers. “We’re all going into a more technological age,” said Hardesty, an alumnus from Long Beach. “It’s great to have new teachers...

UC Merced Sends Off Class of 2013 with Twin Ceremonies

This year isn’t the first time Maxine Umeh-Garcia has walked across the commencement stage at the University of California, Merced. She was part of the campus's graduating class in 2010. But this...

Seals Attracted Grad Student to California

Born in central Mexico, the sea has long fascinated graduate student Jose Pablo Vazquez-Medina. Now, he’s hoping to figure out some of its secrets. Vazquez-Medina this year earned his doctorate in...

Researchers Studying Valley Fever to Help Region

In an effort to combat a debilitating disease commonly found in the region, UC Merced researchers are collaborating with area medical leaders to better understand valley fever. Through the campus’s...

Researcher Brings Billions of Years of Information to UC Merced

From the microbes in the guts of living things to the idea of life elsewhere in the universe, Professor Marilyn Fogel is pondering some of life’s deepest questions. When and how did life originate on...

Research Explains Why Electric Fields Puncture Biological Cells

An exacting nanosecond jolt of electricity can briefly open a cell’s wall, allowing for the delivery of drugs or DNA. This procedure — called electroporation — is widely used in biology,...

Mobile App Challenge Reproduces the Entrepreneurial Experience

After six months of intense planning and programming, the winning team of the Mobile App Challenge at the University of California, Merced, will be announced during a showcase finale April 26. The...