Jody Murray

Depression Due to Politics: the Quiet Danger to Democracy

July 7, 2025

UC Merced Professor Christopher Ojeda and his book "The Sad Citizen"

On laptop screens, televisions and social media feeds across the nation, images and words fueled by a fractured political landscape spout anger, frustration and resentment. Clashing ideologies burst forth in public demonstrations, family gatherings and digital echo chambers. Red-hot rhetoric and...

UC Merced Unveils Big Rufus, a Monument to Resilience, Diversity and Hope

UC Merced on Wednesday unveiled a striking monument to a university on the rise. A crowd of students, faculty and staff gathered in the early evening’s long shadows at University Plaza to...

New SSHA Dean Thanks Helping Hands Along a Remarkable Journey

He studied in hallowed halls of academia. His highly respected research takes him halfway around the globe into societies both foreign and familiar. In his newest role, he leads the largest school of...

UC Merced arts season silkroad train station trios

UC Merced Arts Opens Season with LitFest, Musical Tribute to Railroads

A celebration of stories and a concert highlighting the history of San Joaquin Valley’s railroads are the opening acts of the 2024-25 UC Merced Arts season . Merced LitFest and Train...

Author fair organized by UC Merced Center for Humanities

Mellon Grant Launches ‘Interwoven Futures’ Community Partnership Project

UC Merced has received a $750,000 boost to its mission to invest in the San Joaquin Valley’s unique cultural, creative and linguistic wealth by working with the region’s people to...

Study: People Facing Life-or-Death Choice Put Too Much Trust in AI

In simulated life-or-death decisions, about two-thirds of people in a UC Merced study allowed a robot to change their minds when it disagreed with them -- an alarming display of excessive trust in...

Enthusiasm High for Debut of Environmental Humanities Major

More than 170 students have enrolled this fall for classes in UC Merced’s new environmental humanities major, a degree that will prepare them to be advocates and storytellers for the living...

It’s a ‘Welcome’ Party at UC Merced Scholars Bridge Crossing

UC Merced said “welcome” to its 2,400 new students Tuesday as only UC Merced can, with a joyous and colorful Scholars Bridge Crossing ceremony that symbolizes their transformation into...

Officers rehearse emergency simulation at UC Merced

First Responders Conduct Successful Simulated Emergency at UC Merced

First responders from across Merced County converged on UC Merced Thursday for what they said was a highly successful response to a simulated emergency. Police officers, sheriff’s deputies,...

Illustration of hands reach out to each other.

Psychological Bias Links Good Deeds with Religious Belief, UC Merced Research Says

Experiments conducted by UC Merced researchers find that people who perform good deeds are far more likely to be thought of as religious believers than atheists. Moreover, the psychological bias...