Patty Guerra

Boosting AI and Science: NSF Invests $600K in OpenDOTA Project at UC Merced

August 12, 2025

Photo depicts Professor Xiaoyi Lu on a blue and gold graphc background.

The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded nearly $600,000 to support a groundbreaking project at UC Merced aimed at accelerating the future of artificial intelligence and scientific research. Professor Xiaoyi Lu from the electrical engineering and computer science group in the School of...

Incoming UC Merced student Manjot Maan is pictured shooting a basketball against a graphic that reads "Bobcat Bound"

New Adventures Close to Home for Incoming UC Merced Student

This is part of a series of profiles of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2025 semester. Manjot Maan is a student-athlete from Modesto who will focus on academics when he...

Members of UC Merced's chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers are pictures with a plaque.

Black Engineering Society Earns Regional Chapter of the Year

The National Society of Black Engineers, established at UC Merced in 2007, is one of the campus’s oldest and most active student organizations. It provides support, guidance and advocacy for...

A large group of UC Merced Extension students holding up their certificates is pictured.

Community Health Worker Program Celebrates First Graduates

The region has nearly 170 newly certified community health workers after the first cohort completed a specialized training program at UC Merced. Graduates of the training, offered through the...

A graphic depicts a clock and dots connected by a wavy line

Tiny Artificial Cells Can Keep Time, Study Finds

A team of UC Merced researchers has shown that tiny artificial cells can accurately keep time, mimicking the daily rhythms found in living organisms. Their findings shed light on how biological...

Photo depicts Brian O'Bruba, assistant vice chancellor at UC Merced, and student Tatiana Howell in graduation cap and gown.

UC Investment Academy Propels Students to Financial Career Success

This summer, 2024 UC Merced graduate Tatiana Howell is set to begin working as a wealth management analyst with Goldman Sachs. She got the job through tenacity, a strong work ethic and participation...

Photo depicts a UC Merced student holding a 3D printer available for use at the university's Makerspace.

Imagination the Only Limitation at UC Merced's Makerspace

UC Merced's Makerspace lab has been living up to its name recently. The School of Engineering's lab, housed in the Sustainability Research and Engineering building, has been increasingly...

Graphic depicts a photo of Leslie Perez-Cruz with text reading "Bobcat Bound"

Honors Student from Merced Ready for Next Big Step

This is part of a series of profiles of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2025 semester. Leslie Perez-Cruz will start at UC Merced with several accomplishments already under her...

Photo depicts UC Merced Professor Christopher Viney and graduate researcher Kiana Shirzad on a blue and gold graphic background

Researchers Apply Materials Science Equation to Broader Real-World Issues

At first glance, a mathematical model that describes how quickly materials transform from one phase to another might seem to have few other practical applications. But what if this kind of model...

Photo depicts the UC Merced team using a large screen to present its project.

Project Envisioning Air Transport Between UC Campuses Earns Award

A simulation for a proposed air transport system among University of California campuses earned an award for a team of UC Merced students. Advised by mechanical engineering Professor Francesco...