Patty Guerra

UC Merced Project Aimed at Making Autonomous Cars Safer with NVDIA

May 6, 2026

Professor Ross Greer is pictured with five students and an autonomous model car in his lab at UC Merced.

Road changes such as lane shifts, new signs and speed-limit modifications can be confusing to drivers, both human and mechanical. A human driver can quickly perceive and understand new or temporary changes to road conditions. A new project at UC Merced aims to deliver that same swift...

Bioengineering Professor and biofluid dynamicist Arian Aghilinejad is pictured in his lab at UC Merced

AHA Career Award, UC Merced's First, Funds Project Aimed at Improving Heart Interventions

Left ventricular devices, or LVADs, are life saving for patients with advanced heart failure, a condition that affects more than 6 million Americans each year. A UC Merced researcher has earned an...

Leah Stokes, a political scientist, energy expert and climate communicator from UC Santa Barbara, speaks from the stage at UC Merced.

Turning A Carbon Footprint into a Carbon Wave

It's time to think bigger about mitigating climate change. Measures such as recycling, turning off lights and reducing energy use are great, but making a real impact is going to take systemic...

Depicted is a poster describing solar-over-canal Project Nexus in front of the actual structure.

State's First Solar Canal Project Moves from UC Merced Lab to Real World

What started as a premise in a UC Merced lab culminated with a commemoration of Project Nexus, California's first solar canal project. On Wednesday, state leaders gathered at the Project Nexus...

Pictured are Professor Eva de Alba and members of her lab standing outside the Biomedical Sciences & Physics building at UC Merced.

What Causes Chronic Inflammation? UC Merced Project Aims to Find Out

Inflammation can be a good thing. When the human body is exposed to injury or infection, inflammation - which can result in redness, heat, swelling and pain as white blood cells fight threats - is...

Depicted are postdoctoral researcher Sourabh Kumar and Professor Ashlie Martini in their lab.

UC Merced Researchers Explain How Mechanical Force Can Trigger Chemical Reactions

Mechanical force can do more than just push things around - it can also trigger chemical reactions. A new review by researchers at UC Merced and Penn State brings together decades of work to explain...

Depicted is César Armando Puente Garza of Tecnológico de Monterrey, speaking at a podium at UC Merced on Main.

Is Growing Agave a Good Fit for California? UC Merced Aims to Find Out

As crops go, agave holds a lot of promise for the northern San Joaquin Valley. The succulents thrive in hot sun, don't require much water and can be grown in the region's sandy soils. And...

Photo depicts Elizabeth Nowadnick, center, surrounded by members of her lab on campus at UC Merced.

Project Aims to Put AI to Work Reducing its Own Energy Needs

It's no secret that artificial intelligence uses a lot of electricity. A standard ChatGPT query consumes approximately 0.34 watt-hours - roughly 10 times more than a Google search. According...

Depicted is a collage of UC Merced students taking part in study abroad programs in various locations around the world.

UC Merced's Study Abroad Program Among the Country's Best

Frida Quinto Ruiz went to Sweden with a curious mind. She came home with a plan. "Studying abroad completely reshaped the direction of my college career in ways I never expected," she...

Depicted are Sen. Anna Caballero and the women recognized as "Distinguished Women" for State Senate District 14.

Bioengineering Professor Among Senate District’s ‘Women Who Inspire’

State Sen. Anna Caballero recently honored UC Merced bioengineering Professor Sushma Shrinivasan among the “Women Who Inspire” in 2026 for District 14. According to the senator’s...