Patty Guerra

Multinational Effort to Map South Africa’s Biodiversity from the Air Earns NASA Award

October 15, 2025

BioSCape, a multinational research project co-led by UC Merced, the University at Buffalo and the University of Cape Town, which monitored Earth’s biodiversity from the air, has received a Group Achievement Award as part of the 2024-25 NASA Honor Awards. A new documentary also showcases...

The Science and Engineering 2 Building is pictured.

UC Merced Adds Several New Engineering Majors

UC Merced's School of Engineering is expanding its offerings into some exciting areas. Most recently, the university added a major in aerospace engineering, one of the fastest-growing...

Students compete in the Aqua Arcade Game Jam at UC Merced.

Students Create Games to Teach About Safe Water

Ensuring people have access to reliable, clean water is no game. Except when it is. UC Merced's Secure Water Future interns, administrative assistant and coordinator joined the university...

Volunteers take part in a painting project at Lake Yosemite.

California Volunteer Program Expansion Effort Makes UC Merced Stop

Sometimes public service at UC Merced looks like finding ways to grow crops with a changing water supply. Or delving into how children translate for their non-English-speaking parents. And...

Traffic is shown along a stretch of Bellevue Road near UC Merced.

UC Merced Lands Grant for Making Roads Safer for Bicyclists, Pedestrians

A major route to UC Merced could soon begin to be much safer under a project to install, test and assess several bike lane and other safety interventions. The Bellevue Road safety project will be...

An electric vehicle charger on the UC Merced campus is shown.

Study Urges New Approach to Energy Planning

The world of energy is changing so quickly that the processes used for planning can’t keep up. UC Merced electrical engineering Professor Sarah Kurtz took part in a study that showed how...

UC Merced students hold a drone at a recent competition.

New Aerospace Engineering Major Links UC Merced to Skyrocketing Industry

The newest major in UC Merced's School of Engineering is one of the most exciting subjects in - and out of - this world. Aerospace engineering, one of the fastest-growing industries in the...

Gov. Gavin Newsom discusses upcoming federal and state solar projects with other officials.

New Canal Project Expands on UC Merced Solar Research

Federal and state government officials journeyed to the western corner of Merced County on Thursday to announce a new project to place solar panels on the water in the Delta-Mendota Canal. The...

UC Merced bioengineering Professor Eva de Alba and postdoctoral scholar Meenakshi Sharma are pictured.

UC Merced Researchers Analyze How Inflammation Works on a Molecular Level

Inflammation is the process by which the human immune system responds to injury and stimulates tissue repair and healing. But it can become a chronic condition, leading to health concerns such as...

An almond orchard with irrigation lines is pictured.

Water Risks to Agriculture: Too Little and Too Much

Water is among the most precious resources on the planet. Some areas don't get enough; some get too much. And climate change is driving both of those circumstances to ever-growing extremes....