In Brief

UC Merced Students Invited to Tackle Real-World AI Challenges in 2026 Data Science Program

February 23, 2026

Four student standing in front of their poster at the Data Science Challenge

Applications are open for the 2026 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Data Science Challenge, a two-week summer internship that gives students a firsthand look at national lab research through high‑impact, data‑driven problem solving. “I want our students to see themselves in these...

Chancellor Dorothy Leland was recognized as the Merced Chamber of Commerce's Woman of the Year earlier this month.

Chancellor Leland Recognized as Woman of the Year

The Merced Chamber of Commerce has named Chancellor Dorothy Leland their 2019 Woman of the Year. Leland was honored at a ceremony earlier this month. The chamber credited Leland’s leadership...

Computational Chemist Improving Modeling for Complex Processes

Professor Hrant Hratchian, with the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology in the School of Natural Sciences, has received a National Science Foundation CAREER award, the 24th recipient...

Research Field Study Brings New Sharing Apps to UC Merced Employees

The practice of sharing our possessions is something that most of us learned in childhood. Now, UC Merced Professor Anita Bhappu is expanding that idea to the workplace through a research study...

UC Merced's new Multicultural Center opened last month after years of searching for a permanent space on campus.

New Multicultural Center Captures Past, Present and Future of UC Merced

Diversity, equity and inclusion are pillars of UC Merced’s mission to serve, teach and conduct research. After years of working to find a permanent support space for students of all...

Faculty member and NCPC community research lead, Nancy Burke, listens to a presentation at the NCPC's workshop titled “Hook, Line & Sinker: Crafting Compelling Policy Messages.”

NCPC Workshop Empowers Stakeholders to Craft Compelling Anti-Smoking Policy Messages

The rate of smoking in the San Joaquin Valley is the highest in California — on par with tobacco-producing regions in Georgia and South Carolina — and UC Merced’s Nicotine and...

Seven ‘Outstanding Students’ Receive Medals

Hundreds of accomplished students walked in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts (SSHA) commencement earlier this month, proudly wearing their cap, gown and stole. Among them were a...

UC Merced Receives Collaborative Grant to Improve Equity in STEM Education

At UC Merced, research and education are inextricably intertwined – in the lab and in the classroom. Professors continually refine and advance their teaching methods and curriculum to convey...

Marisela Padilla Alcala (left) and Sarah Lee were recently recognized as recipients of the Carter Joseph Abrescy and Larry Kranich Library Award for Student Research Excellence. Arlene Kranich (center) presented the awards.

Two Students Honored for Excellence in Use of Library Resources

Long hours spent using the library’s print and digital resources are often a hallmark of a college student’s academic career. For Marisela Padilla Alcala and Sarah Lee, time spent in the...

Physics Professor’s Work in Liquid Crystals Earns Prestigious Medal

Physics Professor Linda Hirst has been named this year’s recipient of the British Liquid Crystal Society’s C. Hilsum Medal for her contributions to liquid crystal science and technology...