In Brief

Team Advances In Aviation Prize Contest

April 25, 2025

Photo depicts a rendering of a drone flying above the heads of people below.

A team of UC Merced students and their adviser has entered the second phase of the 2024-25 CITRIS Aviation Prize design contest. Students Yael Xavier Andujar, Monica Cruz Gaspar, Ana Hernandez, Kyra Ruiz, Randy Serrano and mechanical engineering Professor Francesco Danzi will compete...

Grad Student Awarded Thesis of the Year for Work in Public Health

UC Merced public health graduate student Erendira “Dida” Estrada's master’s thesis, “Development of a participatory health communication intervention: An ecological...

News and Notes: Staff Assembly Hosts Event, Announces Election Results

Dining Partners with Staff Assembly for Salvage Social Hour UC Merced Dining, in partnership with Staff Assembly, will host Salvage Social Hour Wednesday, June 6 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the 17th...

Several hundred UC Merced staff members, seated at tables outdoors, enjoy lunch during Staff Appreciation Week.

News and Notes: Staff Had ‘Rad’ Time During ’80s-Themed Appreciation Week

UC Merced staff members got the time to enjoy the company of their colleagues while being saluted for the tireless work they do to support students, faculty members and the university’s mission...

Children’s Museum Pop-Up Arrives Friday

A team of educators, policy makers and community members are working to bring a children’s museum to Merced. To celebrate the museum’s first pop-up exhibit, Merced For Kids, museum...

A woman in pink scarf and dark jacket stands in front of a table covered with posters and car prototypes.

Qattawi Named Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) named Professor Ala Qattawi one of this year’s Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineers. “I am honored to receive this award,”...

Bobcats Can Catch Some Bass

A pair of UC Merced students showed off their bass-fishing skills by winning a Fishing League Worldwide event last weekend, earning themselves a spot in next year’s finals. Herbie LeBlanc of...

Man and woman kneel in grassy field with others in the background.

Calling All Citizen Scientists!

Local community members are invited to serve as citizen scientists at UC Merced’s next CALeDNA BioBlitz, scheduled for Sunday, May 20, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Merced Vernal Pools and...

Engineering Students Get an Inside Look at Wastewater Treatment

Three field trips this semester gave Professor Marc Beutel’s students an up-close understanding of biological wastewater processes used in treatment plants across the country. Most recently...

New Endowment Enhances Alumni Association’s Initiatives

Last month, the UC Merced Alumni Association (UCMAA) established the UC Merced Alumni Association Journey Endowment with $25,000 it collected through fundraising efforts to support initiatives...