UC Merced celebrates Research Week from March 2-6 to highlight the ground-breaking work taking place at the University of California’s newest campus.
The annual week of events, sponsored by the Office of Research and Economic Development , is an opportunity for all to see the innovative projects emerging from UC Merced.
“Research Week is a fantastic opportunity to have an up-close experience with the newest research from across disciplines emerging from our campus — work that will shape our future,” said Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development Sam Traina. “We encourage everyone to come out and learn about the great things happening at UC Merced.”
The community is invited to participate in events, talks and tours throughout the week. Several events are specifically organized to engage the public:
Addressing Climate Change, presented by the Sierra Nevada Research Institute
Monday, March 2, 10 a.m.-12:15 p.m. in the California Room
Researchers will hold a series of presentations on efforts to address climate change. At 11:45 a.m., the 25-minute film “Beyond the Brink - California’s Watershed” will be presented. The program includes lunch and a poster session.
Core Facilities Tours
Tuesday, March 3, 1-3 p.m. starting from the Science and Engineering Building 1 Breezeway
The public is invited to participate in tours of the campus’s core facilities: the Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve; the Stable Isotope Laboratory; the Stem Cell Instrumentation Foundry; the Department of Animal Research Services; the Environmental Analytical Laboratory; the Imaging and Microscopy Facility; the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Lab; the MERCED (Multi-Environmental Research Computer for Exploration and Discovery) Cluster, and the WAVE (Wide Area Visualization Environment) Lab.
Tours of all facilities except the reserve begin at 1 p.m. and depart every 30 minutes. Tours of the Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve depart promptly at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. and last 90 minutes. Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis.
“It is exciting to be able to open up these important facilities to the local community,” Traina said. “These spaces, and the instruments and resources they contain, are part of the reason why UC Merced is a top-tier research institution.”
Poster Showcase/Merced County Office of Education STEM Fair
Wednesday, March 4, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Joseph Edward Gallo Recreation and Wellness Center Gym
The annual exhibit of posters by UC Merced undergraduate and graduate students in all disciplines will be displayed and serve as inspiration to Merced County 5th- through 8th-grade students who have advanced from STEM fairs at the school district level. The STEM Fair is the qualifying event for the California Science and Engineering Fair, and the younger students will present their projects, go on a tour of UC Merced, have lunch with UC Merced researchers and administrators and participate in hands-on science displays by campus scientists. The campus community is encouraged to come see UC Merced students’ research posters and meet some of Merced County’s brightest young scientists in the STEM Fair.
GradSTORY, presented by RadioBio
Thursday March 5, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; The Pavilion dining commons
Graduate students will discuss their research and their journeys to graduate school through brief interviews with the producers of the RadioBio podcast.
ReCCES Community Reception
Thursday, March 5, 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m., Merced Civic Center-Sam Pipes Room
The Resource Center for Community Engaged Scholarship and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center welcome the community to a reception where people can hear from professors conducting community-engaged research and meet undergraduate and graduate students to learn about their involvement in the community. Refreshments provided.
CITRIS Ag-Food Tech Spring Seminar
Friday, March 6, Noon., Classroom and Office Building 2, room 140
Melba Crawford, associate dean of Engineering for Research at Purdue University, is the featured speaker of the Ag-Food Tech Spring Seminar by the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society.
More information about Research Week events can be found online.
