Research

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

April 8, 2026

Photo depicts Elizabeth Nowadnick, center, surrounded by members of her lab on campus at UC Merced.
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 to the Pew Research Center, U.S. data centers consumed 183 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024 -...
Lars Howlett displays the Baltic Wheel design for UC Merced's labyrinth.

Labyrinth Takes Shape in UC Merced’s Kelley Grove

    A temporary labyrinth has taken shape on the UC Merced campus.     The labyrinth, which is an ancient pattern people walk to reflect, was     built by master...

Professors to Share Their Research Through Comics at Events

The Center for the Humanities is hosting in-person and virtual events to give some insight into how professors share their research through comics. The center's Bobcat Comics ...

UC Merced Holds Antisemitism Workshop

Antisemitism is not a new form of discrimination; it dates back thousands of years. But recent events and the charged political climate in the United States have brought it to the forefront, an...
Local activist Ana María Fabián Lomelí is seen in a still from "Letters2Maybe."

Merced Premieres Professor's Films as Their International Acclaim Grows

Film festivals across the world continue to reach out to filmmaker and Professor Yehuda Sharim to invite him to screen his latest films "El Ojo Comienza En La Mano" (translated to...
Professor Linda Cameron is seen in a composite image with the Beginnings sculpture.

Professor Contributes to New Report on Health and Climate Change that Paints Grim Picture

The 2022 report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change warns that global health is at the mercy of fossil fuels. An accompanying policy brief states that an estimated 32,000 people in...
Sociology Professor Charlie Eaton smiles in a photograph.

Professor Eaton Makes Case for Student Loan Forgiveness on 'Dr. Phil' Show

Sociology Professor Charlie Eaton was a recent guest on the "Dr. Phil" talk show, where he discussed President Joe Biden's plan to cancel billions of dollars in federal student...

UC Merced Holds Debate for State Assembly District 27 Seat

This week, UC Merced welcomed the community to campus as it hosted a debate between candidates for the State Assembly District 27 seat Esmeralda Soria (D) and Mark Pazin (R). The newly established...
Bioengineering Professor Eva de Alba Bastarrechea and postdoctoral scholar Meenakshi Sharma

New Bioengineering Study Aims to Understand the Mechanisms of Inflammation

When it functions correctly, inflammation protects the body from infection and injury. But when it becomes chronic, inflammation is linked to health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer,...
Professor Jay Sharping, lower right, and the students in his lab will have enhanced research capabilities with refurbished dilution refrigerators.

DOD Grant Helps Upgrade Special Refrigerators for Quantum Physics Research

Researchers and students in the departments of Physics, Mechanical Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering working on quantum physics will have upgraded equipment soon, thanks to a grant...

Pages