Campus Community

Student Philanthropy Month Returns to UC Merced with Focus on Service and Giving

March 11, 2026

Six UC Merced students pose in front of a University of California, Merced backdrop, smiling and holding blue-and-gold pennants that read “UC Merced Alumni” and “UC Merced.”

Student Philanthropy Month, now in its fifth consecutive year, gives students opportunities throughout March to better understand philanthropy and its impact on the university, the community and beyond. UC Merced Alumni Relations, in partnership with the UC Merced Student Alumni Association, is...

Management Major Takes Leadership Experience to South Africa

UC Merced senior Alexandra Hamilton is spending five months at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, studying global markets and business. Hamilton, a management major and San Diego native,...

Former UC Merced Students Travel Entrepreneurial Path to China

Three entrepreneurs with UC Merced roots are trying to revolutionize the biking experience. UC Merced graduate Seena Zandipour, and former students Tony Belmontes and Kenneth Gibbs, are developing...

Gift for Amphitheater, Research Strengthens Community Connections

The ties between the community and the University of California, Merced, will grow stronger thanks to a gift from longtime campus supporters Joel and Elizabeth Wallace. The Wallaces have given UC...

Summer Research Takes UC Merced Around the Globe

Just because it’s summertime doesn’t mean research at UC Merced comes to a halt. Just the opposite. This summer, professors and students at all levels are conducting a variety of research projects on...

Professor Continues to Focus on Efficient Solvent Usage

In a move that will save the campus money, improve campus safety and help save the environment, Professor Jason Hein set up a new solvent purification system. This project is similar to his previous...

Interactive Tour Provides Unique View of Campus

The best way to explore what UC Merced has to offer is to visit the campus and see it firsthand. However, for prospective students and their family members who can’t make the trip, there is a new...

Professor’s Fellowship Takes Her Into the Halls of Power

Like many faculty members, Professor Katrina Hoyer is busy running a lab, teaching and researching. This year, she adds another item to her to-do list – learning how public policy is implemented and...

Founding Faculty Member Honored with NSF Grant for Excellence

A five-year CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation is helping Professor Alberto Cerpa develop the next big breakthrough in wireless sensor networks – an autonomous, self-learning system...

Grad Student’s Farmland Mapping Project Gets Prestigious Publisher

Working to map every square inch, UC Merced master’s student Andrew Zumkehr found there are 111 million acres of abandoned farmland in the United States. That’s a lot of space for growing biofuels...