Diversity

New Alumni-Funded Endowment to Champion LGBTQ+ Initiatives at UC Merced

July 29, 2025

A group of dedicated UC Merced alumni have come together to launch an endowed fund focused on supporting LGBTQ+ student initiatives, programs and priorities. Spearheaded by University of California Regent Emeritus Keith Ellis ’12, the LGBTQ+ Lambda Student Engagement Endowment was created...

Sameen Yunus, left, and her faculty advisor, physics Professor David Strubbe

Graduate Student Earns Fellowship to Study Fusion at Livermore Lab

UC Merced physics graduate student Sameen Yunus has been awarded a prestigious fellowship allowing her to spend the next three years working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, conducting...

Wilson Among This Year’s AAAS Fellows, Recognized for Science and Outreach

Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Economic Development Gillian Wilson has been named a 2024 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’...

Professor Michele Nishiguchi talks to a group of Plainsburg Elementary School students at a science outreach event.

Research Team Focuses on the Next Generations of Scientists

The Biology Integration Institute (BII): The Institute for Symbiotic Interactions, Training and Education in the Face of a Changing Climate, or INSITE, stands out because it is supported by $12.5...

Physiological Society Recognizes Rudy Ortiz for Mentoring Underrepresented Students

Physiology Professor Rudy M. Ortiz has been named this year's winner of the A. Clifford Barger Underrepresented Minority Mentorship Award by the American Physiological Society. The UC Merced...

Students celebrate at the annual barbecue, sponsored by Black clubs and organizations, at Lake Yosemite.

Student-driven Center Offers Safe Space for Community, Resources and Programs

This story is part of a series for Black History Month. Read more stories highlighting Black excellence at UC Merced. The Black Scholars Resource Center might be one of UC Merced’s...

UC Merced’s Black Excellence Symposium to Honor Legacy and Inspire Future

"A Legacy of Triumph and a Vision for the Future" is the theme of this year's Black Excellence Symposium at UC Merced. The event, part of the university's Valuing Black Lives...

Seminar participants meet with representatives from California Highway Patrol, Cal Fire and the Yosemite National Park Rescue team at the Crane Flat heli-base.

University and Yosemite National Park Offer Special Program for Veterans

For five years, UC Merced has offered veterans a unique opportunity to consider, dream of and plan for their lives beyond the military. A free workshop held in Yosemite National Park, the...

New Method of Mapping Proteins Offers Undergraduate Students New Opportunities

Research on cell development has led not only to a more efficient way to map proteins in living cells but also tapped into the research capabilities of UC Merced undergraduate students and brought...

Spendlove Prize winner Tsitsi Dangarembga

Zimbabwean Filmmaker, Activist Chosen for Spendlove Prize

Tsitsi Dangarembga, a renowned Zimbabwean filmmaker, novelist and cultural activist, was selected as the 16th recipient of the Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in Social Justice, Diplomacy and...