Engineering

April 22, 2026

Depicted are postdoctoral researcher Sourabh Kumar and Professor Ashlie Martini in their lab.
Mechanical force can do more than just push things around - it can also trigger chemical reactions. A new review by researchers at UC Merced and Penn State brings together decades of work to explain how these reactions occur and why they matter for technologies ranging from pharmaceuticals to the...
Photo depicts UC Merced student Jesse Martinez operating a robot on the Experimental Smart Farm.
At UC Merced's biggest lab, students work from before sunrise to well after dusk. They are operating the university's Experimental Smart Farm, 40 acres of dirt and plants, research and...
Photo depicts the UC Merced team using a large screen to present its project.
A simulation for a proposed air transport system among University of California campuses earned an award for a team of UC Merced students. Advised by mechanical engineering Professor Francesco...
Photo depicts the reservoir at the UC Merced Experimental Smart Farm.
A UC Merced team competing in a U.S. Department of Energy contest won its division with a proposal to use floating solar panels to power the campus's Experimental Smart Farm. The Solar...
Photo depicts UC Merced graduate Adamaris Alvarez in a black hat on a blue and gold graphic background.
Growing up in Watsonville, a vibrant agricultural community on California's Central Coast, Adamaris Alvarez always knew she wanted to work in agriculture. She worked on her family's berry...
Image depicts UC Merced mechanical engineering Professor Ricardo Pinto de Castro talking to students near a small robot.
Mechanical engineering Professor Ricardo Pinto de Castro has turned a penchant for systems-level thinking and a longtime love of cars into a climate-resilient research mission. From electric...
Stock image depicts an electronic flight board with multiple delays at an unnamed airport.
Last July, a glitch in a software upgrade by a cybersecurity company impacted 8.5 million computers, resulting in the cancellation of 2,800 flights and delays for 11,000 more. In an increasingly...
Photo depicts students describing their product, an irrigation sensor, at the Innovate to Grow event at UC Merced.
Imagine you're a farmer who uses a drip irrigation system on your crops. On watering day, you open the valve from the canal, then go to your orchard, maybe a few acres away, and wait. Once enough...
A new endowed chair will significantly enhance UC Merced’s work to advance research and innovation in the agricultural technology sector. Housed in the School of Engineering, the Christine...
Photo depicts a firefighter and flames from the 2020 Apple fire in California.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted many facets of life, including health care, schools and the work environment. A new study by UC Merced researchers shows evidence that the pandemic...

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