Engineering

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 -...

Global Sustainable Engineering Network to Move to UC Merced

The University of California, Merced, will become the new headquarters of Engineers for a Sustainable World effective July 1, the university announced today. Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW)...

Southern California Edison Gives $250K for Energy, Water Research

Dozens of students at the University of California, Merced, will be able to research new ways of increasing energy efficiency and protecting our environmental resources thanks to a $250,000 gift to...

UC Merced Options Set Engineering Alumnus on the Right Path

Unlike many other schools, UC Merced allows freshman students to enter with a major of “engineering - undeclared.” For Matt Nelson, now looking back on his freshman year more than five years down...

Wireless Sensors to Improve Sierra Snowpack Measurements

More than half of the water used in California for farming and drinking and other everyday uses comes by way of runoff from the Sierra Nevada, and gauging the amount of snow there and predicting how...

Stem Cell Facility Expands Campus' Research Capabilities

The University of California, Merced, today celebrates the opening of its state-of-the-art Stem Cell Instrumentation Foundry, made possible through the support of the California Institute for...

Professor Using Wireless Sensor to Improve HVAC Efficiency

There is no factor in a building that uses up more energy at a greater cost than heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). Yet HVAC systems do not take advantage of technology that could make...

New Publication Showcases Dozens of UC Merced Inventions

Researchers at the University of California, Merced, have devoted years of hard work to finding solutions to some of the world’s most challenging problems. The campus’ Office of Research has released...

Student-Run Startup Planting Solar Roots in Valley

Three UC Merced alumni — two from Southern California and one from Ohio — are working toward starting a business and making a difference right here in the San Joaquin Valley. Heather Poiry, Kevin...