After a couple of years of sufficient water, much of California is showing "abnormally dry" conditions in spring 2026, according to the state drought monitor.
And as climate change adds more swings between wet and dry conditions, researchers are working on ways to better...
News
May 26, 2026
Editor's note: This story is republished from the Spring/Summer 2026 issue of UC Merced Magazine.
Walk across UC Merced’s campus on any weekday, and you might hear laughter spilling from a classroom, feel the thrum of a wind tunnel or spot students crouched in a field searching for...
May 21, 2026
UC Merced's chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers was again honored as the Region VI Medium Chapter of the Year. It is the second consecutive year the organization received this recognition. The NSBE, established at UC Merced in 2007, provides support, guidance and advocacy for...
May 20, 2026
The W.M. Keck Foundation has awarded UC Merced nearly $1.8 million in new grants that fuel ambitious research and give early-career scientists a crucial boost at a pivotal stage of their careers.
One of the nation’s most prominent private supporters of basic science, the Los Angeles–...
May 19, 2026
A new UC Merced major arrived just in time for Tyrese Francis.
When the student starts his third year at the university this fall, he will dive into coursework for a degree in business administration, one of two degrees debuting in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts.
“I...
May 18, 2026
A recent celebration marked important anniversaries for two partners in research and innovation, but both emphasized that the most exciting events still lie ahead.
The commemoration at UC Merced on Main marked 25 years of the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of...
May 17, 2026
Smiling even as she cried, Nancy Rodas De Leon stood in UC Merced's University Plaza, accepting hugs, flowers, stuffed animals and cards from extended family.
"These are happy tears," said Rodas De Leon, who previously earned both her undergraduate and master's degrees...
May 15, 2026
Services are set Sunday afternoon for Professor YangQuan Chen, whose contibutions to UC Merced's School of Engineering and to the university as a whole will endure through programs he helped build, the research he advanced, and the many students and colleagues he inspired.
Chen, a...
May 15, 2026
UC Merced’s Degree Completion Program has received a grant of more than half a million dollars to energize efforts to expand opportunities for adult learners to return to academics and earn a meaningful degree.
The Degree Completion Program received a two-year, $550,000 grant from the...
May 13, 2026
UC Merced is abuzz with celebration as students, families, friends, staff and faculty finish last-minute preparations for the largest commencement in university history.
Across three outdoor ceremonies, 1,649 undergraduates and 112 graduate students will walk the stage at Spring Commencement...
