First. Further. Forward

'It's Ours!' Merced Selected for UC's Newest Campus 30 Years Ago

May 19, 2025

A student holds a copy of the Merced Sun-Star, with a large headline proclaiming "It's Ours!"

On May 18, 1995, the University of California Board of Regents voted to select Merced as the site for its ninth undergraduate campus. To get to that point, Merced had to beat out what started as a list of 85 potential sites drawn up in 1989, after regents announced the year before they wanted to...

Photo depicts a firefighter and flames from the 2020 Apple fire in California.

How Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Fuel Record-Breaking Wildfires in 2020? New Study Explains

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...

For the First Time, All Avian Evolutionary Relationships Revealed Through Collaboration

Professor Emily Jane McTavish and colleagues at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have mapped the evolution of every known bird species. They created a complete evolutionary tree of bird species by...

Flames, the beach and the ocean are depicted in a scene from the January 2025 Palisades fire.

Researchers Look Ahead to Fire Season 2025

Pictures accompanying Professor John Abatzoglou's presentation on the 2025 fire season were blurry. That was intentional, he said, because so much about wildfire is unpredictable. "There...

Students listen to a presentation during a previous Merced To Market event at UC Merced.

Bringing Ideas to Market the Topic of Event at UC Merced

Developing a great idea is an accomplishment in itself. But taking it to the next step — into potential commercialization and market opportunities — has the potential to both...

Image from the Palisades fire in Los Angeles depicts flames and trees.

Experts to Provide Outlook of Upcoming Fire Season

What will California's fire season look like in 2025? A panel of UC Merced experts, joined by the founder of a public safety information nonprofit organization, will conduct an in-depth...

A mugshot of Pengfei Su is depicted on a blue and gold striped background.

Machine Learning Research Earns CAREER award

Electrical engineering and computer science Professor Pengfei Su has received a CAREER award for his research on cross-layer performance tuning to enhance deep learning model efficiency. He...

Photo depicts solar panels mounted on concrete supports over a canal.

Consortium Looks to Expand Solar-Over-Canal Projects Statewide

The first solar-over-canal project in California, which started with research at UC Merced, has begun producing electricity. Plans are now in the works to expand the technology to other areas. A...

Photo depicts electrical engineering and computer science Professor Ming-Hsuan Yang on a blue and gold background.

Computer Vision Researcher Honored for Work in AI

The Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, the premier scientific society dedicated to advancing the understanding of the mechanisms underlying thought and intelligent behavior...

Photo depicts electrical engineering Professor Eric Cheng at his desk at UC Merced.

Electric Vehicle Pioneer Starts Work at UC Merced

UC Merced's electrical engineering major only started a year ago. But it's already made some significant accomplishments and attracted researchers digging into exciting projects. One of...