First. Further. Forward

UC Merced's Smart Farm Abuzz with Activity

June 25, 2025

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 experiments. They study everything from pollinators to hydroponics, but there are more than just...

Merced Materials Science and Engineering professor Yue "Jessica" Wang

UC Merced Researcher Earns Her Third Early Career Award

A UC Merced Materials Science and Engineering professor recently earned a prestigious award from the Army Research Office, a directorate of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army...

The Sentinel Rock building at UC Merced.

UC Merced's Expansion Project Continues to Garner Acclaim

Since its completion three years ago, the Merced 2020 Project has amassed numerous accolades. Most recently, the landmark project that, in essence, doubled the size of the university's campus,...

UC Merced Ranks in the Top 10 for Economic Mobility

UC Merced is among the top 10 U.S. universities for driving economic mobility for its graduates, according to a new study by think tank Third Way. In its second annual national assessment of the...

UC Merced Ranked 15th Best Public College in the Nation By Wall Street Journal

UC Merced has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal Best Colleges in the U.S. ranking published today. Out of 400 universities that were looked at nationwide, UC Merced came in at No...

Zulema Valdez Appointed Associate Vice Chancellor for EJIE

Zulema Valdez has been selected as UC Merced’s associate vice chancellor for Equity, Justice and Inclusive Excellence (EJIE). In making the announcement, Vice Chancellor and Chief Diversity...

A rendering depicts the new housing project.

UC Merced, Merced College to Provide New Housing for Transfer Students

UC Merced and Merced College will jointly build a 488-bed student housing project for community college and transfer students. The California Legislature gave final approval to the $100 million...

An aerial photograph of the UC Merced campus.

NIH Grant to Study Immigration Policy Impacts on Mental Health and Access to Health Care for Latinos in Rural Communities

UC Merced public health Professor Maria-Elena De Trinidad Young has been awarded an R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The $3 million grant will fund Young's ambitious...

UC Merced Computer Science and Engineering Professor Xiaoyi Lu and members of the Lu lab.

Department of Energy Grant will Fund EECS Professor Lu's Research into Improving Federated Machine Learning

UC Merced Computer Science and Engineering Professor Xiaoyi Lu is leading a collaboration that secured a $4.35 million grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) to improve federated...

Founding Faculty Member Martha Conklin Bids Farewell to Campus Community

Professor Martha Conklin started her career at UC Merced at the Castle Research Facility, and it began with a frightening surprise. “I had a baby rattlesnake in my office,” she said....