Mechanical Engineering

Creative, Problem-Solving Projects Win at I2G

January 28, 2026

UC Merced students are depicted in front of a poster explaining their project for I2G.

A semi-automated washing system for bins at a tomato-processing facility and a mobile app for hikers earned big wins at the Fall 2025 I2G, or Innovate to Grow, event at UC Merced. I2G is a unique "experiential learning" program that engages external partner organizations with teams of...

UC Merced Honors PG&E with Inaugural Vanguard Award

MERCED, Calif. — UC Merced honored the Pacific Gas and Electric Company with the School of Engineering’s inaugural Vanguard Award today with a special ceremony to thank the company for all it has...

Engineering Students Solving a Wild Problem

Students with a variety of skills and perspectives make up a team that’s taking engineering principles into some of the area’s wildlands to further education and promote awareness about the ...

Graduate Student Finds Unexpected Home in Merced

Zhijiang “Justin” Ye wasn’t expecting to attend the newest campus in the UC system. He just wanted to work with Professor Ashlie Martini. When Ye, then a student at University of Minnesota, connected...

Robotics Society Navigates Uncharted Courses

Sometimes, all you need is a little push, even if it comes from a mechanical arm. That was the case with the UC Merced Robotics Society, which began in 2008 but languished after its founders...

Impact: Racing Team Puts Classroom Lessons to the Test

http://youtu.be/AZKkpc9PUTQ UC Merced’s Society of Automotive Engineers team members gain hands-on experience that will help them in their future careers and beyond.

UC Merced Plasma Lab Turning Leftovers into Cleaner Energy

There’s a reason the UC Merced plasma lab is isolated behind a locking fence near the entrance to campus. There’s some serious heat being produced down there. Engineering professors Gerardo Diaz,...

Korean Students Get UC Solar Experience

They traveled nearly 20 hours by plane and bus across 5,700 miles to spend three weeks in the Central Valley sun. Fifteen engineering students from Dankook University in Yongin, Gyeonggi, South Korea...

Researchers Spend Summer Working on Projects Near and Far

From the caves of Belize to laboratories in Japan, UC Merced faculty members and students are abroad conducting research this summer across the globe. Though the semester ended in mid-May, the campus...

Grad Student Focuses Research on Energy Efficiency

It’s no surprise UC Merced graduate student Siyu Wu’s research — rooted in mechanical engineering — has veered toward the environmental. Wu, who grew up in China, was raised by parents who felt...