Research Excellence

UC Merced Climate Experts Explain Why March Heat Wave is Dangerous

March 17, 2026

Depicted is the sun in an orange sky framed by palm leaves.

Temperatures in the 90s are nothing new to the northern San Joaquin Valley. But having them in March, as expected this week, is unusual and potentially dangerous. An exceptionally strong ridge of high pressure will bring record-breaking heat to the entire region, the National Weather Service...

An irrigation water delivery canal in the San Joaquin Valley of California,

An Invisible Water Surcharge: Climate Warming Increases Crop Water Demand in the San Joaquin Valley's Groundwater-Dependent Irrigated Agriculture

University of California researchers from the USDA-funded Secure Water Future project recently found that increases in crop water demand explain half of the cumulative deficits of the agricultural...

Professor Hyeran Jeon is pictured with her MoCA lab group.

UC Merced's 40th CAREER Award Funds Computer Efficiency Research

Professor Hyeran Jeon has received a CAREER award for her research into computer efficiency. She is the 40th researcher from UC Merced to earn a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation...

SICB Awarded Funding for Major Cultural Change Initiative

The National Science Foundation recently awarded nearly $500,000 to the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) to help develop an internal culture that fosters inclusion, diversity...

Jennifer Pett-Ridge addresses dozens of attendees at the Roads to Removal symposium at UC Merced.

'Roads to Removal' Symposium Looks at Opportunities to Fight Climate Change

Discussions around climate change often center around the bad news - the planet is warming, weather is getting more extreme, resources are increasingly scarce. But there also is cause for...

UC Merced student Tejas Bhartia is pictured next to a NASA sign

Internship at NASA Yields Long-lasting Results for Student, Space Agency

A UC Merced undergraduate student's work at NASA helped ensure the space agency will have cost-effective and efficient communications. Tejas Bhartiya, who recently graduated from the...

W.E.B. Du Bois and 1900 information graphic

Project Positions W.E.B. Du Bois as Inspiration for STEM Students

Editor's note: In honor of Black History Month, the UC Merced newsroom is highlighting some of the organizations, services and people who serve or represent the Black community on campus. We...

Orquidea Largo and Zenaida Aguirre-Muñoz are seen in side-by-side images.

Grant Supports UC Merced Effort to Improve College Readiness in Valley

A significant grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will advance UC Merced's efforts to create a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of college readiness among high-school...

Climate and Carbon Dioxide ‘Roads to Removal’ Discussion Set for UC Merced

What does the greater Merced community need to know about climate change? How might the Central Valley play a significant role in discussions and solutions about carbon dioxide removal? What new...

Professor Shahar Sukenik studies intrinsically disordered proteins.

Sukenik Named Sloan Research Fellow for Pioneering Research in Protein Chemistry

Professor Shahar Sukenik has been a faculty member for only 5 1/2 years, but he has already built an impressive resume, becoming a leader in his research field, an innovator and an exceptional...