San Joaquin Valley

For Turlock High Grad, UC Merced is Just Far Enough from Home

March 6, 2026

Breyenne Pierce, a utility player on the water polo team, demonstrates her skills.

Breyenne Pierce wasn't sure UC Merced was for her. The Turlock High graduate had followed her passion for water polo to Sierra College in Rocklin. As she was concluding her community college experience, she started looking for a four-year university to complete her degree. "Honestly...

Brenda Carlos Aranda, una maestra el la Primaria Farmdale, obtuvo sus credenciales en UC Merced

Primer Grupo Comenzará Nuevo Programa de Preparación Para Maestros Bilingües

Existen cerca de 1.2 millones de estudiantes en California cuyo el español es su primer idioma. La transición a un aula de habla inglesa podría ser difícil para estos estudiantes, pero el Programa de...

"Central Valley Portraits" Exhibit Showcases Everyday Life, Including Grief and Hope, in Merced

There's no doubt that it's been a tough year. A global pandemic, political division, social unrest, wildfires and more have inundated people's lives. Now, a local exhibit created by a UC...

Central Valley Caravan to Provide Labor Rights Information to Farmworkers

Farmworkers can learn more about their labor rights and workplace safety protections as a mobile informational caravan makes multiple stops across the Central Valley this weekend. UC Merced's...

Merced County Public Health Officer Dr. Salvador Sandoval administers a COVID-19 vaccine.

Report Addresses Barriers to COVID-19 Vaccination in California

As news headlines continue to focus on seeing the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe. As of May 18, California has recorded more than 3.6...

Farmworkers receive facial coverings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Analysis Shows Pandemic's Toll on California Workers in High-Risk Industries

California is getting a closer look at exactly how workers in high-risk industries across the state have borne the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. For the first time, UC Merced's Community and...

Students teamed up with Castle Air Museum to complete a grant application for funds from Proposition 68, which would improve the park for the community. Photo by Veronica Adrover, UC Merced

Students Contribute to Castle Air Museum Improvement Proposal

A team of UC Merced students partnered with Castle Air Museum to complete a proposal in the hopes of making the park more accessible to the diverse community it serves. When Californians passed...

The FACTS Bridge Program is a new internship designed to immerse students in agricultural science and research.

First-Year and Transfer Students Can Dig into Research this Summer with Paid USDA Internships

Many students don’t think about internships until later in college, but at UC Merced undergraduate students can take advantage of hands-on training with faculty before even starting regular...

Leigh Bernacchi is the program director of the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society.

Bernacchi Publishes Guide to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

After spending a year working and studying remotely, many people are ready to get out from behind their computer screens and spend some time in nature. Those interested in exploring the great...

UC Merced, MUHSD Announce Merced Automatic Admission Program

UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz, Ph.D., and Merced Union High School District Superintendent Alan Peterson formally signed the first Merced Automatic Admission Program (MAAP) for students at...