School of Engineering

Innovative Solutions Turn Rural Energy Challenges Into Opportunities

January 21, 2026

Photo depicts an attendee speaking into a microphone to ask a question at the Rural Energy Summit at UC Merced.

One of the biggest hurdles facing local farmers is the rising cost of doing business. However, some innovative solutions are in the works, as highlighted at the Central Valley Rural Energy Systems Workshop at UC Merced in early December. Hosted by the UC Merced Energy Center and the...

Paper on Online Object Tracking Earns Award 10 Years Later

UC Merced electrical engineering and computer science Professor Ming Hsuan-Yang recently won an award for a paper he co-authored 10 years ago. Yang was awarded the Longuet-Higgins Prize at the...

Members of the UC Merced team at the Design/Build/Fly drone competition in Tucson, Arizona.

UC Merced Drone Team Soars to New Heights in Global Competition

After seven months of working for hours each weekend to design, build and fly a drone, it all came down to a nervous moment for UC Merced students taking part in a worldwide competition. Their...

Mechanical engineering Professor Ashlie Martini

Science Publishes Mechanochemistry Research by UC Merced Professor

Most organic reactions involve use of a solvent and heat, resulting in chemical manufacturing waste that can be toxic. Mechanochemistry, applying mechanical force to influence chemical reactions,...

Colleen Naughton, third from left, and team with freshly harvested argan nuts in Morocco. Photo courtesy of Colleen Naughton

Profile Highlights Impressive Contributions of UC Merced Professor

A new feature by the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society and the Banatao Institute (CITRIS) highlights the impressive contributions made by UC Merced civil and...

Josh Viers, Rakesh Goel, Yosuke Yamashiki, Hrant Hratchian, Sarah Naumes and Chase Yamauchi at the MOU signing. Photo by Leigh Bernacchi

Collaboration Across Continents: Agreement Brings Merced, Kyoto Campuses Closer

Merced, California, and Kyoto, Japan, are nearly 5,500 miles apart, but their research universities' shared goals to improve society is bringing them together. A new agreement between...

Participants in a Secure Water Future expedition raft on the Green River in Utah.

Water Research Goes Deep with Rafting Trip to Utah

The USDA-funded Secure Water Future (SWF) team at UC Merced believes that to fully understand water, you must do more than just study this vital resource. You must immerse yourself in it -...

Campus Adds New Areas of Studies for Students to Choose From

New students or those who have not yet chosen their majors will have an array of options before them. Five new majors and several new emphases, ranging across all three schools, are all coming...

Academic Senate Honors Faculty Members with Annual Awards

Each year, faculty members are specially recognized by their peers in the Academic Senate for a variety of accomplishments. This year’s Academic Senate awards honor faculty from across the...

Professor Ahmed Sabir Arif is pictured with PhD students Tafadzwa Joseph Dube, Laxmi Pandey (graduated Spring 2022), Gulnar Rakhmetulla (graduated Spring 2022), and Yuan Ren.

CAREER Award Funds Research Into Lip Reading for Mobile Devices

Professor Ahmed Sabbir Arif has received a CAREER award for his research into non-acoustic, image-based speech input on mobile devices. He is the 35th researcher from UC Merced to earn a...