School of Engineering

Project Aims to Put AI to Work Reducing its Own Energy Needs

April 8, 2026

Photo depicts Elizabeth Nowadnick, center, surrounded by members of her lab on campus at UC Merced.

It's no secret that artificial intelligence uses a lot of electricity. A standard ChatGPT query consumes approximately 0.34 watt-hours - roughly 10 times more than a Google search. According to the Pew Research Center, U.S. data centers consumed 183 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024 -...

Rakesh Goel is the new dean of the UC Merced School of Engineering

Q&A with the new Dean of Engineering at UC Merced

Rakesh Goel developed an interest in earthquakes at an early age — and rather abruptly. As a small boy in India, one of his first memories is of experiencing an earthquake....

Computer Science and Engineering Students Compete Against Thousands in Hackathon

Three UC Merced computer science and engineering students will take on more than 5,000 other teams around the world at the IEEExtreme Hack-a-Thon on Oct. 21-22. The Hack-a-Thon is a 24-hour...

Bioengineering Professor Eva de Alba Bastarrechea and postdoctoral scholar Meenakshi Sharma

New Bioengineering Study Aims to Understand the Mechanisms of Inflammation

When it functions correctly, inflammation protects the body from infection and injury. But when it becomes chronic, inflammation is linked to health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer,...

Campus Leaders Travel to Mexico to Help Launch Climate Change Initiative

UC Merced’s battle against climate change is traveling south of the border as campus leaders joined UC Alianza MX to help launch a strategic alliance between the UC system and counterparts in...

Environmental Systems Student Earns Prestigious Ford Fellowship

Lillie Pennington has been awarded a Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine for the 2022-2023 academic year. She is one of 38...

Undergrad Stem Cell Training Positions Students For Careers After Graduation

Rising juniors this fall will have an unprecedented opportunity for stem cell research training that could lead directly to careers in stem cell science after graduation. School of Engineering...

Researchers Take New Approach to Quantify Water Use

Like many other researchers, environmental engineering professors Erin Hestir and Joshua Viers are trying to quantify water use in California’s Central Valley. The difference is, they are...

Sociology Ph.D. student Jullanar Williams Chancellor’s Fellowship for Inclusive Excellence

Four Ph.D. Students Awarded Chancellor’s Fellowship for Inclusive Excellence

UC Merced has awarded its second cohort of Chancellor’s Fellowship for Inclusive Excellence to four incoming Ph.D. students from the schools of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, Natural...

UC Merced has been ranked in the top 100 national universities by U.S. News & World Report

Campus Named Among Top 100 National Universities by U.S. News Three Years Running

UC Merced continues to build a national reputation for its academic distinction and research excellence. For three consecutive years, UC Merced has been ranked in the top 100 national universities...