School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts

Her UC Merced Path Changed But Stockton Student Stays on Track

March 25, 2026

UC Merced student Taliyah Miller poses for photo

Taliyah Miller would be the first to tell you she arrived at UC Merced with an unwavering, long-range goal: become an anesthesiologist. What she could not have predicted was that a difficult roommate, a therapist’s question and a job she forgot she applied for would upend that goal and leave...

Artist-in-Residence Brings Theories of Flight to Classroom, Community

Spanish artist Olga Diego blends the concepts of art and engineering into the magic of flight. This semester, Diego is bringing her creativity and expertise to UC Merced as the campus’s newest artist...

Cognitive Scientist Earns Early Career Impact Award

UC Merced Professor Rick Dale is a recipient of the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences (FABBS) Early Career Impact Award from the Society for Computers in Psychology. Dale...

History Professor to Give Talk in Turlock on the Graphic Novel

UC Merced history Professor Mario Sifuentez will present a lecture, “Histories and the Graphic Novel,” at the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15. Sifuentez will discuss how the...

Study: Early High-Altitude Settlers Were Hunter-Gatherers, Not Farmers

A new paper by UC Merced Professor Mark Aldenderfer begins to settle a longstanding debate over when people began permanently occupying higher elevations of the Tibetan Plateau, and shows communities...

Professor’s Himalayan Archaeological Finds Documented on ‘NOVA’

Join UC Merced Professor Mark Aldenderfer as he and his colleagues explore the world’s highest cave tombs, revealing new details about the lives of the people who settled the Himalaya, in the season...

Researchers to Discuss Strong Family Relationships in Symposium

UC Merced will host its fourth annual Symposium on the Child and Family from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Jan. 28, offering a day of talks by researchers on the theme of “Strong Families: Fostering Healthy...

Message From Chancellor Leland on Student Jennifer Mendiola

The following message from Chancellor Dorothy Leland was sent to the campus community today, Dec. 7: Dear UC Merced Campus Community, It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that I write today to...

'Revolutionary Theatre' Performance to Explore Racism, Inequality

Students in the UC Merced Global Arts Studies Program will present “Voices of the Revolutionary Theatre Collective” Dec. 8 at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center. The production will explore the...

High-Altitude Archaeology Uncovers Earliest Evidence of Potato Consumption

Every French fry, gnocchi, tater tot and order of hash browns humans have eaten in the past 5,000 years can be traced back to one place in the world — northwestern Bolivia and southern ...