School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts

First-generation Students Shine at UC Merced. This Week Celebrates Them

November 3, 2025

UC Merced Professor Rose Scott, student Narciso Martinez Solorio

More than six in 10 UC Merced undergraduates are the first in their families to attend a university. The national average for four-year universities is about two in 10. Opening doors to opportunity for first-generation students is infused into UC Merced’s DNA. Young people who had little...

Students Continue Their Acting Careers at UC Merced

TaNayiah Bryels didn’t get the lead role of Mary in her first-grade Christmas pageant, but it did spark a lifelong interest in theater. The UC Merced student has been acting ever since, landing parts...

Social Feedback Loop Aids Language Development

Verbal interactions between parents and children create a social feedback loop important for language development, according to research by a professor at the University of California, Merced. That...

Valley Fever Lecture Series to Bring Attention to ‘Silent Epidemic’

Valley fever, described as a “silent epidemic” by the Centers for Disease Control, will be explored through a series of wide-ranging talks at the University of California, Merced. Twelve lectures...

Research Universities Create Economic Spillover, Study Shows

A $1 increase in university spending generates an 89 cent increase in local noneducation labor income — evidence of a measurable spillover effect created by public research institutions, according to...

Research Shows Connection Between Attitudes, Language

People’s attitudes could affect the amount of information they share, said UC Merced researchers who studied a massive chunk of Yelp business review data. Ph.D. student David Vinson and Professor...

Center Makes Maps Come to Life

Like many children on long car trips, Erin Mutch often asked “Where are we?” But instead of telling her, Mutch’s parents gave her a map to figure it out. Mutch’s knack for using maps to tell bigger...

Grad Students to Continue Heritage Research with Fellowship

Two UC Merced graduate students will continue their research into world heritage with the support of prestigious Marie Curie Fellowships. Fabrizio Galeazzi and Paola Di Giuseppantonio Di Franco were...

New Study Connects Smoke-Free Laws, Dentists’ Advice to Quit

Smoke-free laws may help encourage dentists to recommend that their patients kick the smoking habit, according to new research co-authored by UC Merced Professor Mariaelena Gonzalez. The paper,...

Conference to Explore Black Arts Movement, Influences

An international two-day conference on the Black Arts Movement will draw world-renowned scholars, musicians and artists, and offer new scholarship and perspectives on the 1960s and 1970s movement....