Student & Alumni Success

From Strawberries to Smart Farm: Alum Adamaris Alvarez Grows Passion into a Career Path

June 18, 2025

Photo depicts UC Merced graduate Adamaris Alvarez in a black hat on a blue and gold graphic background.

Growing up in Watsonville, a vibrant agricultural community on California's Central Coast, Adamaris Alvarez always knew she wanted to work in agriculture. She worked on her family's berry ranch, Alvarez Farms, where she grew a deep appreciation for the hard work agriculture demands. But...

Professor Stephanie Woo, left, and graduate student Leesa Strasser are trying to unlock the mechanics of endodermal cells.

Award Supports Study of Fish Embryos to Understand Process that Affects Birth Defects

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has given Professor Stephanie Woo the CAREER award to help her delve into congenital birth defects by looking at the embryonic cells of zebrafish. Woo is...

UC Merced students help clean out storage units that flooded in an early January 2023 storm.

UC Merced Students Help Clean Up Flooded Storage Facility

Several UC Merced students pitched in Saturday, Jan. 28 to help people whose belongings were damaged when rains earlier this month flooded a storage facility. Students from sports teams and...

A solar project at a Merced dairy provides heated water around the clock.

Solar Projects Yielding Exciting Potential for Dairies, Other Industries

A company started by UC Merced founding faculty member Roland Winston - and staffed by alumni - is looking for partners for some exciting solar projects. And the government could cover the costs....

Former School of Engineering Dean Mat Matsumoto with Professors Anita Bhappu and Alejandro Gutierrez and most of the Center for Advancing Diversity in Engineering fellows at the Fall 2022 Innovate to Grow event.

Innovate to Grow Expands to Include, Inspire First-Year Students

Innovate to Grow is a twice-yearly celebration of student ingenuity hosted by the School of Engineering (SoE). In a way, it's a science fair for college students to help solve problems...

UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz and alumni pose for a photo at Dodger Stadium.

UC Merced Alumni Hit Home Runs in 2022

UC Merced alumni gave back to their alma mater in several big ways in 2022. From endowed scholarships to events, Bobcats are ensuring that current and future students have access to the best...

UC Merced Provides Unique Opportunities for Undergrad Research

Christina Georges didn't choose UC Merced because of the opportunities she would have to conduct research as an undergraduate. "When doing my own research on UC Merced in high school, I...

UC Merced engineering students at the SHPE conference in Charlotte, N.C.

UC Merced Students Earn Wins, Job Offers at National Engineering Conference

UC Merced students came away from a national engineering conference with some big wins — including a first-place finish in a famous design competition and job offers from some of the...

A recent demonstration of how biochar is created

Research Reveals an Easy Way Dairy Farmers Can Dramatically Reduce their Climate Impact

Adding even a small amount of biochar — a charcoal-like material produced by burning organic matter — to a dairy’s manure-composting process reduces methane emissions by 84%, a...

UC Merced Holds Event For Incoming MAAP Students (Slideshow)

High school students who are on track to qualify for automatic admission to UC Merced and their families were invited to a special engagement on campus. The event took place in the Dr. Vikram...

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