Students

Professor and Environmental Champion Bales Retires, But Research and Advocacy Continue

November 10, 2025

Professors Roger Bales and Martha Conklin arrived in Merced in 2003, the first non-administrative faculty members at UC Merced. They came with a vision: to create a research university that would serve California’s future. Now, after more than 22 years of building institutions, mentoring...

UC Merced's mascot Rufus and a student pose for a photo.

Bobcat Day Attracts Record Crowd to UC Merced

The excitement was palpable at UC Merced as a record number of people descended on the campus for Bobcat Day. More than 5,700 students, family members and friends attended the annual open house event...

Four UC Merced students pose for a photo on the bike path along Lake Road.

Students Spruce Up Bike Path Near UC Merced

Keeping a community clean takes a lot of effort and sweat equity from the people who call it home. That's why Bobcats rolled up their sleeves and got to work to make the area right outside UC...

Outdoor Experience Program staff and participants at Mariposa grove in Yosemite.

Adventures Abound at UC Merced’s Outdoor Experience Program

Zayd Andre doesn’t consider himself outdoorsy, but the second-year computer science and engineering major from Fullerton caught the exploring bug in elementary school. “I believe my...

Bobcat Day 2023 (Slideshow)

The UC Merced campus was buzzing with excitement as future Bobcats and their families experienced all that the university has to offer during Bobcat Day 2023. A record number of guests attended...

A student poses with several soccer balls on an athletic field.

A Day in the Life of a First-Year Student at UC Merced

First-year student Edwin Casillas found everything he was looking for in a university — and more — at UC Merced. Nearly a year after the Sonora native said he "felt at home...

Graduate student Di An uses drones to assess soil carbon.

UC Merced Invests in the Next Generation of Ag-Tech Leadership

The new UC Merced Farms Food Future innovation initiative is investing in 10 graduate researchers to solve climate and community challenges. Their work is the start of a concerted focus in climate-...

Two people are seen in the snow in Yosemite National Park.

Environmental Conservation Takes Center Stage in Shakespeare in Yosemite's 'Romeo and Juliet'

"Romeo and Juliet" is considered William Shakespeare's most famous romantic tragedy. But this Earth Day weekend, it will be transformed into a new production that will offer hope for...

A family takes a photo with a UC Merced sign.

Bobcat Day Gives Future Bobcats a Taste of UC Merced

UC Merced is hosting its annual open house event Saturday, April 22, to give admitted, prospective and transfer students the opportunity to learn more about what the university has to offer....

College Track President & CEO Shirley M. Collado and UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz sign a partnership between the two entities.

UC Merced and College Track Partner to Democratize Potential Through Higher Education

The University of California, Merced, and College Track are pleased to announce a new partnership focused on ensuring that college students from underserved communities who want to be the first in...