Sustainability

From Soil to Climate Solutions: Berhe Leads Sierra Nevada Research Institute into its Next Chapter

September 11, 2025

When Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe arrived at UC Merced in 2009, she and her husband, Professor Teamrat Ghezzehei, were leaving major research institutions to join a brand-new campus in California’s Central Valley. It was a leap of faith — one made easier by the Sierra Nevada Research...

UC Merced Gifted New Bicycle Fleet

Thanks to a bicycle fleet donation to the campus, UC Merced students will soon have more transportation options and access to bike riding and safety programs. The generous gift of 50 fully...

Chef’s Film Highlights Regional Farmers, Collaboration with Campus Dining

Recognizing food as both sustenance and a cultural experience that can evoke memories, cross boundaries and bring people together, seasoned chef and media personality Ed Porter recently brought his...

Alice Waters Institute Challenges Student Chefs to Get Creative

Student employees in UC Merced’s dining centers got an up-close look at the sustainable techniques at a family almond farm and were challenged to create locally sourced dishes as part of a...

Lab members Zabir Mahmud and Farzan ZareAfifi are pictured on either side of electrical engineering Professor Sarah Kurtz.

As California Develops More Clean Energy, Researchers Delve Into How to Store it

As California lawmakers consider a package of bills aimed at increasing the production of clean energy, a major question arises: How would we store all this new power? Storage is a vital...

Two goats eating tall grasses are depicted.

Goats Visit UC Merced to Reduce Fire Fuels, Abate Weeds — and Look Super Cute

Cattle are a fairly regular sight around the UC Merced campus. They graze along the 6,500-acre Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve and the 40-acre Experimental Smart Farm, and an annual student...

Arbor Day Tree Planting Event (Slideshow)

A tree planting ceremony was held on campus to commemorate Arbor Day 2024. Various campus groups planted and dedicated 14 trees, each type representing a different tenet of the university. Volunteers...

Climate and Carbon Dioxide ‘Roads to Removal’ Discussion Set for UC Merced

What does the greater Merced community need to know about climate change? How might the Central Valley play a significant role in discussions and solutions about carbon dioxide removal? What new...

New Partnership Offers Ph.D. Students a Path to Pedagogical Excellence

Graduate student Samuel Leventini comes from a long line of educators, and the tribology researcher thinks he might want to follow in those footsteps. Thanks to a new supplemental grant from the...

UC Merced students participate in a waste sorting line that recycles and composts landfill waste.

UC Merced Makes Princeton Review Green Honor Roll

UC Merced's reputation for environmental stewardship remains strong following the campus's most recent recognition by The Princeton Review 2024 Green Honor Roll. UC Merced was one of...