Sustainability

Arbor Day Tree Planting Event (Slideshow)

April 22, 2024

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 planted olive trees to symbolize peace and hope, red maple trees to symbolize vibrancy and...

Love is in the Air and in the National Park this Spring

Preparations are underway for this year's production of Shakespeare in Yosemite, and the show promises to be groovy. Working with students, Professors Katie Brokaw and Paul Prescott are...

Solar-paneled Canals Getting a Test Run in San Joaquin Valley

A research project conducted by a UC Merced graduate student is becoming a reality as the Turlock Irrigation District (TID) approved piloting the first-in-the-nation construction of solar panels over...

A 10 kW array on location at UC Merced. This is one of the two innovative technologies in the Department of Energy's desalination contest.

Winston Cone Optics' Innovative Technology Garners State, National Attention

When people hear the word “solar,” many think of solar panels on a house, which generate electricity. But there is another way to use energy harnessed by the sun: heat. Founding...

From left, professors Tom Harmon, David Strubbe, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Michael Scheibner, Sayantani Ghosh and Mehmet Baykara

NSF Grant to Help Grad Students Find Solutions to Environmental Challenges

Graduate students and a convergence of physics, engineering and environmental science could result in not only the next generation of solutions to pressing environmental challenges, but a new group...

Professor Joshua Viers stands near a canal on the UC Merced campus.

UC Merced Leads Innovative Effort to Secure Water for Agriculture and Ecosystems

UC Merced’s largest research grant in its 16-year history aims to improve agricultural and environmental water resilience. The new $10 million collaborative focuses on water banking, trading...

UC Merced remains in the top 100, rising to 93rd among national universities

UC Merced Continues Rankings Rise

The University of California, Merced, continues its historic climb in the venerable US News & World Report rankings of U.S. universities, with the 2022 list released this morning. UC...

UC Merced Makes Princeton Review ‘Green Honor Roll,’ Remains Consistent on International Young University Rankings

UC Merced’s superb sustainability and environmental reputation continue to be a powerhouse, with The Princeton Review placing the campus among only three UCs on its ‘2022 Green Honor Roll...

A machine developed in Professor Reza Ehsani's lab improves almond harvests by reducing the amount of dust stirred up as the nuts are gathered from the ground.

New AI Institute Expands UC Merced’s Smart, Sustainable Agriculture Effort

With a new $20 million federal grant, UC Merced becomes part of a multi-institutional research collaborative to develop artificial intelligence — or AI — solutions to tackle some of...

Two engineering professors and a graduate student received a grant from NASA to study how wildfires alter changes in carbon and sediment along California’s coastline.

Engineering Professor Awarded NASA Grant to Study Impacts of Wildfires on California’s Coastline

California is known for its beautiful coastline, where the Pacific Ocean meets sandy beaches and rugged cliffs. While many scientists have studied the land or the ocean independently, less is known...