- Study Finds Cannabis Addiction in Pregnancy Linked to Higher Risk of Postpartum Psychiatric Crises/news/2026/study-cannabis-addiction-pregnancy2026-10-22 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Research Excellence, Campus, Faculty, NIH, Health, Health Disparities, Research, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, Public Health, Public Health, Graduate StudentsBy Brenda Ortiz, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-worried-pregnant-woman-and-wisps-of-smoke.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="pregnant female" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Postpartum psychiatric emergencies are much more common with maternal cannabis use disorder, according to a study recently published in the journal “Annals of Epidemiology.” <p><strong>Key points</strong></p>
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<p>Pregnant women with cannabis use disorder (CUD) had a 10 percent rate of postpartum psychiatric emergency visits, compared to 2.7 percent among those without the disorder.</p>
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<p>CUD during pregnancy was linked to a 40 percent higher risk of psychiatric emergency visits during the first postpartum year.</p>
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<p>Diagnoses of CUD in pregnant women in California rose by about 40 percent over six years.</p>
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<p>Women diagnosed with cannabis use disorder during pregnancy were more likely to end up in an emergency room for a psychiatric problem in the year after giving birth, according to a study of more than 2 million California deliveries.</p>
<p>The study was conducted by UC Merced public health Professor <a href="https://publichealth.ucmerced.edu/content/sidra-goldman-mellor">Sidra Goldman-Mellor</a> and graduate student LaMecia De Alba, along with researchers from Michigan State University and UCLA. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1047279726002693">The findings were published</a> in the journal “Annals of Epidemiology.”</p>
<p>It showed that 10 percent of women with cannabis use disorder (CUD) — a medical diagnosis for people who keep using cannabis despite harm to their health, relationships or responsibilities — made a psychiatric emergency visit in their postpartum year, compared to 15.6 percent of women with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and less than 3 percent of women without cannabis or alcohol use disorder.</p>
<p>“One in 10 of the women who were diagnosed with cannabis use disorder during pregnancy went on to have a psychiatric emergency department visit in the postpartum year,” Goldman-Mellor said. “These aren’t just women saying, ‘I feel depressed.’ These are psychiatric symptoms serious enough that they had to go to the emergency room.” </p>
<p>During the six-year study period, CUD among pregnant women increased by 40 percent, whereas the incidence of AUD remained flat.</p>
<p>“It suggests there is a growing population of women who are using cannabis to a problematic extent when they’re pregnant, and that group is at higher risk of serious psychiatric problems,” Goldman-Mellor said.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
<p>As cannabis becomes more socially accepted, we have to pair that with education about real risks and with systems that actually screen and support pregnant and postpartum women who need help.</p>
Public Health Professor Sidra Goldman-Mellorhttps://news.ucmerced.edu/<p>The study, part of a broader National Institutes of Health grant that looks at substance use, violence victimization and self-harm behavior among pregnant and postpartum women, used hospital delivery records in California to compare psychiatric emergency department visits during the postpartum year among three groups — women diagnosed with CUD, women diagnosed with AUD and a control group without these diagnoses.</p>
<p>The study covers 2016 to 2021, a period that began as California voters approved recreational cannabis use. This legalization has prompted a need for scientific investigation regarding its effects on pregnant populations.</p>
<p>“Just because it’s legal doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s safe,” Goldman-Mellor said. “It’s like alcohol: Many people use it safely, but there’s a subset who become addicted, and that has really negative repercussions for their lives.</p>
<p>“As cannabis becomes more socially accepted, we have to pair that with education about real risks and with systems that actually screen and support pregnant and postpartum women who need help.”</p>
<p>“Some individuals don’t want to take prescribed medications because they know the side effects. With cannabis, there’s not much stated about the actual side effects,” said De Alba, whose research interests center on drug abuse among vulnerable populations. “Some people think that because it’s an herbal remedy, there are no larger side effects.”</p>
<p>Goldman-Mellor emphasized that the study shows a correlation between CUD and psychiatric emergencies but does not establish a cause-and-effect connection.</p>
<p>“This study is not designed to prove that cannabis use disorder causes psychiatric emergencies,” she said. “We didn’t set out to prove causation. What we wanted to show is that pregnant women who are addicted to cannabis are not a neutral group — this is a high‑risk group.”</p>
<p>The findings pinpoint a need for earlier screenings and support, but they leave important questions unanswered.</p>
<p>“There’s still a lot to be learned about the potency or the frequency of cannabis products that are being used within specific populations, especially among pregnant and postpartum women,” De Alba said.</p>
<p>“As cannabis becomes more socially accepted, we need to make sure pregnant and postpartum women are getting the substance use and mental health screening and treatment that they need,” Goldman-Mellor said.</p>
Brenda Ortiz - UC Merced Poised to Go Further, Chancellor Says in State of the University Address/news/2026/uc-merced-poised-go-further-chancellor-says-state-university-address2026-10-22 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Academic Distinction, Medical Education Building, Athletics, Boldly Forward Campaign, Campus, Campus Planning, Information Technology, Leadership, Chancellor, Chancellor’s Office, Research and Economic Development, Economic Development, Economic Impact, School of Engineering, School of Natural Sciences, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, Staff, Students, Graduate Students, Undergraduate Students, Community Service, SustainabilityBy Jody Murray, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-chancellor-state-of-university-address.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="UC Merced chancellor at lecturn giving State of the University address" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz charted a path to UC Merced's future in his State of the University address.<p>How do you take a university further?</p>
<p>For UC Merced’s chancellor, the answer starts with record-setting enrollment and extends to student opportunities, strong community connections, and new homes for students, academics and research, along with an ever-growing national reputation.</p>
<p>Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz pointed to the future and celebrated the university’s people and achievements in his annual State of the University address Oct. 21 before a gathering of UC Merced Foundation trustees, elected officials and members of the campus community.</p>
<p>The event also honored two longtime trustees, Kenni Friedman and Art Kamangar, for their service to and support of UC Merced. Friedman was named trustee emeritus and Kamangar trustee and secretary emeritus, respectively.</p>
<p>In his address, Muñoz said no other University of California campus achieved what UC Merced has in its first 20 years.</p>
<p>“So what do we do with that momentum?” he continued. “‘Further’ is about being intentional in charting our path, making strategic choices that strengthen our community, that expand opportunity for our students, that deepen our research impact.”</p>
<p>The path to UC Merced's future is built from milestones and moments of the past year, Muñoz said, including:</p>
<p><strong>Student surge:</strong> UC Merced welcomed the largest class in its history this fall. Enrollment topped 9,600, a one-year increase of nearly 8 percent. Forty-two percent of the new undergraduates are from the Central Valley, an increase of 13 percentage points since Muñoz arrived at UC Merced in 2020.</p>
<p>“We have been very deliberate and intentional about increasing the number of students from Valley communities,” he said.</p>
<p><strong>National recognition: </strong>U.S. News & World Report <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2026/uc-merced-named-30th-best-public-university-nation">ranked UC Merced 30th</a> among public universities and fourth overall for social mobility. It is one of the first institutions to earn <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2026/uc-merced-among-first-campuses-earn-carnegie-classification-sustainability">Carnegie’s new sustainability classification</a>, adding to its Carnegie distinctions of top-tier R1 research, community engagement and opportunity. No other university in the nation holds all four.</p>
<p><strong>Room to grow: </strong>The university’s physical expansion continues with the opening of two projects in the spring semester. The Medical Education Building symbolizes a new era in the studies of health and the development of future medical practitioners and professionals. Promise Housing is a 488-bed residence hall for Merced College and other transfer students. Another major project underway, Classroom and Office Building 3, is scheduled to be ready for use in spring 2028.</p>
<p><strong>More power to discover:</strong> A new partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory expands joint work on research, energy security, and training for future scientists and engineers.</p>
<p>“I consider this one of the most exciting agreements of the last few years,” Mu<u>ñ</u>oz said. “It's simply incalculable what could come out of this partnership.”</p>
<p>In addition, the Sierra Nevada Research Institute and the UC Merced Climate Institute have merged to form the <a href="https://www.ucmerced.edu/news/2026/uc-merced-launches-earth-institute-uniting-climate-and-environmental-research">UC Merced Earth Institute</a>, which will focus on climate solutions and ecosystems in the Valley and beyond.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/trusteefriedman.jpg" width="720" height="450" alt="Four people pose for picture, including UC Merced Trustee Emeritus Kenni Friedman." />Trustee Emeritus Kenni Friedman, third from left, with Vice Chancellor Ed Klotzbier, Foundation Board Chair Tracy Proetti and Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz. Not pictured: Trustee and Secretary Emeritus Art Kamangar.https://news.ucmerced.edu/<p><strong>Artificial intelligence:</strong> An AI Advisory Council was formed this year to guide and support thoughtful use of the technology across the campus. Planning is underway for UC Merced to build a digital hub that connects the Valley to high-performance computing power.In addition, an undergraduate degree in artificial intelligence through the School of Engineering will debut in fall 2027.</p>
<p>“We need to lean into this,” Mu<u>ñ</u>oz said of AI. “We need to master it in the way we have mastered other challenges, other technologies and other platforms.”</p>
<p><strong>Fundraising and philanthropy:</strong> UC Merced <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2026/uc-merced-celebrates-its-most-successful-fundraising-year">raised a record $68 million</a> in the last fiscal year, twice its previous one-year record, fueled by a $38 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the largest in university history.</p>
<p><strong>Giving back: </strong>About 1,200 student volunteers totaled more than 94,000 hours of service with community agencies and partners in the 2025-26 academic year, managed by the university’s Community Engagement Center.</p>
<p><strong>Academics:</strong> A business administration undergraduate degree that debuted this fall was an instant favorite, ranking in the top 25 percent of majors offered by the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts. In addition, the first <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2026/uc-merced-pilots-summer-investment-academy-help-students-build-skills-connections">Summer Investment Academy</a> taught first-year students about money management and personal finance, while UC Merced’s Honors Program for undergraduates grew to 250 students.</p>
<p>“Let us continue working together to realize the future of this remarkable university, in this magnificent Valley, in this Golden State,” Muñoz said. “Together, there is no limit to how much further we will go.”</p>
Jody Murray - UC Merced Announces 2026 Hellman Fellows /news/2026/uc-merced-announces-2026-hellman-fellows2026-10-21 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Academic Distinction, Research Excellence, Staff & Faculty News, Campus, Mechanical Engineering, Faculty, Research, School of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, School of Natural Sciences, Life and Environmental Sciences, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, History and Critical Race & Ethnic StudiesBy Francesca Dinglasan, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-10-21t085530.733.png" width="870" height="450" alt="Head shots of the three selected Hellman Fellows" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Francesco Danzi, Blythe George and Matthew Hutchinson have been named 2026 Hellman Fellows.<p>Key points</p>
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<p>Three UC Merced professors have been named 2026 Hellman Fellows, representing the university’s School of Engineering, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, and School of Natural Sciences.</p>
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<p>The fellowships will advance innovative research across three fields, from heat-responsive materials and the disappearance of Indigenous and Chicana women and girls to the nutritional value of plants consumed by livestock and wildlife.</p>
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<p>The awards bring UC Merced’s total to 71 Hellman Fellows, supporting early-career faculty as they build research programs, train student researchers and develop solutions with potential benefits for the Central Valley and beyond.</p>
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<p>Professors Francesco Danzi, Blythe George and Matthew Hutchinson have been named 2026 Hellman Fellows. Each faculty member represents one of UC Merced's three schools, and together their projects reflect the depth and breadth of innovative research taking place across the campus. </p>
<p>The Hellman Fellows Fund supports promising early-career faculty members across the University of California as they build their research agendas. This year's awards bring UC Merced's total number of Hellman Fellows to 71. </p>
<p>Danzi, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, studies how the internal architecture of materials can be designed to produce unconventional mechanical behavior. </p>
<p>Structures tend to lose stiffness when they heat up. Danzi's fellowship project, "Inverting Thermal Softening: Mechanics of Actively Stiffening Metamaterials," asks whether architected materials can be designed to do the opposite. </p>
<p>The project will investigate metamaterials built from reconfigurable structural units that transform in controlled ways as temperatures change. As the units shift, their internal components can come into contact and lock, turning heat-driven deformation into a source of added stiffness. Danzi and his team will combine analytical mechanics, computational modeling and experiments to establish predictive relationships between a material's architecture, its thermal activation, and its resulting mechanical behavior. </p>
<p>The goal is to pave the way for a new class of dynamically tunable materials whose mechanical properties are not fixed when they are made but can be programmed to change during operation. The fellowship will support experimental validation of the concept and give graduate and undergraduate researchers hands-on experience in modeling, fabrication and experimental mechanics. </p>
<p>"I am deeply honored to be named a Hellman Fellow," Danzi said. "This award gives my research group the opportunity to pursue a high-risk idea that challenges a basic expectation in structural mechanics: that structures tend to become softer when subjected to thermal loading. The fellowship will allow us to move this concept from theory to experimental validation and establish the foundation for a broader research program in dynamically reconfigurable materials. I am also especially grateful for the opportunity this award provides to support and train students through hands-on research." </p>
<p>George, a professor in the Department of History and Critical Race & Ethnic Studies, investigates why some women and girls seem to vanish from public attention just when they need help most. Her fellowship project, "The Visible-to-Invisible Pipeline: A Continuum of Disappearance in California's Central Valley," focuses on Indigenous and Chicana women and girls along the stretch of Highway 99 and Interstate 5 from Sacramento to Bakersfield. </p>
<p>Disappearance, George argues, is rarely a single, sudden event. More often, it is the endpoint of a long process. The same women who are closely watched by police, courts and other systems of control cant become nearly invisible to those systems when they go missing or are harmed. Her project aims to show how surveillance, criminalization and social marginalization combine over time to put certain women at greater risk. </p>
<p>With her fellowship, George will, for the first time, bring together data from her earlier tribal and statewide research on missing and murdered Indigenous people, or MMIP. She will use it to map patterns specific to the Central Valley, a region previous statewide studies did not examine on its own. The funding will also support a graduate student researcher, who will receive hands-on training in qualitative analysis and data management. </p>
<p>"I'm honored and grateful to receive a Hellman Fellowship," George said. "This support will help me study how Indigenous and Chicana women and girls can be highly visible to systems of surveillance and control, yet become difficult for those same systems to see when they need care or protection. I'm especially excited to bring the Central Valley into focus " </p>
<p>Hutchinson, a professor of life and environmental sciences, studies how livestock and wildlife choose what to eat from the often-diverse vegetation of California’s rangelands, and how those choices relate to a plant’s nutritional value. </p>
<p>His lab documents both sides of that equation. DNA sequencing of dung reveals which plants a cow or an elk has eaten, and lab tests measure how digestible those plants are. But turning digestibility into the energy an animal absorbs requires one more number: the total energy stored in the plant’s tissue. </p>
<p>Hutchinson’s fellowship project, “Expanding Agricultural Innovation at UC Merced: Completing the Livestock and Wildlife Nutrition Laboratory,” supplies that missing piece. The award will fund a bomb calorimeter, a device that combusts a plant sample in a controlled setting to measure how much energy it contains. With the calorimeter in place, Hutchinson said, his lab will have the rare capacity to identify what an animal ate and measure that food’s nutritional value. Fellowship funds will also send Hutchinson and three of his graduate students to Washington State University for training on the instrument. </p>
<p>The lab’s fieldwork already spans the state, from cattle on the Merced Vernal Pools and Grasslands Reserve to mule deer in the Los Banos and Yolo Bypass wildlife areas and the federally endangered Peninsular bighorn sheep in the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa mountains. </p>
<p>“Since arriving at UC Merced, I have been aware of the way that the Hellman Fellows Fund supports exciting research and researchers across the UC system,” Hutchinson said. “I am humbled to be among this year’s awardees. Support from the Hellman Fellows Fund is enabling new capabilities to be added to our animal nutrition research on campus, which would otherwise be impossible. </p>
<p>“The equipment we are purchasing will generate crucial data on plant energy content that will enhance the accuracy and applied value of our research. As the lab continues to build, I expect our analytical capabilities to serve agricultural and ecological research at UC Merced as well as the Central Valley’s ranching communities and wildlife managers.” </p>
<p><strong>About the Hellman Fellows Fund </strong></p>
<p>The Hellman Fellows Fund was created in 1995 through an endowed gift to the University of California from Chris and Warren Hellman and their family. It supports early-career faculty members who show the capacity for great distinction in their fields. Awards range from $10,000 to $50,000, depending on project needs. </p>
<p>Since 2011, the fund has helped rising UC Merced faculty advance their work. In 2021, a generous gift from the Hellman family permanently established the UC Merced Society of Hellman Fellows. </p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - Transferring from Community College to UC Merced Just Got Easier/news/2026/transferring-community-college-uc-merced-just-got-easier2026-10-20 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, First. Further. Forward, Students, Undergraduate StudentsBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_adt_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="Students wearing shirts emblazoned with UC Merced and Merced College logos walk down a hallway." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/The ADT creates a clearer and more affordable route from California's community colleges to UC Merced.<div>
<p>A new agreement will provide a seamless transition for community college students across the state to continue their education at UC Merced - with money to help pay for it.</p>
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<p>The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, in partnership with UC Merced, announced the university is now participating in the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) program.</p>
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<p>The ADT creates a clearer, more affordable and more predictable route from California's community colleges to UC Merced. The initiative is aimed at helping more students from diverse backgrounds, regions and communities pursue their educational goals.</p>
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<p>"Students applying to UC Merced for fall 2027 who complete an approved ADT by summer 2027 can transfer into the corresponding major and earn their bachelor's degree with no more than 60 additional semester units at UC Merced, provided they meet all program conditions," said Vivian Chan, deputy director of admissions at UC Merced. Participants will receive guaranteed admission to UC Merced with junior standing upon transferring as well as a $4,000 annual scholarship for up to two consecutive academic years while maintaining good standing and applicable eligibility requirements. They also can get access to UC Merced's <a href="https://www.mccd.edu/student-support/promise-housing/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Promise housing</a>, a new affordable all-inclusive campus housing community designed for transfer students and structured to work seamlessly with their financial aid packages.</p>
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<p>The university is guaranteeing two years of on-campus housing for students entering next fall who submit their Statement of Intent to Register and meet the priority housing application deadline of June 3.</p>
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<p>"Students can work with their community college advisers and UC Merced to understand the requirements, plan their coursework and map out a realistic timeline toward graduation," Chan said.</p>
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<p>ADTs aren't new; they were originally designed to serve students heading into the California State University system. Community college students considering transferring to both CSU and UC campuses have often had to navigate different general education coursework and admission requirements.</p>
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<p>"The value of this partnership lies in centering California's statewide Transfer Model Curriculum and making students' ADT preparation more portable," said James Todd, vice chancellor of academic affairs for California Community Colleges. "UC Merced has made a bold commitment to students' futures: students can complete an approved ADT at any California community college that offers the degree and carry that learning into a corresponding UC Merced pathway."</p>
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<p>UC Merced's participation in the ADT is the latest in a growing number of outreach efforts to community colleges. These include the <a href="https://admissions.ucmerced.edu/apply/transfer-requirements/merced-promise" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Merced Promise partnerships</a> with individual community college districts around the state that provide support for students and their families.</p>
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<p>Transfer enrollment has been on the rise at the university, increasing 66 percent from 2025 to reach 452 students arriving on campus this fall.</p>
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<p>"The primary goal of this initiative is not simply to increase enrollment, but to expand access to a UC education and make the transfer process more transparent and achievable for California community college students," Chan said. "This agreement helps students plan their finances and move forward with greater confidence, knowing they have a clearly defined path to earning their degree."</p>
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<p>The initial ADT pathways and corresponding UC Merced degree programs are:</p>
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<p>• Anthropology AA-T to Anthropology, B.A.</p>
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<p>• Biology AS-T to Biological Sciences, B.A., including the Education emphasis</p>
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<p>• Biology AS-T to Biological Sciences, B.S., including the Developmental Biology, Education, General Biology, Human Biology, Microbiology and Immunology, and Molecular and Cell Biology emphases</p>
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<p>• Elementary Teacher Education AA-T to Liberal Studies, B.A.</p>
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<p>• History AA-T to History, B.A., including the Teaching Social Science emphasis</p>
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<p>• Social Justice Studies AA-T to Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, B.A., including the Teaching Social Science emphasis</p>
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<p>• Political Science AA-T to Political Science, B.A., including the American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Law and Policy emphases.</p>
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<p>Additional pathways are expected to be added as the partnership grows.</p>
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<p>"This is an exciting step for California," Todd said. "This partnership will help us increase baccalaureate attainment with equity by creating clearer routes for students from every region and background to a University of California degree. It will make a life-changing difference for Californians by helping more students build on their community college success, earn a bachelor's degree, and open doors to new opportunities."</p>
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<div>More information is available at the UC Merced <a href="https://admissions.ucmerced.edu/transfer/requirements" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Transfer Admission Requirements website </a> .</div>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - Camp Provides Growth Opportunities, Connection with Livermore Lab/news/2026/camp-provides-growth-opportunities-connection-livermore-lab2026-10-15 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Science, Applied Mathematics, Undergraduate StudentsBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_data_science_challenge_2026_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="A group of students wearing blue shirts is lined up in front of the University of California facility in Livermore" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/The two-week challenge asks participants to work together to solve a problem.<div>
<p>Joshua Edmon-Macias spent two weeks trying to figure out what was wrong with a small 3D-printed aerospace part.</p>
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<p>"They didn't tell us what they are used for," said Edmon-Macias, a recent graduate of UC Merced. "We just know that on the inside they're not solid and there's a repeated pattern on the inside. … They are asking us to define the systems to see the defects that are inside the part."</p>
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<p>"They" are scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Edmon-Macias was among the 48 students taking part in the two-week <a href="https://data-science.llnl.gov/dsc" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Data Science Challenge</a> at the University of California Livermore Collaboration Center. Thirteen teams from UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Cruz and California State University, Bakersfield, took part in the challenge, co-founded by UC Merced applied mathematics Professor <a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/people/suzanne-sindi" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Suzanne Fernandes-Sindi</a>.</p>
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<p>Established in 2019, the DSC is open to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in mathematics, computer science, engineering, science or other fields. Participants receive a stipend, meals and funding for travel and lodging.</p>
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<p>"It's an intensive, deep-dive focus," Fernandes-Sindi said. "This is not a competition. The goal is for each team to do the best they can. They'll take different approaches, and talk to each other. It's very collaborative."</p>
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<p>For many of the students, it's their first experience being on or leading a team, said Omar DeGuchy, who earned his Ph.D. in applied mathematics at UC Merced in 2020 and now works as a staff scientist at the lab.</p>
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<p>"It's really rewarding watching them grow as leaders," DeGuchy said.</p>
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<p>Helping to lead the Data Science Challenge is part of his job.</p>
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<p>"This is a great program," DeGuchy said. "It gives students who maybe haven't had an internship an opportunity to get experience that would be attractive to them getting longer internships."</p>
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<p>Working through the challenge is just one part of the experience.</p>
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<p>Students also get to interact with LLNL scientists, who visit and offer their perspectives on working at the lab.</p>
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<p>"Meeting people at a lab like this is really difficult," Edmon-Macias said. "They're locked behind the gate. We're able to talk with them and meet with staff."</p>
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<p>Some students who take part in the challenge go on to land full internships with the lab. UC Merced and LLNL have long had a strong connection through events such as the Data Science Challenge. The university and the lab recently signed a <a href="https://www.ucmerced.edu/news/2026/agreement-opens-new-opportunities-longtime-partners-uc-merced-livermore-lab" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Strategic Partnership Agreement </a> that will bring them even closer. Plans call for researchers to work more with the lab and, eventually, for the lab to have space on campus for their scientists to work. Students will also continue to get opportunities to work with lab personnel.</p>
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<p>Ricardo Ornelas, a fourth-year computer science and engineering major from Los Banos, got a summer internship at the lab after taking part in an earlierchallenge. Before the DSC, Ornelas had almost no experience in machine learning or data science.</p>
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<p>"The challenge gave me the technical foundation and, just as importantly, the confidence to take on hard, open-ended research problems," he said. "It led me directly into undergraduate research, and it connected me to people at LLNL. … Between the skills from the DSC and the research that followed, I showed up prepared."</p>
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<p>Ornelas plans to continue his undergraduate research this semester and begin applying for full-time roles at the lab.</p>
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<p>"The DSC is one of the best opportunities a student can take advantage of to put themselves out there and learn," Ornelas said. "You don't need a data science background going in;I certainly didn't have one. Honestly, participating in the challenge was the single most important thing I've done for my career so far."</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - Author Brings Larry Itliong's Legacy Home to Valley for UC Merced Filipino American History Month Event /news/2026/author-brings-larry-itliongs-legacy-home-valley-uc-merced-filipino-american-history-month2026-10-14 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Diversity & Inclusion, AAPI, Arts and Culture, Campus, Diversity, EventsBy Francesca Dinglasan, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-10-14t112503.907.png" width="870" height="450" alt="Event attendees posed for camera" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Pictured: Gayle Romasanta (third from right) with "Rooted in Justice" attendees<p>"We're still alive. We're still here. This history lives on in us."</p>
<p>For author and artist Gayle Romasanta, the story of Filipino American labor leader Larry Itliong is both a reflection of and a tribute to the Central Valley communities that raised him and the families who still call the region home.</p>
<p>Romasanta, a Stockton native and co-author of the children's book "Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong," brought that message to UC Merced on Oct. 8 for "Rooted in Justice," a Food for Thought Speaker Series event held in celebration of Filipino American History Month. Moderated by Francesca Dinglasan, UC Merced's director of donor communications, the conversation ranged from labor and identity to the women who sustained the farmworker movement to the hard, ongoing work of solidarity.</p>
<p>"It's not just about Larry," Romasanta said. "It's about the communities we're part of and the communities that raise our leaders. Our communities shape who's going to lead us."</p>
<p><strong>Growing Up Among the Manongs</strong></p>
<p>Romasanta grew up in Stockton's Little Manila, and her grandfather and his relatives owned an 11-acre farm in Brentwood on the Delta. She was surrounded by manongs, pioneering Filipino immigrant farmworkers who labored in the region at a time when California law barred many Filipinos from owning land.</p>
<p>That upbringing, she said, shapes how she tells the story. Too often, she noted, writing about the manongs and the Central Valley romanticizes the history while overlooking the people still living it.</p>
<p>"These were our families and our relatives," Romasanta said. "So much of our history intersects in the Central Valley, in Stockton and Delano."</p>
<p>Itliong, she explained, came from a community that had been organizing for decades. Filipino workers who came in the 1910s and 1920s were mostly young men with no elders to guide them, and they began striking almost as soon as they arrived. By the time of the 1965 Delano grape strike, they had 30 to 40 years of organizing experience.</p>
<p>"You think farm labor means a small town, organizing a small community," she said. "This was absolutely national, at the center of human rights and politics. It turned global."</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Cover photo of the 'Journey for Justice' book" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/documents/screenshot2019-02-14at8.45.59am_1.jpg" style="width: 350px; height: 450px;" /></p>
<p><strong>A Book, a Musical and a Friendship</strong></p>
<p>The idea for "Journey for Justice" came from one of Romasanta's children, then a fourth-grader assigned to report on a famous Californian. No Filipinos were on the assignment list, and there was no children's book about Itliong.</p>
<p>Romasanta called a friend, Dawn Bohulano Mabalon, the first Filipina to earn a Ph.D. in history from Stanford and the author of "Little Manila Is in the Heart." Mabalon was planning an adult biography of Itliong, and the children's book was meant to accompany it.</p>
<p>The pair worked at a rapid pace, completing the book in about a year. On Aug. 10, 2018, the day they approved the final colors and sent the book to the printer, Romasanta learned that Mabalon had died. Mabalon left more than 800 pages of research, and the children's book remains her only published work on Itliong.</p>
<p>"I absolutely believe in ancestors, and that they guide us to do very specific things," Romasanta said. "I didn't realize this was something we needed to do in a very short time."</p>
<p>Illustrated by Andre Sibayan, whose murals can be found throughout SoMa Pilipinas, San Francisco's Filipino Cultural Heritage District, the book features historical photographs and signage from the era, including one that reads "Positively no Filipinos allowed." The book is now taught at San Francisco State University, Rice University and other campuses.</p>
<p>Romasanta noted that getting it published was a battle. "No one wanted it," she said. "Folks would say, 'Are you lying? We've never heard of Larry Itliong.'"</p>
<p>Her work on Itliong has since grown into "Larry the Musical," which she described as a love letter to the Filipino American community and to community organizing. The show follows Mabalon as she interviews Itliong and travels through his memories, and videos of songs from the musical were played throughout the evening.</p>
<p>One of the musical's protagonists is Izzy, a young Pinay organizer frustrated to find herself stuck in the kitchen while others lead. The women around her teach her otherwise.</p>
<p>"What her ego won't let her understand is that the kitchen is the heart of the movement," Romasanta said. "We organize by cooking. We organize by feeding everyone and loving everyone. That's why I love that food is part of this program."</p>
<p>During the audience Q&A, Romasanta expanded on women's often-overlooked leadership in Filipino American communities. Women ran the community queen contests and dances, she said, and those ticket sales paid for the basics that let the movement grow: utilities, food and nearly every community gathering.</p>
<p>"Whoever you are, please don't minimize women's involvement or their leadership," she said.</p>
<p><strong>A Pot Big Enough for Everyone</strong></p>
<p>In keeping with a Food for Thought tradition, the conversation continued over a meal inspired by the evening's themes. UC Merced Executive Chef and speaker series organizer Mitch Vanagten and his team prepared sinigang with rice, a dish Romasanta recommended. Made from inexpensive, adaptable ingredients, sinigang was a foundational community meal for Filipino laborers, who often lived together in camps. A single massive pot fostered a sense of family, and it could be stretched with extra water and vegetables so that everyone was fed.</p>
<p>Throughout the evening, Romasanta returned to kapwa, a Filipino value she translates as "I see you, you see me."</p>
<p>"There is not just me. I am you, you are me. We take care of each other," she said. "We inspire each other and keep going, through food, art, events, news, writing about each other and listening to each other's stories."</p>
<p>The farmworker movement Itliong helped lead, she reminded the audience, drew together African American, Mexican, Filipino, Yemeni, Jewish and Native American workers and supporters.</p>
<p>"This isn't just a Filipino story," Romasanta said. "It's for folks to understand that solidarity is so hard, but you've got to keep going."</p>
<p>The Food for Thought Speaker Series, including its first Filipino American History Month event, is supported by the UC Merced Division of Equity, Justice & Inclusive Excellence (EJIE).</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - UC Merced, Kern High School District Partner to Offer Guaranteed Admission, Scholarships/news/2026/uc-merced-kern-high-school-district-partner-offer-guaranteed-admission-scholarships2026-10-09 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Campus Life, Community, MAAP, San Joaquin Valley, Admissions, Financial Aid/Scholarships, Undergraduate StudentsAlyssa Johansen, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/calteach_4_0.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="UC Merced and Kern High School District leaders pose in the lobby of the board room at a meeting." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/UC Merced and Kern High School District have partnered to offer eligible students guaranteed admission, waived application fees and up to $12,000 in scholarships through the Merced Automatic Admission Program (MAAP).<div>
<p>UC Merced and the Kern High School District have partnered to provide eligible students with a clear pathway to guaranteed admission to the university through the Merced Automatic Admission Program, or MAAP.</p>
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<p>The partnership was announced during a KHSD Board of Trustees meeting, where UC Merced leaders outlined the program and the admission and scholarship opportunities available to participating students. KHSD is one of 51 school districts across California connecting eligible students with UC Merced through MAAP.</p>
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<p>"This agreement reflects UC Merced's deep commitment to the Central Valley and to the extraordinary talent found throughout Kern County schools. Through this partnership, we are removing barriers that too often stand between students and a university education," said UC Merced Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management Scott Hagg. "By creating a clear pathway to UC Merced, simplifying the admissions process with a fee-free application, and supporting students all the way to graduation, we are helping more students earn a University of California degree in four years with little to no debt."</p>
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<p>"We are proud to partner with UC Merced and create an attainable pathway to higher education for our students," said KHSD Superintendent Michael Zulfa. "This opportunity will help more students envision themselves at a four-year university and take the next step toward achieving their academic and career goals."</p>
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<p>To qualify for MAAP, students must complete at least 15 yearlong A-G courses required for UC first-year admission with a grade of C or better and earn a GPA of at least 3.0.</p>
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<p>Students can apply to MAAP in the fall of their senior year and may select any UC Merced major. Participation in the program waives application fees and provides a scholarship of up to $3,000 annually for up to four years.</p>
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<p>To learn more about the MAAP partnership and the program's complete requirements, visit the <a href="https://admissions.ucmerced.edu/MAAP" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> MAAP webpage </a> .</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - UC Merced Pilots Summer Investment Academy to Help Students Build Skills, Connections/news/2026/uc-merced-pilots-summer-investment-academy-help-students-build-skills-connections2026-10-08 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Alumni, First. Further. Forward, Campus Community, Chancellor, Planning and Budget, Events, Faculty, Undergraduate Students, UCOPBy Brenda Ortiz, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc_merced_summer_investment_academy_460_0.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="students in classroom setting" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Twenty-six first-year students participated in UC Merced's first Summer Investment Academy on campus.<p>Key points:</p>
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<p>UC Merced launched the Summer Investment Academy to help students build financial literacy, professional networks and pathways into finance careers before their first semester.</p>
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<p>Participants explored investing, entrepreneurship, personal finance and venture capital through hands-on instruction and mentorship from finance professionals.</p>
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<p>The academy builds on the success of the UC Investments Academy, which has engaged more than 4,500 students across the University of California system.</p>
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<p>For a group of incoming first-year UC Merced students, six days spent learning directly from investment professionals provided a crash course in investment management, financial careers and networking.</p>
<p>A group of 26 undergraduates — representing 15 majors ranging from economics and business administration to electrical engineering and biological sciences — attended UC Merced’s first <a href="https://economics.ucmerced.edu/undergraduate-programs/student-resources/uc-investment-academy">Summer Investment Academy</a> in August. They moved onto campus a week before classes began.</p>
<p>For Sariah Bravo, a <a href="https://www.ucmerced.edu/majors-and-minors/sociology-ba">sociology</a> major from Turlock, the academy provided something she had long been searching for: a community of peers equally passionate about investing and entrepreneurship.</p>
<p>"I never had a group of people who cared about the same things,” Bravo said. “So, when UC Merced sent out the email about the Summer Investment Academy, I saw a chance to finally be surrounded by people like me."</p>
<p>The immersive summer program is a spinoff of the <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2025/uc-investment-academy-propels-students-financial-career-success">UC Investments Academy</a>, a University of California initiative designed to prepare students for meaningful careers in finance. Managed by Craig Huie, managing director of private credit, and Jack Zhu, senior investment analyst for public equity, the academy was piloted by UC Merced in 2022 with 100 students, and has since expanded to all nine undergraduate campuses, engaging more than 4,500 students.</p>
<p>"The Summer Investment Academy is an investment in student success from day one. By bringing students from a diverse set of majors to campus early, we are creating opportunities to explore pathways into finance and investment management, connect with peers and develop meaningful relationships with faculty and industry leaders," said Kurt Schnier, UC Merced's vice chancellor for planning and budget and chief financial officer. "Through our partnership with the UC Office of the President, we were able to extend these experiences to more students and create value for employers and industry partners seeking the next generation of talent."<em> </em></p>
<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc_merced_summer_investment_academy_0.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Kurt Schnier talking to students" />Students participating in the Summer Investment Academy heard from financial professionals, entrepreneurs and campus leaders.https://news.ucmerced.edu/<p>Throughout the summer academy, funded for multiple years by the UC Office of the President, students heard directly from financial professionals, entrepreneurs and UC and campus leadership, including Schnier, Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz, Huie and Zhu.</p>
<p>“On the first day, I met the chancellor and I knew immediately it would be different from anything I had imagined,” Bravo said. “We were going to leave with a long-term impact because of this academy.”</p>
<p>Associate teaching professors Justin Hicks and Jason Lee of the <a href="https://economics.ucmerced.edu/faculty">Economics and Business Management Department</a> led the summer academy, developing the curriculum and guiding student instruction. Prior to their academic careers, they worked in financial services and attained their FINRA Series 7 licenses, among other professional credentials, giving students insight into real-world industry experience.</p>
<p>“We had 12 educational modules that were delivered throughout the week, and they were basically a taster of business, finance and entrepreneurship,” Hicks said.</p>
<p>Students were introduced to topics such as personal finance, investing, business startup, entrepreneurship, venture capital, accounting and ethics.</p>
<p>“We have such a special opportunity at UC Merced to reach students who don't have any mentorship in personal finance basics, how to budget, how to build a basic portfolio and the risks and rewards associated with these,” Hicks said. “I opened my Edward Jones accounts and went through all my holdings … they’re getting truly real-world exposure.”</p>
<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc_merced_summer_investment_academy_01.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Three students Listening to a presentation" />For Iggy Hadjaj, the Summer Investment Academy expanded his industry knowledge and professional network through connections with guest speakers and faculty mentors.https://news.ucmerced.edu/<p>For <a href="https://www.ucmerced.edu/majors-and-minors/business-administration-ba">business administration</a> major Iggy Hadjaj from San Francisco, the summer academy offered the opportunity to strengthen both his knowledge and professional connections.</p>
<p>Hadjaj said the program’s guest speakers were especially valuable, providing firsthand insight into career paths and industry trends.</p>
<p>“Going to the Summer Investment Academy unlocked many doors for me, including developing relationships with my business and economics teachers,” he said.</p>
<p>Bravo said she had gained more than technical knowledge. She was especially inspired by Laura Moreno Lucas, general partner of L'ATTITUDE Ventures and Libra Fund, whose insights on real-world investing and entrepreneurship resonated with her.</p>
<p>“I arranged a one-on-one call with her, and she walked me through the steps she took to build her clothing brand, including how she worked with manufacturers,” Bravo said. “Getting that level of detail from someone who has done it gave me ideas I'm taking into my own career.”</p>
<p>UC Merced alumni also offered a look at the investment and finance world. James Kirby, ’09, CEO of Saxa Innovation; Tiler Fears, ’23, M.S. ’25, client account manager at Albourne; Gehad Elhanafy, ’23, business development program manager at BEAM Circular; and Tatiana Howell, ’24, wealth management analyst at Goldman Sachs shared their professional experiences with the participants. </p>
<p>Fears and Howell, both former <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2025/uc-investment-academy-propels-students-financial-career-success">participants</a> in the year-long UC Investments Academy, shared how the program helped shape their career trajectories.</p>
<p>After a week of learning, analysis and collaboration, teams of three to four participants put their skills to the test in a pitch competition.</p>
<p>“They researched a company, came up with an investment thesis, and then pitched that thesis to a review board on the final day,” Hicks said. “The students were exposed to a lot, and they ended up producing very high-quality stock theses and pitches.”</p>
<p>“The most important lesson I learned is that you build your future through connections, risks and opportunities that make you uncomfortable, because they tend to lead to greater success and new networks,” Bravo said. “I went from only studying this world to sitting in a room full of motivated, brilliant students who shared my interests. I left with friendships, new skills, more confidence and the drive to keep growing and creating.”</p>
<p>UC Merced students interested in attending the year-long Investments Academy can <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf6OdpZcSN2cIZiGtvpJrG6r4aT2D6iPsz0bCi35IhWg49BRQ/viewform">apply online</a>. </p>
Brenda Ortiz - Greenhouse, Agtech Trailers will Bring UC Merced Research to the Community/news/2026/greenhouse-agtech-trailers-will-bring-uc-merced-research-community2026-10-08 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Research Excellence, First. Further. Forward, Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Research, School of Engineering, Civil and Environmental EngineeringBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_mobile_greenhouse_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="Specialists Isaac Leyva and Ethan Vu are pictured standing outside the blue trailer with white lettering reading "Mobile Greenhouse."" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/The trailers are designed to serve a variety of audiences. <div>
<p>Two new trailers will help bring hands-on experiences with UC Merced's cutting-edge agricultural technology research to students and community members anywhere.</p>
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<p>In one, participants will be able to get their hands dirty and work through the planting process. And in the other, they will see drones, robots and other agtech in action.</p>
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<p>The trailers are intended for UC Merced outreach activities that showcase the Experimental Smart Farm, greenhouse and Agricultural Experiment Station, said <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/joshua-viers" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Joshua Viers</a>, associate vice chancellor of interdisciplinary research and strategic initiatives.</p>
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<p>"The mobile greenhouse and mobile agtech hub are designed to bring hands-on experiences with plant production, environmental sensing, automation, robotics and agricultural data directly to schools, community locations and agricultural workplaces," Viers said.</p>
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<p>They were designed, assembled and outfitted as part of the California's Jobs First Initiative and North Valley THRIVE, a coalition of community organizations, government agencies, educational institutions and economic development partners across Merced, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin counties, and will operate through the <a href="https://vista.ucmerced.edu/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Valley Institute for Sustainability, Technology & Agriculture</a>, or VISTA. That includes Merced College, which has been working with UC Merced on agtech advances and workforce training.</p>
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<p>"With this greenhouse trailer, we hope to provide a hands-on learning experience to Central Valley children to inspire and excite them about the future of agtech and farming," said Isaac Leyva, a computer science and engineering graduate of UC Merced now employed as a junior specialist at the university's greenhouse.</p>
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<p>He and fellow specialist Ethan Vu recently showed off the trailers and explained the possibilities they offer.</p>
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<p>The mobile greenhouse has two vertical growing systems inside, one using soil with a compost tube down the middle and the other aimed at hydroponic growing.</p>
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<p>"Kids can come in and learn how to identify seeds and how to grow them," Vu said. "We will showcase that modern agriculture isn't just putting it in the dirt and waiting for it to grow."</p>
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<p>The greenhouse is being built with modular components so projects can be switched out depending on audience and need.</p>
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<p>In the agtech trailer, people will be able to see projects including drone mapping and artificial intelligence-powered practices, said Emery Silberman, a research software engineer.</p>
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<p>"We'll bring out a drone and fly it, then show stitching a map together real-ish time," he said. "And we have an AI computer that we'll be showing off running the latest offline AI models to show how the LLM (large language model) can help answer questions about agricultural practices while having no internet access as well as being able to scan through a library of agricultural research and best practices to provide grounded reasoning."</p>
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<p>Also highlighted will be the university's Experimental <a href="https://esf.ucmerced.edu/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Smart Farm site</a>.</p>
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<p>"We will show how we manage our data at the farm and how we're using AI to help collect, organize and analyze our data as well as sharing it with the public," Silberman said.</p>
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<p>While some initial outreach efforts will be aimed at K-12 students, the trailers will serve a wide audience.</p>
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<p>"Both platforms can also serve adult learners, career changers and people already working in agriculture through short demonstrations, applied workshops and partner-led training," Viers said.</p>
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<p>The focus on people reflects recent research the university <a href="https://ucm.edu/9kf671" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> published</a> that found the future of agriculture technology will require investment in the workforce as well as in the tools to advance it.</p>
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<p>And they don't have to be scientists, farmers or academics. Part of what the specialists want to show is the wide variety of careers and skills that have a place in the agriculture industry.</p>
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<p>"That's the promise of the two trailers in tandem," Vu said. "People will see the future of agtech, and see that anyone with any background can do something in it.</p>
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<p>"It's a great vision."</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/ - $4.5 million NIH Grant Expands Interdisciplinary Biomedical Training at UC Merced/news/2026/45-million-nih-grant-expands-interdisciplinary-biomedical-training-uc-merced2026-10-07 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Research Excellence, Mind & Body, First. Further. Forward, School of Natural Sciences, Physics, Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Biological Sciences, PhysicsBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_incubate_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="A group of students taking part in the InCuBaTE program is pictured standing in a room at UC Merced. " />https://news.ucmerced.edu/The funding supports up to 16 graduate students for two years. <div>
<p>A five-year, $4.5 million T32 institutional training grant from the National Institutes of Health will establish a new doctoral training program at UC Merced for students pursuing careers in biomedical research.</p>
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<p>The <a href="https://incubate.ucmerced.edu/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Interdisciplinary Cellular and Biomolecular Dynamics Training and Education</a> program, known as InCuBaTE, will support up to 16 graduate students annually with two years of research funding while providing interdisciplinary coursework, hands-on technical training, professional development and a broad mentoring network.</p>
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<p>InCuBaTE builds on the training structure UC Merced developed through the earlier NIH-funded Graduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (G-RISE) program and infrastructure from the NSF-funded <a href="http://ccbm.ucmerced.edu/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Machines</a> and expands that work through a research-intensive institutional training grant. The award is led by physics Professor and CCBM co-director <a href="https://ccbm.ucmerced.edu/content/ajay-gopinathan" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Ajay Gopinathan</a>, along with bioengineering Professor and CCBM co-director <a href="https://bioe.ucmerced.edu/content/victor-mu%C3%B1oz" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Victor Muñoz </a> and chemistry and biochemistry Professor <a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/people/andy-liwang" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Andy LiWang</a>. The wider leadership team includes Professor and chemical and materials engineering Chair <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/kara-mccloskey" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Kara McCloskey</a>, applied mathematics Professor <a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/people/suzanne-sindi" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Suzanne Sindi </a> and Health Sciences Research Institute Director <a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/people/katrina-hoyer-0" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Katrina Hoyer</a>, with CCBM Executive Director <a href="https://ccbm.ucmerced.edu/content/carrie-kouadio" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Carrie Kouadio</a> serving as Career Development lead.</p>
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<p>"UC Merced has developed real strength at the intersection of the physical sciences, engineering and biology," Gopinathan said. "InCuBaTE brings those areas together in a structured program so students learn to approach biomedical questions from more than one disciplinary perspective."</p>
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<p>Students are recruited from six graduate groups: applied mathematics, bioengineering, chemistry and biochemistry, materials and biomaterials science and engineering, physics, and quantitative and systems biology. The first full cohort of 16 students was selected earlier this year.</p>
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<p>Each trainee receives a standard graduate student researcher salary, tuition and benefits for the first two years of doctoral study, along with travel support for additional training and professional meetings. The funding allows students to devote more time to research while they are establishing their projects and learning how to work effectively in a laboratory.</p>
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<p>"Doctoral students often rely heavily on teaching assistantships during their first years, which can reduce the time available to establish a research program," Muñoz said. "InCuBaTE provides protected research time along with coordinated training and mentoring. Students can make faster progress while developing skills that are particularly critical for multidisciplinary biomedical research which will serve them throughout their careers."</p>
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<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_incubate_hero_2.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="Professor Ajay Gopinathan speaks to students in front of a screen reading "Ethics and Professionalism."" />Professional development runs alongside the training.https://news.ucmerced.edu/<div>
<p>The program begins with a summer bridge experience that introduces trainees to the campus research community and helps the cohort develop connections before the academic year begins. During the first year, students complete research rotations and hands-on modules in cell and tissue culturing, imaging and spectroscopy, and computation and modeling. The curriculum also incorporates formal coursework on cutting edge techniques in molecular and cellular biotechnology and quantitative and computational methods, including emerging applications of artificial intelligence in biomedical research.</p>
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<p>Professional development runs alongside the research training. Workshops cover individualized development plans, ethics and professionalism, rigor and reproducibility, data analysis and visualization, scientific writing, literature review, time management and preparation for oral and written examinations. Later activities emphasize career planning, public speaking and team science.</p>
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<p>"The first year gives students a common foundation across experimental and computational approaches," LiWang said. "As they progress, the emphasis shifts toward applying those skills to their own research and preparing for the next stage of their careers."</p>
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<p>InCuBaTE uses a multiple-mentor model. Trainees work with research advisors from complementary disciplines and receive guidance from an InCuBaTE leadership team mentor who is not their dissertation advisor.</p>
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<p>Career preparation is tailored through each student's individualized development plan. Trainees can pursue experiences connected to biomedical industry and entrepreneurship, science communication and teaching. The program will connect students with UC and regional biotechnology networks, offer opportunities for community and K-12 outreach, and help trainees understand how their research skills translate to careers across the biomedical workforce.</p>
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<p>"Scientific ability is essential, and students also need experience planning projects, communicating their work and navigating a professional research community." Gopinathan said. "InCuBaTE is designed to develop the whole researcher."</p>
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<p>The program is supported by contributions from participating programs and the Graduate Division. "By providing critical support for our doctoral students, this NIH InCuBaTE grant ensures that UC Merced can continue preparing the next generation of biomedical research leaders," Vice Provost and Dean for Graduate Education Hrant Hratchian said. "Its impact will extend far beyond our campus through graduates who apply their expertise into careers that advance human health."</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - UC Merced Sociologist Assembles Global Handbook on Climate Action/news/2026/uc-merced-sociologist-assembles-global-handbook-climate-action2026-10-06 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Academic Distinction, Environment, Climate Change, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, Sociology, SociologyBy Jody Murray, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/bicyclists-march-for-climate-action.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="bicyclists march for climate action in costa rica" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/In a 2015 photo taken by handbook editor Paul Almeida, bicyclists in Costa Rica march on the Global Day for Climate Action in support of the Paris Climate Agreement.<p>Climate change is a global crisis and the search for solutions is increasingly technological. A new, 700-page volume edited by a UC Merced sociologist demonstrates that moving people, institutions and communities to act may be just as consequential.</p>
<p>Sociology and environmental systems Professor <a href="https://my.theopenscholar.com/palmeida">Paul Almeida</a> has edited “<a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-climate-action-9780197762097?cc=us&lang=en&">The Oxford Handbook of Climate Action,”</a> a fundamental reference work that gathers 39 chapters from over 60 top environmental and climate scholars around the world.</p>
<p>Published by Oxford University Press, the book serves as a starting point for readers who want to understand how climate action happens and the forms it takes, whether they're picking up the handbook in Merced or Nairobi.</p>
<p>That worldwide reach is by design. Earlier climate handbooks were written during a prior wave of climate action in the 2000s and 2010s. This current collection updates climate action into the second quarter of the 21st century. All the chapters were written in the last two years and grapple with today's political context, such as climate change denialism, along with new technologies such as carbon capture and storage.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/images/oxford-handbook-climate-change.jpg" style="margin: 10px 15px; float: left; width: 250px; height: 363px;" />What sets the handbook apart, Almeida said, is its emphasis on combining human-based solutions with emerging climate technologies rather than purely technical ones. Climate change won't be solved by clean energy alone, he said.</p>
<p>"We need to comprehend the social and economic structures that sustain a fossil-fuel-based society and the human-based incentives necessary to transition to a green economy," Almeida said.</p>
<p>“How does the new generation of renewable energy systems and climate technologies benefit frontline communities without reproducing existing systems of stratification and inequality? What kinds of social safety nets can we envision by working with communities and workers in the largest societal transformation since the Industrial Revolution?”</p>
<p>The handbook is organized around three themes:</p>
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<p>The major theoretical perspectives driving the field of climate action</p>
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<p>Institutional strategies such as renewable energy, reforestation, carbon capture and climate action planning</p>
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<p>Grassroots action such as mobilized social movements</p>
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<p>A fourth layer of regional chapters spans nearly every part of the globe, from Asia and Africa to Latin America. The contributing scholars affiliate with an impressive array of international institutions, initiatives and organizations including:</p>
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<p>Middle East Council on Global Affairs (Qatar)</p>
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<p>Asian Institute of Technology (Thailand)</p>
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<p>LDC Universities’ Consortium on Climate Change (Bangladesh/Uganda)</p>
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<p>Centre for Climate and Resilience Research (Chile)</p>
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<p>Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (Spain)</p>
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<p>South Korean Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (South Korea)</p>
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<p>Indian Council of Social Sciences Research (India)</p>
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<p>Heidelberg University Center for the Environment (Germany)</p>
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<p>OGCI China Climate Investments (China)</p>
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<p>Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute (Australia)</p>
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<p>Among the chapters Almeida points to is one on 350.org, the organization that helped build the modern global climate movement years before Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future youth-based protests. The chapter is written by three of the group's founders, who organized as students of author and activist Bill McKibben at Vermont's Middlebury College in the mid-2000s before taking their work international.</p>
<p>Almeida co-authored the introductory chapter with current and former UC Merced graduate students. The chapter classifies how different forms of climate change threats induce climate action.</p>
<p>The handbook grew out of Almeida's own climate-based research. After finishing a solo book on climate action, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0520382609?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback">“Climate Change and Civic Engagement,”</a> he guided the Oxford collective volume through several rounds of review. The solo book, also published this year, focuses more on the United States and California — with a chapter dedicated to the San Joaquin Valley — and is grounded in his scholarly background of implementing in-person representative surveys with community partners and the <a href="https://clc.ucmerced.edu/">UC Merced Community and Labor Center</a> on basic climate needs in thousands of households in disinvested census tracts throughout the region.</p>
<p>For UC Merced, the timing of the books fit well with a broader push. In 2022, California Assembly Bill 179 directed about $18 million toward climate action research at the university, with roughly $9 million awarded to UC Merced faculty through competitive grants.</p>
<p>The university sits in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, a region marked by extreme heat, a large outdoor workforce and some of the state's least developed climate action planning — a combination Almeida argues makes it a priority for the kind of social science expertise and research the handbook collects.</p>
<p>Colleagues have taken note. "Almeida's edited volume highlights why the social sciences are indispensable for addressing planetary warming, from understanding human behavior to increasing public participation in climate action," said Gillian Wilson, UC Merced vice chancellor for research, innovation and economic development.</p>
<p>Leo Arriola, dean of the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, called the handbook "an essential public good.”</p>
<p>"It reminds us that technological innovation alone is not enough to address the climate crises already felt around the world," Arriola said. "Almeida's handbook provides insights to understanding how people can work together and with their institutions to bring about lasting change."</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Jody Murray - Just Taking Classes She Liked Points UC Merced Student to Graduate at 19/news/2026/just-taking-classes-she-liked-points-uc-merced-student-graduate-192026-09-30 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, First. Further. Forward, School of Natural Sciences, Chemistry & Chemical BiologyBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_areesha_tariq_hero_0.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="Professor Andy LiWang and student Areesha Tariq are pictured in his lab." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Areesha Tariq has been working in Professor Andy LiWang's lab since she was a sophomore at El Capitan High School.<div>
<p>Areesha Tariq didn't intend to fly through college in two years.</p>
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<p>As a student at El Capitan High School in Merced, Tariq enjoyed taking math and science classes. When she ran out of options there, she took courses through dual enrollment at Merced College. She earned associate's degrees in chemistry and biology.</p>
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<p>She enrolled at UC Merced as a freshman, but the university had news for her: she would enter as a third-year student.</p>
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<p>"I didn't know I was going to have all these credits applied," said Tariq, who today is in her second and final year at UC Merced and set to graduate at age19. "I've always just really liked science and being able to learn more about it."</p>
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<p>She's learned much more about science at UC Merced, where she has worked in <a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/people/andy-liwang" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Professor Andy LiWang </a> <a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/people/andy-liwang" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> 's</a> lab since she was a high school sophomore, when she contacted him about summer research opportunities.</p>
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<p>"In my 25 years as a principal investigator, such bold action from a high school student is exceedingly rare," said LiWang, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry.</p>
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<p>Tariq completed nine weeks of hands-on research in the lab,.</p>
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<p>"Last semester, she carried out research in my lab for course credit and took my graduate-level course on nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy," LiWang said. She earned an A in both. She also won the Emerging Leader Award at the UC Merced Leadership Awards last year.</p>
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<p>This summer, Tariq took part in a National Science Foundation program REU, or research experience for undergraduates, at Princeton University, where she worked in the field of bioengineering.</p>
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<p>"I wanted to explore something new," she said, "since I do biochemistry here."</p>
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<p>She also received a travel award from The Protein Society and presented a poster on her research in LiWang's lab at the annual Protein Society meeting in Boston.</p>
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<p>"Areesha demonstrates consistent enthusiasm, maximizes her learning opportunities, and asks insightful questions," LiWang said.</p>
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<p>At the same time, Tariq has been an active volunteer in her community. She was a member of the Leo Club, an extension of the service organization Lions Club, in high school.</p>
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<p>"Going out there and directly helping people just felt so rewarding," she said. Projects included volunteering at a shelter for unhoused people and conducting park cleanups. She brought the same drive to UC Merced, where she is a Leo Lion, at the college level of the organization.</p>
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<p>Looking ahead, Tariq is interested in pursuing medicine, working as a family doctor, though she is open to exploring other specialties.</p>
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<p>"I did consider going into the Ph.D. route since I love science and learning," she said. "But as much as I enjoy research I enjoy being able to directly serve others and impact people."</p>
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<p>She hopes to practice in the Central Valley, where her family moved from her native Pakistan when she was 5.</p>
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<p>"The Central Valley has a large disparity in health education, illnesses and specialties. Being able to ultimately serve the region that I grew up around would be rewarding," she said.</p>
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<p>She believes her experience at UC Merced is preparing her well for medical school and her career. Small class sizes - one of them had four people in it - lead to close connections with professors, and the new buildings and financial aid also are attractive. The university achieved <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2025/uc-merced-achieves-r1-highest-tier-research-classification" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> R1 status</a> soon after her arrival, putting it in the top echelon of research institutions in the nation.</p>
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<p>"We have so many opportunities," Tariq said. "The professors here really care about you.</p>
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<p>"Since this campus is so new, being able to come here was really nice. You get to serve in something that's still growing and getting better."</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - UC Merced Gets Down to Business at HSI Battle of the Brains/news/2026/uc-merced-gets-down-business-hsi-battle-brains2026-09-28 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Diversity & Inclusion, Student & Alumni Success, Hispanic-serving Institution, Hispanic/LatinX Heritage Month, Academics, Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Computer Science Engineering, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, Cognitive & Informational Sciences, Cognitive Science, Student Life, StudentsBy Jody Murray, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-hsi-battle-of-brains-team-posing-smiling.jpg" width="870" height="453" alt="UC Merced students who will compete in Battle of the Brains pose for picture" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/HSI Battle of the Brains' UC Merced team: (sitting, from left) Alexander Vas Dinis, Aniyah Barnes, Adrian Ucieda; (standing, from left) Sahana Veldandi, Praneeth Sudhakar, Daniel Castillo, Matthew Chan.<p>Seven hand-chosen, whip-smart UC Merced students descend on Austin, Texas, this week to pit their teamwork and business skills against representatives of other Hispanic-serving institutions in a high-pressure — and potentially highly rewarding — competition.</p>
<p>First, there’s the contest. Every team in the HSI Battle of the Brains gets the same brief about something a company needs. Squads then have 24 hours to assemble an imaginative, airtight and technically sound solution.</p>
<p>This round-the-clock effort must yield a five-page business plan, presentation slides, an executive summary and supporting documents. It’s a task that demands imagination, coordination and, one hopes, a few hours of rest.</p>
<p>“I reckon I can find time to sleep. Definitely,” said Daniel Castillo, Team UC Merced’s tech lead and a third-year computer science and engineering major. He figured he and prototype lead Matthew Chan, a third-year electrical engineering major, will invest eight to 12 hours writing code. “Once that’s done, I can rest a bit.”</p>
<p>But the Battle of the Brains is also an opportunity for representatives of companies such as Dell, Amazon and Crowdstrike to meet face-to-face with some of the brightest young minds in higher education. Networking, lunches and dinners are built into a week full of opportunity.</p>
<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/pxl_20260928_180930769.jpg" width="800" height="417" alt="UC Merced students in yellow Battle of the Brains t-shirts, plus their advisor." />The team at a Battle of the Brains venue with their adviser, Professor Rudy Ortiz (second from left).https://news.ucmerced.edu/<p>“This is an invitation-only competition, so the stakes are high. Many kids are hired at an event like this, or are at least offered a job,” said Alejandro Gutiérrez, a teaching professor in the School of Engineering who led the selection of the first UC Merced team to enter the Battle of the Brains. “They’ll be hanging with the CEOs. They’ll be in the same room with the big shots.”</p>
<p>All Battle of the Brains teams fit the federally established criteria of an HSI – an institution where at least a quarter of enrolled students are Hispanic. At UC Merced, it’s more than half.</p>
<p>Judges will select finalists from the 15 teams entered in Tuesday’s 24-hour business plan marathon. On Friday, the finalists will pitch their plans on stage (like a kinder, friendlier “Shark Tank”) and a winner will be crowned.</p>
<p>St. Mary’s University in San Antonio is the defending champion for this, the competition’s sixth gathering. Other previous winners are the University of Central Florida and the University of Texas at Austin.</p>
<p>UC Merced’s Division of Equity, Justice and Inclusive Excellence is sponsoring the team, whose appearance is the first at the Austin contest for any UC campus.</p>
<p>This is an invitation-only competition, so the stakes are high. Many kids are hired at an event like this, or are at least offered a job.</p>
Alejandro Gutierrezhttps://news.ucmerced.edu/<p>Adrian Ucieda, the business lead, said being the first UC team leaves the door wide open. “We can only make a positive impact.”</p>
<p>“We’re special,” joked Praneeth Sudhakar, the team’s research lead and a third-year mechanical engineering major.</p>
<p>Gutiérrez said team members bring strong backgrounds to the contest. Experience includes engineering conference presentations, coding hackathons and a reputation for excelling under pressure.</p>
<p>Ucieda worked for two years at Apple headquarters in Cupertino. Sahana Veldani, the product lead and a third-year cognitive science major, was on a high school robotics team that competed at international levels. She specialized in scouting opponents, looking for weak spots in robots or tactics to exploit.</p>
<p>“I worked in these high-pressure situations, which I think can help this team,” she said.</p>
<p>Rounding out Team UC Merced are Alexander Vas Dinas, the business plan pitch lead, and overall team lead Aniyah Barnes. Both are third-year mechanical engineering majors. Rudy Ortiz, a professor of molecular and cell biology, accompanied the team to Austin as a mentor.</p>
<p>“There are so many brilliant minds on this team,” said Barnes, who works with a NASA team developing carbon dioxide scrubbers that maintain breathable air for astronauts. “It’s kind of amazing just working with these guys.”</p>
Jody Murray - UC Merced Among First Campuses to Earn Carnegie Classification for Sustainability/news/2026/uc-merced-among-first-campuses-earn-carnegie-classification-sustainability2026-09-24 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Campus Life, Community, First. Further. Forward, SustainabilityBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_sustainability_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="Sunlight shining into the corridor outside the SE2 building on the UC Merced campus is pictured. " />https://news.ucmerced.edu/The classification recognizes institutions that demonstrate how sustainability is integrated across several areas.<p><strong>Key Points</strong></p>
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<p>UC Merced is one of the first 14 institutions nationwide to earn the new Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability, recognizing its comprehensive commitment to sustainability and climate action.</p>
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<p>The university is the only four-year California institution and the only UC campus to receive the classification, adding a fourth Carnegie recognition to its distinctions for research, student opportunity and community engagement.</p>
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<p>Sustainability is embedded across UC Merced’s campus, from 100% LEED-certified public-facing buildings and renewable energy efforts to student learning, research, conservation and programs that help local residents reduce energy use and costs.</p>
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<p>UC Merced has earned the Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability, becoming one of the first 14 institutions to receive the new distinction.</p>
<p>The classification recognizes institutions that demonstrate how sustainability is integrated across areas that include curriculum, research, operations, career preparation and community engagement. UC Merced participated in the 2025 pilot program that brought together diverse higher education institutions to test and help shape the classification framework, application process and review criteria. It's the fourth recognition UC Merced has received from the Carnegie Foundation, which also has named the university an <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2025/uc-merced-achieves-r1-highest-tier-research-classification"> R1 institution</a>, ranking it among the nation's top research universities, as well as a leader in <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2026/american-council-education-and-carnegie-foundation-recognize-uc-merceds-leadership"> community engagement </a> and as an <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2025/carnegie-recognizes-uc-merced-student-access-grad-earnings"> "Opportunity College"</a> for its student success.</p>
<p>"UC Merced has distinguished itself as a leader in sustainability, from our groundbreaking research and innovative building practices to the culture of stewardship that defines our campus," Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said. "Sustainable practices are integral to the university's exceptional culture of success and our dedication to creating a better future, and it is an honor to see this longstanding commitment recognized by the Carnegie Foundation."</p>
<p>As a pilot institution, UC Merced completed a collaborative and rigorous self-study and provided feedback on the Carnegie framework, prompts, evidence requirements and review process. It is the only four-year California university and the only University of California campus to earn the classification.</p>
<p>The Carnegie recognition is the latest for the university that is <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2025/uc-merced-earns-perfect-score-ranks-7th-nation-princeton-review%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98top-50-green-colleges%E2%80%99"> continually ranked</a> as among the nation's leaders in sustainability. What does that mean, and why is it so important?</p>
<p>"It's more than just making a resource last," said Sawani Goonatilleke Nallani, assistant director of sustainability at UC Merced. "It's looking at the economic, environmental and social aspects of climate change and what it's doing to our present and future."</p>
<p>Nallani and Sustainability Director Daryl Pierson are leading new efforts to increase awareness of what UC Merced is already doing and to do even more to protect the planet's precious resources.</p>
<p>"We are trying to create a well-thought-out strategy to advance sustainability, climate and resilience work," Pierson said. "And we include all of our stakeholders - academics, research, students and the community."</p>
<p>UC Merced is the only university in the United States with 100% of its permanent public-facing buildings certified under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.</p>
<p>"UC Merced has always emphasized research, sustainability and inclusive excellence in a highly diverse, student-centered environment," said Daniel T. Okoli, vice chancellor and chief operating officer. "This recognition is a wonderful acknowledgment of this vitally important work."</p>
<p>Sustainability requires collaboration across departments and work in a variety of areas, Nallani said.</p>
<p>"We are looking at the economic, environmental and social aspects of climate change and what it's doing to our present and future," she said. "For example, in the long term, companies save much more money by putting solar panels on and using wind power."</p>
<p>"Faculty members of the university are supportive of the efforts on sustainability on campus, led by Director Pierson, as indicative of their collaboration on this project to earn the Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability," said life and environmental sciences Professor Adeyemi Adebiyi. "There are also other areas and projects that faculty members continue to collaborate with the sustainability department, as we recognize its significance for our campus."</p>
<p>Another example of how the <a href="https://sustainability.ucmerced.edu/"> Office of Sustainability </a> is looking to cut costs as well as protect scarce resources was evident at this year's commencement ceremony on campus. Gone were the coolers full of plastic bottles of water, replaced by large tanks and compostable cups.</p>
<p>The water monster, as Pierson called it, served up ice-cold, filtered water to attendees while reducing reliance on single-use plastic.</p>
<p>"We estimate there were 3,500 water bottles that we would typically use that we didn't," he said.</p>
<p>The water monster can be requested through the university's <a href="https://sustainability.ucmerced.edu/living-lab-0"> Living Lab</a>, which uses the campus as an educational environment to learn. Students, staff and faculty are invited to propose projects that will improve the sustainability practices of the campus community.</p>
<p>Other efforts are focused on the community around the campus. The university partnered with the Rising Sun Center for Opportunity to train student teams to conduct energy audits of local homes, providing residents with resources and insight on how they might save on electricity and other costs.</p>
<p>"We worked with kids, not just training them to go into homes and monitor things like water flow but on building resumes and professional development," said Carlos Ortiz, an undergraduate student from the Bay Area who worked on the program.</p>
<p>The participating students got as much out of it as the community members they helped.</p>
<p>"I enjoyed it a lot; I liked seeing how you could make small changes that have a big impact," said Noemy Alvarado, a fourth-year environmental engineering major from Madera. "And it was nice seeing people happy."</p>
<p>Reuse is another major part of the campus' sustainability work. A project the office is working on gives students who are moving out the dorms an opportunity to donate, instead of discard, items they aren't using anymore. Pierson said the next step is a swap and shop store, where incoming Bobcats can pick up the appliances, clothes and textbooks left behind by their predecessors.</p>
<p>The Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability recognizes these efforts, which demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and climate action that is integral to the university's academic and public service mission.</p>
<p>Participating institutions are thoroughly reviewed in a variety of areas, including Institutional leadership, sustainability goals and governance. Reviewers consider academic curriculum and sustainability education, campus energy use and renewable energy, water conversation, green buildings and workforce development, as well as community partnerships and regional impacts.</p>
<p>"The group of inaugural institutions help bring this new classification to life," said Timothy F.C. Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. "We're proud to recognize their leadership and the many ways they are advancing sustainability across their campuses and communities."</p>
<p>The other 13 pilot institutions receiving the classification are: Bennett College, Carleton College, Clarkson University, George Mason University, Mt. San Antonio College, Pima Community College, Tohono O'odham Community College, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, University of Arizona, University of Idaho, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nevada Las Vegas and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. These institutions will be part of the inaugural cohort of classified institutions, which will be announced June 2027 alongside institutions participating in the first full classification cycle. Institutions that receive the Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability will retain it for six years, through 2033.</p>
<p><a href="https://cu.tfaforms.net/383">Applications</a> for the current classification cycle are underway, with a deadline of Dec. 18, 2026.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - UC Merced Arts Season Opens With Merced Symphony's Side-by-Side Concert/news/2026/uc-merced-arts-season-opens-merced-symphonys%E2%80%AFside-side-concert2026-09-23 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Campus Life, Community, Arts & Culture, In The Community, Arts and Culture<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc_merced_arts_26-27_hero.png" width="870" height="450" alt="Graphic promoting the UC Merced Arts 2026-27 season, featuring a collage of musicians, performers and artwork surrounding the UC Merced Arts logo." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/The 2026-27 UC Merced Arts season brings a diverse lineup of music, visual art, literary events and cultural programming to campus and the Merced community.<div>
<p>UC Merced Arts has announced its season of concerts, exhibitions, festivals and programs, beginning with the Merced Symphony's annual Side-by-Side Concert.</p>
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<p>The Season Opening Celebration begins Thursday, Sept. 24 at the Wallace-Dutra Amphitheater at UC Merced. This special performance brings together professional musicians from the Merced Symphony with student musicians from UC Merced and Merced College, creating an opportunity for emerging musicians to perform alongside professional artists while introducing audiences to the scale and energy of live symphonic music. Tickets start at $20 for adults. The concert is free for children and all college students with an ID.</p>
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<p>The Season Opening Celebration continues in the Downtown Merced Arts & Culture District on Sept. 25 and 26 with the 2026 Merced LitFest, bringing writers, readers, students and community members together for two days of literary programs and conversations.</p>
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<p>This year's festival will feature acclaimed poet Natalie Scenters-Zapico as the keynote speaker on Friday, Sept. 25 at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center. The festival is free and open to the public.</p>
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<p>"Opening our season with the third annual Merced Symphony Side-by-Side Concert and Merced LitFest allows us to celebrate two very different art forms while highlighting something central to our work: bringing the university and the broader Merced community together for exceptional artistic experiences," said Collin Lewis, UC Merced's executive director for the arts.</p>
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<p>The 2026-27 season continues that commitment with artists and projects that explore music, visual art, cultural history, environmental storytelling and community engagement. Events will be held at UC Merced and across the broader Merced community.</p>
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<p>Highlights include:</p>
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<p>Oct. 16 - Latin Grammy-winning all-women mariachi ensemble Flor de Toloache</p>
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<p>Nov. 4 - The return of No-No Boy, whose folk music explores histories of immigration, identity, and belonging</p>
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<p>Feb. 25 - Electric Root: Let Love Lead, bringing together acclaimed Black singers with the Merced College Community Chorus for a celebration of Black music</p>
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<p>April 22 - Thai-Swedish artist Sirintip and her multidisciplinary project MYCELIUM, connecting music, technology and climate research during Earth Week</p>
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<p>May 13 - The return of Las Cafeteras with Ritchie Forever, a celebration of the life and legacy of Ritchie Valens</p>
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<p>The season also includes a new year of exhibitions at La Galería, beginning with "Permanent Collection: Abstractions," on view through Oct. 3.</p>
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<p>Tickets for events and performances are available at the <a href="http://arts.ucmerced.edu/boxoffice" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> UC Merced Arts Box Office website</a>. Season flex passes are available for audiences interested in discounted access to multiple performances throughout the season.</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - UC Merced Named the 30th Best Public University in the Nation/news/2026/uc-merced-named-30th-best-public-university-nation2026-09-22 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Academic Distinction, Campus Life, Diversity & Inclusion, Research Excellence, Staff & Faculty News, Student & Alumni Success, First. Further. Forward, Rankings, Campus, Campus Community, Enrollment, Student Affairs, StudentsBy Sam Yniguez, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-09-21t195623.315.png" width="870" height="450" alt="Students gathered around a UC Merced sign," />https://news.ucmerced.edu/UC Merced has been named the 30th best public school in the nation. <p>In recognition of its growing national reputation, UC Merced has been named the 30th best public university in the country by U.S. News & World Report. The announcement was made today as part of USNWR’s 2027 Best Colleges list, the esteemed annual report that tabulates more than 1,700 public and private colleges and universities.</p>
<p>The university also ranked No. 4 for social mobility, placing it among the nation's best institutions for helping students from all backgrounds achieve greater economic success.</p>
<p>UC Merced also earned high marks in a new category this year, Best Value Schools for In-State Students, ranking 18th. The distinction recognizes institutions that offer students a strong return on their educational investment by combining academic quality with affordability.</p>
<p>“Rankings are meaningful when they reflect the outcomes and opportunities we create for our students,” Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said. “At UC Merced, we are deeply committed to providing an exceptional education that is accessible to students from across California and beyond.”</p>
<p>UC Merced continued to strengthen its national standing in academic areas. Its undergraduate engineering program – which recently earned strong recognition through ABET, with five of its undergraduate programs receiving accreditation through 2032 – climbed to No. 128, the highest ranking in the program’s history and an improvement of seven places over last year.</p>
<p>These latest rankings arrive during a period of sustained momentum at UC Merced. Propelled by record numbers of first-year and transfer students, the university entered the 2026-27 academic year with the largest enrollment in campus history and the highest annual growth in 15 years. UC Merced also is coming off a record fundraising year, underscoring the growing trust and belief supporters have in the university and its mission.</p>
<p>That momentum is reflected in UC Merced’s continued standing both nationally and across California. Within the state, USNWR ranked UC Merced as the seventh-best public university and the 11<sup>th</sup> best overall.</p>
<p>The university’s recognition extends beyond its overall academic standing. For the first time, UC Merced was included among USNWR’s Best Colleges for Veterans, charting at No. 40. The category recognizes institutions that provide strong educational opportunities and support for students with military backgrounds.</p>
<p>Collectively, the rankings highlight several aspects of the student experience at UC Merced, including academic opportunity, social mobility, value, and support for students from a range of backgrounds.</p>
<p>“These rankings speak to the breadth of what we offer our students at UC Merced, from the highest-quality education and meaningful academic opportunities to the support and resources that help students succeed,” Muñoz said. “Taken together, the rankings point to a university increasingly recognized not only for the quality of its academic programs and faculty, but for the difference it makes in the lives of its students.” </p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - UC Merced Signs Automatic Admission Agreements with Shasta County School Districts/news/2026/uc-merced-signs-automatic-admission-agreements-shasta-county-school-districts2026-09-21 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, MAAP, Enrollment, Admissions, Financial Aid/ScholarshipsAlyssa Johansen, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/shasta_county_uc_merced_admissions_event.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Three people sit behind a table in front of a blue UC Merced backdrop, smiling for a photo after signing documents." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/UC Merced is expanding guaranteed admission opportunities in Shasta County through new MAAP partnerships with two school districts.<div>
<p>UC Merced is expanding its Merced Automatic Admission Program (MAAP) to students in Shasta County, creating a direct pathway for eligible students to secure guaranteed admission.</p>
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<p>Through new agreements with Shasta Union High School District and Fall River Joint Unified School District, students who meet the program's academic requirements can receive an early guarantee of admission to UC Merced. Leaders from UC Merced and both districts formally signed the agreements during a ceremony in Redding.</p>
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<p>"These partnerships reflect our shared commitment to expanding college access and creating clear pathways for students to pursue higher education," said Scott Hagg, vice chancellor of enrollment management at UC Merced. "By working together, we can help more students see themselves at UC Merced and provide them with the support, information and opportunities they need to achieve their educational goals."</p>
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<p>Students scheduled to graduate in spring 2027 will be the first eligible to participate under the agreements. To qualify, students must complete at least 15 yearlong A-G courses required for UC first-year admission with a grade of C or better and earn a GPA of at least 3.0. Students can apply to MAAP in the fall of their senior year and may select any UC Merced major.</p>
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<p>Participation in MAAP waives application fees, provides a scholarship of up to $3,000 annually for up to four years. This year's application deadline is Sept. 30.</p>
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<p>Eligible students will be notified of their MAAP status and next steps by Nov. 1, giving them greater certainty about their college options early in their senior year.</p>
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<p>The partnership was made possible with support from The McConnell Foundation, which has helped UC Merced build connections with educational and community partners throughout Shasta County. The foundation has been instrumental in supporting the university's outreach efforts and raising awareness of opportunities available to students in the region.</p>
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<p>"This is a wonderful opportunity for more of our students to attend a high-ranking, high-quality university that understands how to support rural students," said David Tanner, director of college success at The McConnell Foundation. "I applaud the vision of UC Merced in bringing the Merced Automatic Admission Program to Shasta County. Thank you to the administrators of Shasta Union High School District and Fall River Joint Unified School District for partnering with UC Merced."</p>
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<p>To learn more about the MAAP partnership and the program's complete requirements, visit the MAAP <a href="https://admissions.ucmerced.edu/MAAP" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> webpage </a> .</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - New Dean of Students Reflects on Art of Listening, Power of Family/news/2026/new-dean-students-reflects-art-listening-power-family2026-09-21 00:00:00Faculty And Staff News, Featured News (gateway)Staff & Faculty News, Student & Alumni Success, Academics, Campus Community, Financial Aid, Student Affairs, StudentsBy Jody Murray, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/jose-leon2.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Student shakes hand of UC Merced Dean of Students Jose Leon on a sunny day on campus" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Dean of Students Jose León greets a student moving in before the start of the fall semester.<p>UCLA was a huge change for Jose León. The college transfer student from a small town and a tight-knit extended family struggled to relate to classmates from bigger cities.</p>
<p>Then, at a student resource fair, León met Robin Bueno, the coordinator of a UCLA-based program that helped Native American college students stay on course in their studies. She invited him and other students to a family barbecue.</p>
<p>By the end of that summer, León had a job with the American Indian Student Association, tutoring students throughout the Los Angeles area. At UCLA, he developed life-affirming relationships with numerous Native students.</p>
<p>“Their family experiences were ones I recognized: the way people sit down for a meal and talk, how food is central to their lives, how they value their elders,” León said. “It was like, ‘This is so familiar. I can step into this.’”</p>
<p>Today, León is at UC Merced, bringing more than 25 years of experience in student support and mentoring to his new role as associate vice chancellor and dean of students. His office connects students to resources, supports student success, advocates during personal or academic crises, and helps students navigate challenges of all kinds.</p>
<p>He was dean of students at University of the Pacific for more than three years before coming to Merced. His work in Stockton and earlier roles at UCLA, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and the University of Nevada-Reno strengthened his conviction that supporting students starts with appreciating their experience and making a meaningful connection.</p>
<p>"Everyone talks about ensuring that students are college ready. I believe it’s just as important that the college be ready for the student,” León said. “Are we ready to honor and value what they bring to us, that external education?”</p>
<p>Family is a foundation of León’s worldview. His extended family emigrated from Mexico in the 1910s. They worked in the fields in Southern California and his grandparents met in a labor camp. When the camp closed, everyone moved to nearby Santa Paula. The Ventura County town had about 25,000 souls — nearly 60 percent of them Hispanic — when León was a child.</p>
<p>“We all lived on the same block,” he said of family. “I had probably 40 to 50 cousins within yelling distance of my house.”</p>
<p>On a sunny morning in June, León met with University Communications in the Student Affairs office to talk about student success, mentoring and family. The interview was edited for length and clarity.</p>
<p><strong>Tell us more about your grandparents.</strong></p>
<p>My paternal grandfather went to the University of Southern California on the GI Bill, got an engineering degree and had a full career with Caltrans. He was the lead engineer on the original 405 overpass to Sunset Boulevard and UCLA. My maternal grandfather was one of the first Latino investigators in the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. When I was a kid, my sister and I devoured magazines at his house like Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine and National Geographic.</p>
<p>My maternal grandmother didn't finish high school, but in her late 20s she and my great-grandmother went to night school and earned their GEDs. My other grandmother also valued education. She learned English later in life, when I was in my teens. Just to show off, she would make me sit and eat while she read an entire newspaper out loud.</p>
<p><strong>What did you learn as a student at UCLA that influences how you work with students today?</strong></p>
<p>One thing I had to learn was how to navigate the bureaucracy. That's a skill all its own. I came from a background that’s more about the people you know, how you relate to them, and what resources or access they have. It's not necessarily ‘OK, I need to fill out this form, or this online submission needs to be done on this timeline to get access to these.’</p>
<p>And sometimes parents and families aren’t comfortable with the requests. My mom, for instance, didn’t want to provide her tax returns for my financial aid application. So, I help families understand what’s needed. In a way, it’s a whole family that’s coming to college, not just a student.</p>
<p>Even a smaller campus like UC Merced can seem big. I want to help students feel they have a home base here, which can make the place seem smaller.</p>
<p><strong>You’ve talked about the importance of mentoring. Tell me about someone who has mentored you.</strong></p>
<p>When I was a young scholar at UCLA, there was a professor named Teo Ruiz, who's now retired. He’s a top scholar in medieval literature. When I transferred from Ventura College, I needed a history class and his was the only one that was open.</p>
<p>About 10 years later, he received the National Humanities Medal from former President Obama.</p>
<p>To this day, Professor Ruiz will answer every email I send him. He was my reference for graduate school. He was a reference for my last job. And I knew he had a full load, teaching 500-student lectures. What I learned from him was humility. If someone as busy as he is, even in retirement, can be that responsive and accessible, I certainly can do the same.</p>
<p><strong>How do you define student success?</strong></p>
<p>My hope for every student is when they find their next path, whether it’s grad school or employment, that when they cross the finish line, they understand it wasn't just about getting a diploma. It was having access to resources and connecting with the people who helped them get the job or graduate program they wanted. They need to have that support to feel connected, to feel a sense of belonging, of community.</p>
<p>We can use a lot of metrics to define student success, and it's great to use data to drive decisions and where we place resources. But at the end of the day, it's about the community we've built to support our scholars so they can become the next generation of leaders.</p>
<p><strong>What is something you learned at University of the Pacific that you brought to UC Merced?</strong></p>
<p>At UOP, we were deeply invested in the student holistically — where they come from, what they're facing and whether it's a challenging or a promising moment.</p>
<p>So one thing I learned at Pacific was to really sit down with a student and understand their story. That may take longer, but in the end, we were able to resolve fundamental issues they faced, not just the superficial problems they came to us with initially.</p>
<p>When we can break down the big problems, create a plan and empower the student to work things out … I’ve seen students who then say, “You know what, I want to help other students.” So, a peer-to-peer support network grows because you took the time to truly listen to one student.</p>
<p><strong>UC Merced’s faculty and staff have an earned reputation of being accessible to students. How will you become part of that?</strong></p>
<p>Students often think the dean of students’ office is like a high school principal’s office — not a place you want to go, right? That’s why it’s important for me and my team to get out of the office and build relationships with students around campus. People need to understand who we are, what we're about.</p>
<p>For a few years, I stepped away from university systems to be a community organizer. I shook hands, I sat down, I listened, I shared meals. With students, making meaningful connections and being truthful about what I do for them is crucial at a university that’s part of the largest higher education system in the nation.</p>
<p>I'm not here to save the day. I’m not here to be Superman. I’m here to help open doors, to help explain things, and to help them become empowered.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Jody Murray - UC Merced Team Earns Best Paper Award at SenSys 2026/news/2026/uc-merced-team-earns-best-paper-award-sensys-20262026-09-17 00:00:00AccoladesStaff & Faculty News, First. Further. Forward, Engineering, Computer Science, School of Engineering, Computer Science EngineeringUniversity Communications<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_sensys_accolade_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="A student stands on a stage at a podium in front of a blue screen with a description of the SoilX paper." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/The winning entry was selected from 505 submitted papers. <div>
<p>Computer Science and Engineering <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/wan-du" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Professor Wan Du</a> and his students Kang Yang, Yuanlin Yang, Yuning Chen, and Sikai Yang, along with UC San Diego Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Xinyu Zhang, have received the Best Paper Award at ACM/IEEE SenSys 2026 (International Conference on Embedded Artificial Intelligence and Sensing Systems).</p>
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<p>Their paper, "SoilX: Calibration-Free Comprehensive Soil Sensing Through Contrastive Cross-Component Learning," was selected from 505 submitted papers, from whichonly 99 were accepted. Their work was honored as the conference's sole Best Paper Award recipient.</p>
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<p>SoilX is a wireless sensing system that measures six key soil properties - moisture, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, organic carbon and soil texture - in real time. Existing wireless soil sensors must be recalibrated whenever they are moved to a field of a different soil type. This requires sending soil samples to a laboratory and waiting weeks for results. SoilX eliminates that step with a new machine-learning technique, called Contrastive Cross-Component Learning, that untangles how different soil components interfere with one another's signals, along with a novel pyramid-shaped antenna array that allows sensors to be buried in any orientation.</p>
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<p>In laboratory and field experiments across five soil types, SoilX reduced measurement errors by 23.8 to 31.5 percent compared with the best existing system and remained accurate in new fields.</p>
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<p>By giving farmers continuous, laboratory-quality information about soil, SoilX could help them irrigate and fertilize exactly when crops need, raising yields while savingwater and reducing the fertilizer runoff that pollutes rivers and lakes. That precision matters in water-stressed agricultural regions such as California's Central Valley, wheresmall errors in sensor readings can translate into wasted water and fertilizers.Because the system is built on low-cost, low-power wireless technology, it could also put advanced soil analysis within reach of small farms that cannot afford frequent laboratory testing.</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - Tour Highlights How UC Merced is a 'Sustainability Beacon'/news/2026/tour-highlights-how-uc-merced-sustainability-beacon2026-09-16 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Campus Life, First. Further. Forward, Campus, Sustainability, LEED Certification, Sustainable Operations<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_sustainability_tour_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="Jim Brugger, the retired director of campus engineering services, gestures while leading a tour of the UC Merced campus." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/The tour showcased the university's leadership in sustainable design.<p>Many organizations claim sustainability is baked into their DNA. Nowhere is that truer than at UC Merced, where the approach to sustainability, climate action and ecological conservation is part of everything from the buildings on campus to the research in its labs to the way it conducts business.</p>
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<p>Recently, the university and the U.S. Green Building Council Central California hosted a tour showcasing the university's leadership in sustainable design and green business practices throughout the Central Valley.</p>
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<p>UC Merced is the only university in the United States with 100% of its permanent, public-facing buildings certified under the USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program; most of them achieved the platinum ranking. It is also the first public research university in the country to achieve carbon neutrality, which means any greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere are balanced with at least an equal amount removed or offset.</p>
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<p>"USGBC Central California brings together our community through green project tours in the region," said Laura Gromis, executive director of USGBC Central California."UC Merced is a sustainability beacon in the San Joaquin Valley that demonstrates how to implement and advance sustainability in the built environment and beyond. It's a perfect place to learn about implementing sustainability in the built environment through a real-world example."</p>
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<p>UC Merced Sustainability Director Daryl Pierson and Assistant Director Sawani Poornima Goonatilleke Nallani hosted the tour for local builders, environmentalists and contractors, showing them what the campus is doing to protect the planet's precious resources. They are building on a strong history the university has had as a leader in sustainable practices.</p>
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<p>It takes more than just responsible use of resources. Sustainability takes into account economic and social impacts as well as environmental concerns, Nallani said.</p>
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<p>"In the long term, companies save much more money by putting solar panels on and using wind power," she said.</p>
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<p>That can be a challenge when working at a public facility where the bottom line is always a concern, said Jim Brugger, the retired director of campus engineering services.</p>
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<p>"It makes buildings much more expensive, though it pays for itself over time," he said. Though the campus is only 21 years old, technology has already evolved. The new Medical Education Building, set to open next year, is the campus's first all-electric building.</p>
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<p>"It's not connected to the central plant at all," Brugger said.</p>
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<p>The goal from the beginning was to make the campus "as efficient and sustainable as possible," Brugger said. He showed attendees some of the architectural aspects that contribute to that, including shades outside of large windows that keep them from getting too hot and even small vinyl squares adhered to the inside to deter birds from running into them.</p>
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<p>UC Merced's sustainability efforts may start with its buildings, but they certainly don't end there.</p>
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<p>The tour stopped at the Pavilion, where Director of Residential Dining Anthony Pangelina described measures his team has taken to make the operation more sustainable. That includes cooking from scratch, using locally produced food and working with local farmers to provide students with fresh, minimally processed meals.</p>
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<p>"Our local spend is up and our sustainability spend is way up," Pangelina said.</p>
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<p>The tour then stopped by the <a href="https://sustainability.ucmerced.edu/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Sustainability office</a>, where interns helped attendees play a trivia game. Sample question: What material can be recycled an infinite amountof times? Answer: Glass.</p>
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<p>Brugger led the way to the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library, where another display highlighted the university's <a href="https://sustainability.ucmerced.edu/living-lab-0" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Living Lab</a>, which offers students, faculty and staff the opportunity to boost efforts in achieving climate goals.</p>
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<p>The library was the university's first building, and the first to be LEED-certified, which required more than just proving the construction was sustainable.</p>
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<p>"Things like office supplies, toner and ink - I had to go to each department and get their procurement records," Brugger said.</p>
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<p>After a tour of the Central Plant, the day ended with a presentation by Pierson and Nallani about what they are planning next. That includes working to make events zero waste and fully decarbonizing the university.</p>
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<p>There are many challenges ahead, but the university is well-positioned to take them on, they said.</p>
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<p>"That early direction really set the course for the accomplishments we've had," Pierson said. "That doesn't happen by accident."</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - Study Highlights Hidden Labor Market Facing California’s Most Vulnerable Workers/news/2026/study-highlights-hidden-labor-market-facing-california%E2%80%99s-most-vulnerable-workers2026-09-17 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Community Engagement, Hispanic-serving Institution, Hispanic/LatinX Heritage Month, In The Community, Campus Community, Graduate Division, Faculty, Research, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, Sociology, Sociology, Graduate StudentsBy Brenda Ortiz, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/andresarias_ucmerced.jpg" width="870" height="470" alt="Andres Arias standing in front of campus building" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/UC Merced sociology Ph.D. candidate Andrés Arias researches labor conditions and exploitation among immigrant workers in California’s Central Valley.<p>When farmworkers decide conditions are so harsh they have to leave the fields, the story doesn’t end there — it moves to another corner of the labor market.</p>
<p>UC Merced <a href="https://sociology.ucmerced.edu">Sociology</a> Ph.D. candidate Andrés Arias captures that in his article, “<a href="https://academic.oup.com/socpro/advance-article/doi/10.1093/socpro/spag051/8766267">’It is worse in the fields:’ how racial capitalism disciplines Latino day laborers in California’s Central Valley</a>,” published in <em>Social Problems</em>. He draws on interviews with workers who left agricultural jobs only to experience new forms of exploitation as day laborers.</p>
<p>“I do research with some of the most vulnerable communities in the Central Valley,” Arias said. “I study the way workers experience non-compliant work and what they do when they experience this — whether they report it or not, how they make decisions around that.”</p>
<p>His research, under the guidance of professors <a href="https://sociology.ucmerced.edu/content/edward-flores">Edward Flores</a> and <a href="https://sociology.ucmerced.edu/content/meredith-van-natta">Meredith Van Natta</a>, followed immigrant and Latino day laborers in the Central Valley and found they often endure wage theft, unsafe conditions and other workplace violations.</p>
<p>He argues that workers’ responses to exploitation are shaped not only by legal status or fear of retaliation, but by paternalistic relations with employers, a shared cultural background and racial capitalism — a system of dividing and exploiting people by race.</p>
<p>“The agriculture system was so bad to them that they had to leave the industry,” Arias said. “They often compared their working conditions within the day labor industry to how they were experiencing things in the fields … ‘It’s better here. If not here, then it’s going to be worse over there.’”</p>
<p>That recurring sentiment inspired the article’s title.</p>
<p>Arias’ personal experience helped shape his interest in the topic and motivated him to study this population.</p>
<p>His family immigrated from Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico, to the U.S. when he was 7. Since settling in San Jose more than two decades ago, his parents have worked low-wage jobs.</p>
<p>“I also put myself through undergrad through low-wage work,” said Arias, who became a U.S. citizen in 2022. “I’ve always been interested in the way that labor shapes people’s lives.”</p>
<p>“I took a class in sociology as an undergrad. I came across this article on informal workers, and I remember seeing my life in that research article,” he said. “I remember thinking to myself, ‘Wow, you can study the experiences of undocumented migrants.’”</p>
<p>For Arias, placing those stories in a top sociology journal is both a scholarly milestone and a way to make sure Central Valley workers are no longer invisible in national debates. He is working with UC Merced’s <a href="https://clc.ucmerced.edu/">Community Labor Center</a> to help inform policy and community advocacy that push for stronger enforcement of labor laws and safer conditions for immigrant workers.</p>
<p>“I do hope that people take action in ameliorating the working conditions in industrial agriculture or informal work here,” he said.</p>
<p>In addition to his solo research publication, Arias also received an Honorable Mention Award at the American Sociological Association meetings in New York City last month.</p>
<p>“It's motivating to see that my work can be meaningful within the field of sociology,” he said. “It’s inspired me to keep writing. This summer, I completed two chapters of my dissertation.”</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Brenda Ortiz - Hispanic Heritage Month Kicks off at UC Merced/news/2026/hispanic-heritage-month-kicks-uc-merced2026-09-16 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Campus Life, Community, Arts & Culture, First. Further. Forward, Hispanic/LatinX Heritage Month, Campus CommunityBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_hispanic_heritage_month.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="Students dressed in black shirts and pants perform mariachi music in the UC Merced Conference Center." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Student group Mariachi Los Bobcats performed at the event.<div>
<p>UC Merced's Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations got off to a lively, colorful start on Tuesday, with a performance by Mariachi Los Bobcats, food and tabling in the university's Conference Center.</p>
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<p>Attendees received a Loteria-themed T-shirt and were entered into a raffle drawing for a special deck and player cards of the Mexican bingo-like game.</p>
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<p>Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated nationally from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, recognizes the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to history, culture and advancement.</p>
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<p>Events such as Tuesday's are important because they build connection and are an opportunity to learn, said <a href="https://ejie.ucmerced.edu/content/delia-s-saenz-phd" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Delia Saenz</a>, vice chancellor and chief diversity officer.</p>
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<p>"We want all people to come to our events," she said. "We are a diverse campus and we want to share information on all of our cultures."</p>
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<p>Organizations such as Student Involvement, the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science and the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Center hosted informational tables with giveaways that included sugar candy in University of California blue and gold. Library staff brought books that could be checked out on site.</p>
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<p>Before performing, members of Mariachi Los Bobcats talked about their organization, the music they perform and the tradition and history behind it. The organization began in 2025, when they loosely started gathering before taking part in - and winning - the Bobcats Got Talent show. That earned them the opportunity to open for the campus's Cowtopia concert.</p>
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<p>For many of them, mariachi music is an important connection to their culture.</p>
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<p>Band member Aaron Diaz said his grandparents speak only Spanish, a language in which he is not fluent. But his grandmother asked him to play a song.</p>
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<p>"It really helped me see what this club can bring," he said. "Being a part of this club gives me that Latino pride I carry with me every single time I perform with this group."</p>
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<p>Mariachi Los Bobcats practices Tuesdays from 6 to 9 p.m. in Granite Pass 170. Rehearsals, and the club, are open to all.</p>
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<p>Several other events are set to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month:</p>
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<p>Sept. 20: Folklororista Picnic, hosted by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/folkloricodeucm/?hl=en" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Ballet Folklórico </a> , 3 to 8 p.m. at Lake Yosemite. Open to club members and anyone who would like to join. The club will provide burgers, drinks and board games. Attendees are invited to bring fruit, chips, or desserts.</p>
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<p>Oct. 1: Food for Thought: Reel Roots - Latinx Stories of Film & Identity, 6 p.m. Conference Center, Room 105. Reel Roots will explore Latinx identity, storytelling and representation through film and conversation. The program will feature Professor Gabriel Durán and filmmaker Eugenia Rentería, with UC Merced Dining Chef Maria Maravilla preparing pozole for the accompanying reception. This event is presented through the Food for Thought series in collaboration with UC Merced's Division of Equity, Justice and Inclusive Excellence. Attendees are asked to <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1HN2d9fu3jNC0L7gLW_duZieIEwAEK79xX-ry4a_Xwys/viewform?edit_requested=true" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> RSVP </a> in advance.</p>
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<p>Oct. 15: Latinx Heritage Luncheon, noon to 1:30 p.m. in Administration Building, room 306. Know someone amazing at UC Merced? Nominate them to be an honoree at theLuncheon. Honorees will be recognized for their impact and will share their unique stories during a brief table discussion. <a href="https://ucmerced.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6h7LIbCQgH877aS" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Nominations </a> are being accepted now; deadline to submit is Sept. 21.</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - UC Merced Launches Earth Institute, Uniting Climate and Environmental Research /news/2026/uc-merced-launches-earth-institute-uniting-climate-and-environmental-research2026-09-15 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Research Excellence, Environment, Campus, Research and Economic Development, Environmental Research, Research, UC Center for Climate Justice, Sierra Nevada Research InstituteUniversity Communications<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-09-15t084125.242.png" width="870" height="450" alt="Members of the Earth Institute posed next to a branded sign" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/The UC Merced Earth Institute team celebrates the launch of its new identity at a Fall Welcome Event on Sept. 14.<p>UC Merced is deepening its investment in the fight against climate change, uniting scientific expertise across campus to help confront the effects of a changing planet. </p>
<p>Leading that effort is the Sierra Nevada Research Institute (SNRI), UC Merced's first Organized Research Unit, which has merged with the UC Merced Climate Institute to form the UC Merced Earth Institute, an organization dedicated to advancing research and sustainable solutions to the environmental and climate challenges facing communities and ecosystems. </p>
<p>The institute marked the milestone Sept. 14 with a Fall Welcome Event celebrating SNRI's legacy and formally launching its new identity. </p>
<p>For nearly two decades, SNRI has fostered interdisciplinary research in ecology, earth and environmental sciences, social sciences and engineering, generating and sharing knowledge to sustain natural resources and promote social health and well-being in the San Joaquin Valley, the Sierra Nevada region and beyond. That work helped build UC Merced into a Carnegie R1 research institution, and the event recognized the researchers, students and community partners whose contributions made that designation possible. </p>
<p><a href="https://les.ucmerced.edu/content/asmeret-asefaw-berhe">Faculty Director Asmeret Asefaw Berhe</a> and Executive Director Molly Stephens lead the newly combined institute, which continues SNRI's research strengths in hydrology, environmental contamination, sustainable land management, sustainable agriculture, and ecology and biodiversity. The Earth Institute builds on that foundation with five specialized focus areas tackling environmental problems intensified by climate and environmental change. </p>
<p>The Equitable Climate Solutions Center, led by<a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/people/rebecca-ryals-1"> Professor Rebecca Ryals</a>, addresses challenges at the intersection of human well-being, the natural environment and climate justice. The Fire Resilience Center, led by<a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/safeeq-khan"> Professor Safeeq Khan</a>, advances the science, partnerships and solutions needed to help people and ecosystems adapt to a fire-altered world. And the Sustainable Energy Center, led by<a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/po-ya-abel-chuang"> Professor Abel Chuang</a>, supports the transition from conventional energy sources to renewable, efficient and low-cost energy systems, tackling the engineering and systems-level challenges of integrating renewables into the broader energy landscape. Two faculty-led research pillars further anchor the institute's structure: Water Resources and Biodiversity and Ecosystems, both of which build directly on SNRI's historic core research areas. </p>
<p>"By bringing our climate and environmental science research together, we're developing a more unified approach to some of the most pressing challenges of our time," Berhe said. "We are even better positioned to deliver the interdisciplinary, community-engaged solutions that the Central Valley and the world urgently need." </p>
<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-09-15t085018.451.png" width="870" height="450" alt="Earth Institute sign" />The logo for the Earth Institute is a nod to SNRI's national park roots.https://news.ucmerced.edu/<p>The new Earth Institute logo, featuring the famous rock formation Half Dome, nods to SNRI's role in UC Merced's founding. The group that would become SNRI was written into the university's original 1997 academic plan and soon began working with resource managers at Yosemite National Park, a partnership that brought the Yosemite Field Station in Wawona to UC Merced and established ties with Yosemite and Kings Canyon national parks. Those connections set the fledgling university apart from other UC campuses and universities nationwide. </p>
<p>In the years since, SNRI has used California's critical landscapes, from the Sierra Nevada through the Central Valley's agricultural lands and out to the sea, as a laboratory for research that speaks to global issues and helped shape UC Merced's growth as a research university. The evolution into the UC Merced Earth Institute marks the university's next phase in confronting the challenges posed by climate change. </p>
<p>As part of its expanded focus on climate issues and outreach, the Earth Institute continues its Distinguished Climate Speaker Series this fall, with a talk by Jonathan Foley on Oct. 26 at 3 p.m. in the Dr. Vikram and Priya Lakireddy Grand Ballroom in the UC Merced Conference Center. Foley, a world-leading environmental scientist and an expert in food systems and sustainability, ranks among the most-cited climate researchers in the world and will bring a message of science-based hope for meeting the challenges ahead. </p>
<p>More information about the Earth Institute's work, history and opportunities, along with RSVPs for upcoming events, is available at <a href="http://earth.ucmerced.edu">earth.ucmerced.edu</a>. </p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - Alumna Brings Behavioral Science to the Front Lines of Sleep Innovation/news/2026/alumna-brings-behavioral-science-front-lines-sleep-innovation2026-09-14 00:00:00University CommunicationsFeatured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Alumni, Women's History Month, Graduate Division, Health, Research, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, Psychological Sciences, Psychology, Graduate Students<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-09-02t135238.740.png" width="870" height="450" alt="Headshot of Hilly Rus and UC Merced campus entrance" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Holly Rus, ’17, is head of scientific research at Sleep.ai.<p>For Holly Rus, ’17, a passion for health psychology and real-world impact has led to a career at the forefront of consumer sleep research. She is head of scientific research at Sleep.ai, where she directs studies designed to improve health and wellness through better sleep.</p>
<p>“I lead a team of researchers and serve as principal investigator on longitudinal behavioral health intervention studies testing consumer sleep products,” said Rus, who earned a Ph.D. in <a href="https://psychology.ucmerced.edu/">Psychological Sciences</a>.</p>
<p>Her work at Sleep.ai (formerly SleepScore Labs) examines everything from mattresses and wearables to supplements and air purifiers, analyzing how these products affect sleep and overall well-being. In addition to designing studies and analyzing data, Rus plays a key role in translating complex scientific findings into practical insights for industry partners.</p>
<p>Rus was drawn to UC Merced by her interest in health psychology and its practical applications, particularly at the intersection of technology and health. As a student, she co-authored publications on how social media influences romantic relationships and stress.</p>
<p>“I wanted to do research that had real-world relevance to people’s well-being,” she said. “The chance to study how emerging platforms like social media were affecting psychological and physiological health felt timely and meaningful.”</p>
<p>That curiosity became the foundation of her graduate work and continues to shape her career today. Through her doctoral training at UC Merced, Rus developed both technical expertise and critical thinking skills essential to her leadership role.</p>
<p>“The rigorous training in research methodology and statistics gave me the technical toolkit I use every day,” she said. “But beyond that, graduate school taught me how to think like a scientist.”</p>
<p>Her experience at UC Merced also helped prepare her to lead research teams and communicate complex ideas effectively — skills she now uses regularly in both scientific and business settings.</p>
<p>Rus credits her advisor, Jitske Tiemensma, for playing a pivotal role in her development as a researcher and leader.</p>
<p>“Working with her taught me how to design rigorous experimental studies on behavioral questions that are genuinely hard to operationalize,” she said.</p>
<p>She also points to opportunities such as the UC Merced’s Grad Slam competition as helping her refine one of the most valuable skills in her career: clear communication. She was runner-up in the campus’s inaugural event in 2015.</p>
<p>“Being able to boil complex research down to a short, basic explanation is probably the skill I use the most,” she said.</p>
<p>Today, Rus is helping bridge science and industry — using research to guide innovation, improve products and ultimately enhance people’s health through better sleep.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Brenda Ortiz - Technology Revolution in Agriculture Needs Investment in Humans as Well as Machines/news/2026/technology-revolution-agriculture-needs-investment-humans-well-machines2026-09-10 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Research Excellence, Staff & Faculty News, First. Further. Forward, Engineering, San Joaquin Valley, Research, School of Engineering, Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity Communications<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_agtech_workforce_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="Tractor operator classes are part of the training. Here, a student operates a tractor while instructors provide guidance." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Tractor driving classes are part of necessary training. <div>
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<p><strong> Key Findings:</strong></p>
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<p>Interest in agricultural technology is here. Among 10,856 respondents from Central Valley agricultural communities, 16.5% expressed interest in agtech training, more than three times those interested in general agriculture programs.</p>
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<p>The challenge is not motivation; it is access. The study says childcare, internet connectivity and flexible scheduling as core constraints on participation in technical education..</p>
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<p>Agtech could create a new path for workers often missed by traditional higher education. Interest was especially strong among men ages 25 to 34 with a middle-school education, while respondents with three or more dependents had more than twice the odds of expressing interest in agtech than those without children.</p>
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Amid concerns that advances in agricultural technology could spell doom for the farmworker economy, researchers have found the opposite may be true: adopting new technology requires humans as much as tools and can provide greater opportunities for people.</p>
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<p>In a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308521X26002672" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> paper published </a> by international journal Agricultural Systems, the UC Merced-led team found high interest among the farm workforce in agricultural technology training, particularly among respondents aged 25-34 with a middle-school education. Significant barriers remain, including available childcare, internet access and inflexible training opportunities. </p>
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<p>"Agriculture is undergoing a major technological transition, and we often assume that new technology will replace labor," said lead author Kimberly Gibson, a UC Merced postdoctoral researcher in climate smart agriculture and innovation. "Our findings show this transition can go another way. Technology can replace people, or it can open doors of opportunity for them."</p>
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<p>The team studied responses from 10,856 people in California's Central Valley. Of those, only 5.3% expressed an interest in general agriculture training programs, while 16.5% were interested in learning more about agricultural technology.</p>
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<p>"Our data shows real interest, within agricultural communities, in becoming the people who operate, maintain and improve these technologies," Gibson said. "What stands in their way is often access to childcare, internet and flexible training programs."</p>
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<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_agtech_body.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="UC Merced postdoctoral researcher Kimberly Gibson is pictured in a red shirt and straw hat talking to a crowd of people" />Postdoctoral researcher Kimberly Gibson is lead author of the paper.https://news.ucmerced.edu/<div>
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<p>Respondents with children were less than half as likely to respond that they were interested in agtech training than their childless counterparts. Respondents who said childcare would affect their ability to return to school had 5.97 times higher odds of expressing interest in further education, making childcare the strongest predictor identified in the analysis.</p>
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<p>Childcare may be as important to workforce development as broadband or transportation, the study found. And the costs of training, not a lack of interest, limits participation.</p>
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<p>"The future of agriculture is not simply about putting more technology in the field," said co-author <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/joshua-viers" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Joshua Viers</a>, associate vice chancellor of interdisciplinary research andstrategic initiatives and a civil and environmental engineering professor at UC Merced. "It is about investing in the people who understand those fields."</p>
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<p>Respondents indicated they would need training outside of typical work hours, highlighting the need for programs to be flexible.</p>
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<p>Farmworker communities can drive agricultural technology adoption when structural barriers to training are addressed, the researchers wrote. That supports UC Merced's longstanding efforts in agricultural innovation that focus on workforce development, the environment and the regional economy.</p>
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<p>"The results offer a roadmap for inclusive digitalization that treats workforce development infrastructure as integral to agricultural systems design," they wrote.</p>
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<p>Some of that work is underway, with the development of the Farms Food Future Ag Systems <a href="https://www.f3initiative.org/agtec" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> certificate program</a>. Seven regional community colleges in the Central Valley began offering the program in 2024. It includes training in digital literacy, equipment operation and crop production systems, as well as interpersonal skills and technical writing.</p>
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<p>"This survey confirms a reality agriculture has too often overlooked: Farmworkers are its longest-standing practitioners and best-positioned transition partners," said Karen Aceves, founder and CEO of Arken Strategies and a co-author of the paper. That insight helped shape AgTEC, a competency-based program now serving more than 1,000 students across the Central Valley.</p>
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<p>"By recognizing the expertise farmworkers already hold and adding the technical skills, tools and agency to advance, we are preparing them to lead agriculture'stransformation as full partners in its future," Aceves said.</p>
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<p>Leigh Bernacchi, director of ag innovation at Merced College, formerly served as executive director of VISTA F3 at UC Merced and also is a co-author of the study.</p>
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<p>"F3 brought together community colleges and UC Merced to tackle one of the biggest problems in agriculture: labor. The question is really about the retention of agricultural experts and how we can use technology intentionally," she said. That partnership has continued through California Jobs First funding for the Merced AgTechAlliance to create workforce development programs that serve diverse students in agtech. "We learned from this research that agtech adoption can be accelerated by investing in the people to run the robots, drones and sensors, especially if they already understand the complexities of agriculture."</p>
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<p>Investments such as these in farmworker education should be seen not as charitable interventions but as strategic investments in retaining the agronomic expertise that agricultural technology systems require to function effectively, the researchers said.</p>
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<p>"If we want agricultural innovation to succeed at scale, workforce development has to be treated as part of the technology infrastructure itself," Viers said. "That means building training around the realities of working families in our Valley communities."</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - NASA Administrator Offers UC Merced Students a Glimpse of Their Future/news/2026/nasa-administrator-offers-uc-merced-students-glimpse-their-future2026-09-09 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Staff & Faculty News, Student & Alumni Success, Management & Technology, First. Further. Forward, Engineering, Faculty, NASA, Castle, CITRIS, School of Engineering, Computer Science EngineeringBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_nasa_visit_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman takes a photo with UC Merced students Rayan Dua and Samir Ahmed. " />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Students Rayan Dua and Samir Ahmed were among those who talked with Jared Isaacman. <div>
<p>It might seem that an airfield filled with old planes is a strange place to talk about the future of space flight. But Jared Isaacman, the administrator of NASA, said the Castle Air Museum was the perfect setting to talk about what's ahead.</p>
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<p>Isaacman visited the former Air Force base last week to tour the planes and talk with students, including a contingent of more than 30 from UC Merced. The group included undergraduate and graduate students, members of the university's first nanosatellite team, and faculty conducting NASA-supported research.</p>
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<p>Among the faculty were Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development <a href="https://research.ucmerced.edu/home/leadership/about-vcr-wilson" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Gillian Wilson</a>, an astronomer and cosmologist, Professor <a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/people/sayantani-ghosh" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Sayantani Ghosh</a>, an expert in condensed matter physics, and Professor <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/erin-hestir" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Erin Hestir</a>, a remote-sensing scientist and director of CITRIS, the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society & the Banatao Institute at UC Merced. The visit followed a stop at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab, where he met with scientists working on some of the technology to launch with Artemis IV, a moon-landing mission planned for early 2028.</p>
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<p>"That's just the opening act to America's grand return to the lunar surface," Isaacman said.</p>
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<p>But space flight started with subspace flight, and the Castle display includes a F-100 previously flown by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Gus Grissom, the NASA director said in a post on X. "A real piece of NASA and American aviation history."</p>
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<p>NASA also was the final operator of the SR-71, a long-range Mach 3-plus reconnaissance aircraft that is on display at Castle.</p>
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<p>"We are still doing the airplane thing," Isaacman said. "We are rebuilding our X-plane portfolio and we are doing it here in California … so we can start flying higher and faster just like we did in the good old days."</p>
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<p>Rayan Dua, a computer science and engineering major and member of UC Merced's American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) student chapter, was among the students invited to meet with Isaacman. Dua is a member of the BOBSat-1 team, which is designing UC Merced's first nanosatellite. Led by Hestir, BOBSat-1 is a collaboration between the AIAA student chapter and CITRIS at UC Merced.</p>
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<p>"We got to hear about what NASA is currently working toward, including returning humans to the moon, developing the technologies and infrastructure needed for a more permanent presence there, and advancing future human spaceflight, science and aeronautics," Dua said. "We were also able to share some of the projects we are working on at UC Merced. It was especially interesting getting to speak with Administrator Isaacman directly and learn more about what his day-to-day work at NASA looks like and what goes into leading an organization of that scale."</p>
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<p>Fellow computer science and engineering major and BOBSat-1 team member Samir Ahmed said he talked with Isaacman about "what it felt like to complete the first civilian spacewalk and the sense of duty he returned with to continue pushing the boundaries of human exploration. He likened it to the ocean explorers of the 1400s, who ventured into waters without knowing what was out there, but pushed forward driven by curiosity and a desire to discover what lay beyond the horizon."</p>
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<p>Isaacman told the students that the new era of space exploration will create jobs in multiple sectors.</p>
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<p>"This whole space thing is not going to be limited to pilots," he said. "Whether you want to go to the moon, whether you want to build the hardware that goes to the moon … all of these things are in the realm of possibility."</p>
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<p>He told the students, "You couldn't be growing up and contributing to this adventure at a better time in the history of America's space program."</p>
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<p>For Ahmed and Dua, that message resonated in particular ways: through BOBSat-1, UC Merced students are already gaining hands-on experience designing spacecraft systems and working through the technical challenges of a real satellite mission.</p>
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<p>Ahmed and Dua both said the experience was inspiring and expressed gratitude to Hestir. who leads several NASA-supported research efforts and serves as principal investigator for BOBSat-1, coordinated UC Merced's participation in the visit. "It was a great reminder of the impact that research and exploration can have beyond the lab," Ahmed said.</p>
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<p>Added Dua, "Getting to meet the NASA administrator and have an actual conversation with him was something I definitely did not expect to experience this early in college."</p>
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<p>For students already helping design UC Merced's first nanosatellite, the visit offered a glimpse of where that work could lead.</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - COSMOS Completes First Summer Session at UC Merced/news/2026/cosmos-completes-first-summer-session-uc-merced2026-09-03 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Campus Life, OutreachBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_-_cosmos_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="Students wearing blue shirts emblazoned with the COSMOS logo sit in the stands at a Fresno Grizzlies game." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/An outing to a Fresno Grizzlies baseball game was part of the program.<div>
<p>Dozens of California high school students recently finished four weeks on the UC Merced campus, where they delved into topics including nanoparticles, digital twins, bioluminescent squids, and quantum physics.</p>
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<p>The students took part in <a href="https://cosmos.ucmerced.edu/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> COSMOS</a>, or California State Summer School for Mathematics & Science, which expanded to UC Merced for the first time this year. Other COSMOS sites are UCs Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Diego and Santa Cruz. <a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/people/michele-nishiguchi" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Michele Nishiguchi</a> and Bobbi Henderson are the director and assistant director for UC Merced COSMOS, which sponsored 161 high school students this summer.</p>
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<p>Participants, divided into focused academic groups of 22 to 24 students called clusters, lived on campus, taking part in projects led by UC faculty members and supported by industry partners, postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate mentors. For the inaugural year, UC Merced offered seven clusters.</p>
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<p>At the conclusion of the program, students presented their results at a research symposium attended by hundreds of people at the university's conference center.</p>
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<p>Amey Amle of Menlo Park showed off his team's project, a robotic arm. "Our project is a really cool claw machine," he said. "We use the claw machine to pick up diamonds."</p>
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<p>One of Amle's partners, Tafei Dhout of San Jose, said she enjoyed the program and all the chhallenges it brought, as the team tried different iterations of the project to make it work.</p>
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<p>"It's like solving a puzzle," she said.</p>
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<p>Sophie Han and Hayley Szeto demonstrated their project, "LEGO Microfluidics: Evaluating their Performance through Hydraulic Resistance."</p>
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<p>Han said she heard about COSMOS through classmates at Harker High School in San Jose. Her project was aimed at determining the relationship between the slope of a syringe and the flow rate of fluid through it. Han and Szeto used Legos because they are easy to replicate with a 3-D printer.</p>
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<p>It wasn't all work for the participants, however. Though they spent weekdays focused on their projects, they also went on various field trips and even took in a Fresno Grizzlies baseball game.</p>
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<p>One of the clusters visited Castle Air Force Aviation and Development Center. While their work was focused on the future of flight, they saw some of its history on a tour of the air museum.</p>
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<p>Prisha Paliwal, 17, of San Jose was drawn by the at UC Merced's COSMOS program this summer.</p>
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<p>"It's different from what I've done before," she said of her work with digital twins, which are virtual representations of physical objects.</p>
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<p>She said she was impressed with UC Merced. "It's a beautiful campus," she said. "It gets hot, but in the evenings it cools off."</p>
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<p>The cluster also got to visit the university's MESA (Mechatronics, Embedded Systems and Automation) lab, where they examined a number of drone projects completed by students and researchers.</p>
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<p>And they heard from Cal Fire, which is working with some of that same technology at its newly established training facility at Castle.</p>
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<p>"We introduced drones in firefighting," said Jason Tompkins, forestry logistics officer for Cal Fire. "Prior to that we would walk the perimeter of a fire with a GPS to measure it."</p>
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<p>Cal Fire also uses AI-equipped cameras to perform the job previously held by lookouts- watching for fires in mountainous areas of the state. The AI can differentiate between a smoke plume and a cloud of dust from a farmer discing a field.</p>
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<p>Tompkins said the organization has worked with researchers at UC Merced on drones, wildfire modeling and other technology.</p>
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<p>"We are hoping to build that relationship even further," he said.</p>
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<p>He went on to answer questions about the students regarding job opportunities and requirements.</p>
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<p>That interaction is one way COSMOS is more than a STEM-focused summer camp. Students get the opportunity to work with faculty, researchers and scientists in state-of-the-art facilities while exploring college and career paths.</p>
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<p>Han said she found the program challenging and rewarding.</p>
</div>
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<p>"I've always been interested in physics in general," she said. Exploring a research topic on a college campus with experts in the field was exciting. "And it was really fun."</p>
</div>
<div> </div>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - UC Merced Ph.D. Students Receive ARCS Support for STEM Research/news/2026/uc-merced-phd-students-receive-arcs-support-stem-research2026-09-03 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Campus Community, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Research, Graduate Division, Faculty, Fellowships, Research, School of Engineering, School of Natural Sciences, Physics, Chemistry & Chemical Biology, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, Cognitive & Informational Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Cognitive Science, Physics, Graduate StudentsBy Brenda Ortiz, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_arcs_hero_aug2026_v2.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Teddy Adams, Olivia Gawel, Adrianna Seiden, Bridget Sprecher and Taylor Whitney" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/UC Merced 2026-27 ARCS Scholars are tackling some of society’s most pressing challenges, from climate resilience and clean energy to biomedical innovation and artificial intelligence.<p>Five UC Merced doctoral students have earned prestigious awards from the <a href="https://northern-california.arcsfoundation.org/">Northern California Chapter of ARCS Foundation</a>, joining a select group of scholars recognized for outstanding research.</p>
<p>“Congratulations to this year’s ARCS Scholars. You are being recognized as outstanding scientists who are breaking barriers and solving problems that will create a better world for all of us. We are proud to offer you our support,” said Heidi Huchberger, co-president of ARCS NCC.</p>
<p>The awards bring ARCS Northern California’s investment in UC Merced graduate students to $313,000 since 2022. </p>
<p>Meet UC Merced’s 2026-2027 ARCS Scholars and learn more about the groundbreaking STEM research they are conducting:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><a href="https://physics.ucmerced.edu/">Physics</a> Ph.D. student Teddy Adams’ research in Professor <a href="https://physics.ucmerced.edu/content/sayantani-ghosh">Sayantani Ghosh’s</a> lab focuses on developing lead-free tin-based perovskite materials for next-generation optical technologies, including biomedical imaging and energy applications.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">“Over the past two years, our research has advanced both the performance of these materials and our understanding of the fundamental processes that govern how they interact with light,” Adams said. “More recently, we’ve discovered new high-energy optical phenomena in these materials that could help guide the design of future optoelectronic and energy technologies while expanding our understanding of this emerging class of semiconductors.”</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">For Adams, the award means more than financial support. It also provides a connection to a community invested in the future of STEM research.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">“Receiving the ARCS Scholar Award is both an incredible honor and a strong vote of confidence in my research and future as a scientist. It’s especially meaningful because the fellowship recognizes not only the scientific merit of my work, but also its potential to make a broader impact,” Adams said. “I’m deeply grateful for their investment in my education and for the opportunity to continue pursuing research that I hope will contribute to more sustainable and accessible optical technologies.”</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><a href="https://cogsci.ucmerced.edu/">Cognitive and Information Sciences</a> Ph.D. student Olivia Gawel studies how humans and artificial intelligence systems transform thoughts into language. Working with Professor <a href="https://ssha.ucmerced.edu/content/rachel-ryskin">Rachel Ryskin</a>, she uses behavioral, neuroscience and computational methods to examine how language production succeeds, varies and breaks down across minds and machines.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">“I am incredibly grateful to both the ARCS Foundation and UC Merced for this honor. This recognition is deeply meaningful to me because it celebrates not only the work I have accomplished thus far, but also the future potential of the scientific questions I am pursuing,” Gawel said. “Being welcomed into a community that invests in early-career researchers is an incredible affirmation of my path as a scientist and motivates me to continue pursuing ambitious, interdisciplinary research.”</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><a href="https://es.ucmerced.edu/">Environmental Systems</a> Ph.D. student Adrianne Seiden studies soil biogeochemistry in Professor <a href="https://es.ucmerced.edu/content/asmeret-asefaw-berhe">Asmeret Asefaw Berhe</a>’s lab. Her research examines root decomposition and the persistence of root-derived compounds across soil types to improve soil carbon storage.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">“It's a huge honor to receive this award, and I see it as a vote of confidence from both UC Merced and ARCS that they see my research as promising and impactful,” said Seiden, who hopes to apply soil science research to climate and soil health challenges. “I'm also really excited to be connected to the ARCS Scholar/Alumni network and meet other researchers across Northern California.”</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><a href="https://chemistry.ucmerced.edu/">Chemistry and Biochemistry</a> Ph.D. student Bridget Sprecher, a member of Professor <a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/people/aurora-pribram-jones">Aurora Pribram-Jones’s</a> lab, uses mathematical principles and physics-informed machine learning to develop new approximation techniques in ensemble density functional theory (DFT). These advances will improve the study of excited electronic systems at the center of technologies such as biomedical devices and photovoltaics.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">“Having the honor of receiving the ARCS Foundation Scholar Award means that I will be able to dedicate my time to research complicated excited systems uniquely suited to ensemble DFT, which can be used to improve vital technologies and drive deeper understanding of electron-electron interactions,” Sprecher said. “Their additional support will also give me the opportunity to serve my community through organization, mentorship and outreach.”</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><a href="https://physics.ucmerced.edu/">Physics</a> Ph.D. student Taylor Whitney is studying the dynamics of swimming microorganisms in flowing liquids using techniques from nonlinear dynamics and statistical physics. His work with Professor <a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/people/kevin-mitchell-0">Kevin Mitchell</a> focuses on invisible transport barriers known as Swimming Invariant Manifolds (SwIMs) and how they are modified by magnetotaxis — a process where microbes behave like compass needles that align with magnetic fields. Understanding how the structure of the manifolds change may allow future researchers to control the motion of these microbes in flows, with possible applications in targeted drug delivery and waste remediation.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">“It means a lot to receive this award my final year in grad school since I will be able to network and form new connections with a bunch of really smart up and coming scientists,” he said. "I feel lucky to have been given so many interesting opportunities during my time at UC Merced."</p>
<p>This academic year, ARCS Northern California distributed $1,175,000 in support to 73 scholars pursuing advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and medical research to students at UC Merced and six other partner universities: UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC San Francisco, UC Santa Cruz, San Francisco State University and Stanford University.</p>
<p>The awards not only recognize academic excellence, but also create opportunities for mentorship, collaboration and discovery.</p>
<p>“ARCS Northern California’s support provides UC Merced's scholars the flexibility to follow promising questions, explore new research directions and pursue opportunities that shape their development as scientists,” Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Education Hrant Hratchian said. “We are grateful for the partnership and the chapter’s continued commitment to advancing the next generation of STEM scholars at UC Merced.”</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Brenda Ortiz - Record Enrollment Signals Growing Demand for UC Merced/news/2026/record-enrollment-signals-growing-demand-uc-merced2026-08-26 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Campus Life, First. Further. Forward, Campus, Enrollment, Student Affairs, Student Life, Students, Undergraduate StudentsBy Sam Yniguez, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-08-26t082826.610.png" width="870" height="450" alt="New students walking across Scholars Bridge" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/UC Merced enters the 2026-27 academic school year with record enrollment numbers.<p>UC Merced is welcoming the largest class in university history this fall, as record numbers of first-year and transfer students propel total enrollment to an all-time high of 9,647 students. </p>
<p>The university’s enrollment grew by 704 students, a nearly 8% increase from last fall. This surpasses the previous record of 9,148, set in Fall 2023. </p>
<p>Even more striking is the growth among new students. UC Merced welcomed 3,157 new students this fall — an increase of 748 students, or 31%, from last year’s 2,409. The previous record for new students was 2,678, set in Fall 2021. </p>
<p>Both first-year and transfer enrollment reached historic highs. </p>
<p>The university enrolled 2,705 first-year students, a 36% increase from the 1,982 who enrolled last fall and well above the previous record of 2,416 set in Fall 2023. Transfer enrollment increased even more dramatically, reaching 452 students, a 66% increase from last year’s 272 which was the previous record.</p>
<p>The university is also becoming more diverse, with increases in international enrollment as well as African American, Hispanic and Native American students. </p>
<p>The growth is especially significant in the region UC Merced was created to serve. Forty-four percent of this year’s new students come from Central California, and while the university’s overall undergraduate enrollment from the Valley grew by 23%, this includes a 20% increase from students that make up the Northern San Joaquin Valley. </p>
<p>“This is an extraordinary moment for UC Merced,” Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said. “These numbers demonstrate that students and families recognize that UC Merced offers an exceptional student-centered, research-based education and a level of access, excellence and opportunity that is unique among the country’s leading research universities. Most importantly, this growth is happening among the students and families from across the Valley who have always been at the heart of our mission of teaching, research, and service.” </p>
<p>The record enrollment comes as UC Merced continues to gain national recognition for its academic excellence and economic impact. </p>
<p>New majors are being added in areas of strong student and workforce demand, as well as a slate of new facilities, including a four-floor Medical Education Building, a 36,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art classroom building, a student union, and a 488-bed Promise Housing complex that is nearing completion. </p>
<p>UC Merced’s growing network of admission pathways is also helping more students envision a UC education from an earlier age. The Merced Automatic Admission Program, or MAAP, and the Merced Promise connect UC Merced with K-12 school districts and community colleges throughout the region, creating clearer pathways for students who meet established academic requirements. </p>
<p>The university’s growing national reputation is another contributor to its tremendous momentum. UC Merced ranks among the top 25 public universities in the nation and No. 3 nationally for social mobility, according to U.S. News & World Report. </p>
<p>At the same time, affordability remains central to UC Merced’s appeal. Through a combination of federal, state, and university financial aid, UC Merced offers some of the most generous financial aid packages among research universities. UC Merced also has the lowest average student debt at graduation in the UC system, and when combined with robust grant and scholarship support, a significant number of students graduate with minimal debt or, in many cases, debt-free. </p>
<p>The result is an incoming undergraduate population that reflects UC Merced’s distinctive mission. Ninety-eight percent of undergraduates are from California, and 66% are first-generation college students. </p>
<p>“These numbers tell us that California and the country are embracing our institution, and helping to shape what the University of California Merced is becoming,” Muñoz said. “We are proud of how far we have come, and we are even more excited about where we are going.”</p>
<p>Official enrollment numbers will be reflected in the annual census in September. </p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - Big Smiles in Big Collection of New Bobcats at Scholars Bridge Crossing/news/2026/big-smiles-big-collection-new-bobcats-scholars-bridge-crossing2026-08-25 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, First. Further. Forward, Campus Community, Enrollment, Leadership, Chancellor, Commencement, Events, School of Engineering, School of Natural Sciences, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, Student Affairs, Student Life, StudentsBy Jody Murray and Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-bridge-crossing-students-and-mascot-rufus.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="UC Merced students and Rufus mascot at Beginnings sculpture during Scholars Bridge Crossing" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Some of UC Merced's new Bobcats celebrate with Rufus at the Beginnings sculpture.<p>A smiling throng of new faces took part Tuesday in one of UC Merced’s oldest traditions, the Scholars Bridge Crossing.</p>
<p>Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz and other campus leaders led the march over the bridge. Blue and gold balloons arced over the span, which was lined with cheering staff, faculty and current students. “Let’s go, Bobcats!” they chanted.</p>
<p>The procession then passed through the Beginnings sculpture, signifying the start of the students’ academic journeys at UC Merced. During commencement ceremonies, graduates go through Beginnings again, in the other direction.</p>
<p>“Bobcats are dreamers, and you will be the first in your fields, advancing UC Merced further and moving science and your knowledge forward,” Muñoz told the sprawling crowd of first-year and transfer students moments before the crossing.</p>
<p>“I hope that you take pride in the legacy that you are now a part of, and the stories that you will write for yourselves, and in writing your story, writing the story of UC Merced and the new path you will forge.”</p>
<p><strong>Big cheer for biggest group of new faces:</strong> Mistura Bankrole, president of the Associated Students of UC Merced, triggered a mighty roar from the multitude of new 'Cats when she said, “Congratulations. You are the largest incoming class in UC Merced history!”</p>
<p><strong>A big hello to Bobcat Kittens:</strong> Moments before the crossing began, Muñoz walked to a curb along Scholars Lane where toddlers from the Early Childhood Education Center sat with matching T-shirts and bright pom-poms. Smiling, the chancellor gave each Bobcat Kitten a high-five.</p>
<p><strong>Attracted by great financial aid:</strong> Christian Ford, an incoming aerospace engineering major from Palmdale, competed against a friend in a pre-march activity: plastic axe throws. Was he winning? “Nope.”</p>
<p>Ford said the unmatched financial aid drew him to UC Merced. “The tuition they offered was great, so I thought, ‘Why not?’”</p>
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<p><strong>A sign from the heart:</strong> Anna Eastridge, a student who serves as a peer adviser in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, held a beautiful, hand-painted sign that featured a sleek bobcat framed with California golden poppies. “The Road to Success is Through UC Merced,” it read.</p>
<p><strong>Supporting a big transition:</strong> Abhayjit Singh and Andrew Buu stood on Scholars Lane Bridge, holding aloft signs that read, “It’s OK, Kitten” and “You’re a Bobcat Now.”</p>
<p>Buu, a fourth-year applied mathematics major from El Dorado Hills, credited “divine inspiration” with prompting the signs. “It’s the transition from high school to college,” he said.</p>
<p>An employee of the Residential Education Department, Buu said he came to UC Merced because “My parents told me that’s where you’re going.” But he and fellow department employee and fourth-year student Singh said they were happy with where they landed.</p>
<p>“I feel like there’s so much opportunity here,” Buu said. “If you want a job, you can get one.”</p>
<p>Singh, a mechanical engineering major from the Bay Area, said he appreciated the chance to do undergraduate research. “A lot of my friends at other universities who have been trying to get into research can’t,” he said. “I’ve gotten the chance to do it here.”</p>
<p><strong>A UC that just feels right:</strong> Sahasra Chinta, a first-year from Fremont, said she checked out several UC campuses and preferred UC Merced. “It’s just a nice feel here. It’s different,” said Chinta, who looked forward to pursuing her biological sciences major and making lifelong friends.</p>
<p><strong>Two for new business administration major:</strong> First-years Jesus Garcia and Emiliano Lopez are majoring in business administration, a degree debuting this fall. Garcia, who went to high school in Visalia, said he chose the major because he’s good with math and would like to run his own business. Lopez, from San Diego, said UC Merced offered great financial aid and was a good fit academically.</p>
<p>“It feels like it’s really quiet, so you can focus more on school,” said Lopez, who complemented his Bridge Crossing T-shirt with plaid pajama pants and red Lightning McQueen Crocs.</p>
<p><strong>Fulfilling a role in the Central Valley:</strong> Abigail Aguirre of Inglewood and Roman Hernandez of Modesto posed for a photo with university mascot Rufus in front of the “UCM” letters sculpture.</p>
<p>Aguirre chose psychology for her major. “I know at a surface level what we do and how we think. But I want to go deeper,” she said. “I want to know exactly why people feel the way they do or react differently than I do.”</p>
<p>Hernandez said the financial package he received was a big draw, but he also pointed to the university’s location. “The whole reason this school was created was to give the Central Valley and people like me an opportunity for quality higher education,” he said.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Jody Murray - UC Merced Celebrates Its Most Successful Fundraising Year/news/2026/uc-merced-celebrates-its-most-successful-fundraising-year2026-08-24 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Community, Boldly Forward Campaign, Campus, GiftsBy Francesca Dinglasan, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/record-fundraising-1740x900.jpg" width="1740" height="900" alt="Students cheering from the stands" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/The 2025-26 fiscal year was UC Merced's biggest fundraising year in campus history.<p>Fueled by a $38 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott — her second to UC Merced and the largest single philanthropic gift in the university's history — and the sustained generosity of the Bobcat community, 2025-26 was UC Merced's strongest fundraising year on record. </p>
<p>The campus raised more than $68 million during the fiscal year, pushing Boldly Forward: The Campaign for UC Merced to nearly $180 million. The milestone nearly doubled the prior fundraising record of $36 million, set in 2022-23. </p>
<p>Since the launch of Boldly Forward, 10,119 unique donors have made gifts in support of the initiative. The 2025-26 fiscal year alone accounted for more than a third of all funds raised since the campaign began in 2020. </p>
<p>“This extraordinary year of philanthropy reflects the confidence our donors have in UC Merced and in the transformative impact of our mission,” Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said. “Their generosity is expanding opportunity for our students, accelerating groundbreaking research and strengthening our ability to serve the San Joaquin Valley and beyond. Together, we are building a university whose greatest contributions are still ahead.” </p>
<p><strong>Empowering Student Success </strong></p>
<p>Among the priorities of Boldly Forward are student success, spanning scholarships, mentorship and resources that support a student body where many are the first in their families to attend college. Philanthropy played a vital role in advancing this pillar over the past year, with gifts establishing scholarship funds and supporting facilities that benefit student-athletes. These contributions are helping expand access to a UC Merced education for students who might otherwise be unable to pursue their academic goals. </p>
<p><strong>Leading Through Discovery</strong> </p>
<p>Boldly Forward's research pillar invests in faculty, endowed chairs and cutting-edge research to help UC Merced address critical, global and regional challenges. This past year, philanthropic support strengthened that mission across multiple fronts, from funding engineering research with direct benefits for growers and farmers across the Central Valley to bolstering postdoctoral fellowships that will help the university attract and retain outstanding early-career scientists across the natural sciences. </p>
<p><strong>Cultivating Healthy Societies </strong></p>
<p>UC Merced's comprehensive campaign also focuses on advancing public health, medical education and community well-being. Philanthropic support this year helped extend the university's reach in these areas, driving work that connects the region's clean energy transformation to tangible community benefits and advancing community-engaged research aimed at reducing health disparities across the San Joaquin Valley. </p>
<p><strong>Looking Ahead </strong></p>
<p>With four years remaining in the Boldly Forward campaign and nearly 90% of its $200 million goal secured, UC Merced enters the next phase of the campaign with strong momentum. The record-breaking year, driven by transformational philanthropy and broad-based community support, positions the campus to continue expanding access, research and opportunity for students across the Central Valley and beyond. </p>
<p>"Our donors made this the most successful fundraising year in UC Merced's history," Vice Chancellor Ed Klotzbier said. “This milestone reflects the remarkable generosity of our alumni, friends, foundations and philanthropic partners who believe deeply in UC Merced’s promise. While we celebrate this historic achievement, we are equally energized by the opportunities that lie ahead as we continue the Boldly Forward campaign.” </p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Faculty Named to Five Endowed Chairs/news/2026/school-social-sciences-humanities-and-arts-faculty-named-five-endowed-chairs2026-08-24 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Research Excellence, AAPI, Black History Month, Hispanic/LatinX Heritage Month, Campus, Faculty, Global Arts Studies, Research, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, History and Critical Race & Ethnic Studies, Cognitive & Informational Sciences, Political Science, Sociology, SociologyBy Francesca Dinglasan, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/2026_endowed_chair_appointments-website_1740x900_web.jpg" width="1740" height="900" alt="Graphic with five headshots of new faculty endowed chairs" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Five faculty members have been named to endowed chairs at UC Merced recognizing their research, scholarship and community engagement.<p>Five faculty members in the UC Merced <a href="https://ssha.ucmerced.edu/">School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts</a> have been appointed to endowed chairs, recognizing their scholarship and contributions to research that serve underrepresented communities, advance human rights and shape the future of communications.</p>
<p>The newly appointed chairholders are <a href="https://cres.ucmerced.edu/content/christina-baker">Christina Baker</a>, <a href="https://sociology.ucmerced.edu/content/yang-lor">Yang Lor</a>, <a href="https://cogsci.ucmerced.edu/content/zenaida-aguirre-mu%C3%B1oz">Zenaida Aguirre-Muñoz</a>, <a href="https://polisci.ucmerced.edu/content/courtenay-r-monroe">Courtenay Monroe</a> and <a href="https://ssha.ucmerced.edu/content/jinah-kim">Jinah Kim</a>.</p>
<p>"These five faculty members exemplify the caliber of scholarship that is advancing UC Merced's rise as a national research university," said Betsy Dumont, executive vice chancellor and provost. "Their work reflects the depth and breadth of research happening across our campus. Endowed chairs give our faculty the sustained support they need to pursue bold, community-engaged scholarship, and I congratulate each of them on this well-deserved recognition."</p>
<p><strong>Three Presidential Chairs Rooted in an Historic Gift</strong></p>
<p>Three of the five appointments — the inaugural UC Merced Presidential Chairs in African American Engagement, Asian American and Pacific Islander Engagement and Chicano/a and LatinX Engagement — were established through philanthropist <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2021/uc-merced-receives-largest-philanthropic-gift-campus-history">MacKenzie Scott's $20 million first gift</a> to the university in 2021. Scott has said one focus of her giving is supporting the education of students from chronically underserved communities and advancing social change, equity and diversity in leadership.</p>
<p>The three chairs are further supported by the University of California Office of the President's Presidential Match for Endowed Chairs initiative. Each honors a faculty member's contributions to research and scholarship that expand understanding of, and representation and policy affecting, a specific community.</p>
<p><strong>UC Merced Presidential Chair in African American Engagement</strong></p>
<p>The chair recognizing scholarship on African American communities has been awarded to Baker, an associate professor and chair of the <a href="http://cres.ucmerced.edu/">Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Program</a>.</p>
<p>"It is an honor to be appointed as UC Merced's Presidential Chair in African American Engagement because it provides an opportunity to amplify the outstanding research and creative work of faculty and students, and the impactful scholarship and community-engaged activities that advance understandings of the rich culture and history of African American communities," Baker said.</p>
<p><strong>UC Merced Presidential Chair in Asian American and Pacific Islander Engagement</strong></p>
<p>Lor, an associate teaching professor of <a href="https://sociology.ucmerced.edu/">sociology</a>, has been selected for the chair recognizing his work on Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.</p>
<p>"It is a tremendous honor and privilege to be appointed as the UC Merced Presidential Chair in Asian American and Pacific Islander Engagement," Lor said. "I am deeply grateful to Dean Leo Arriola for his nomination, my colleagues in the Department of Sociology for their support and the generous donors whose vision and philanthropy made this endowed chair possible.</p>
<p>"As a Hmong American born in a refugee camp after my family fled Laos following the Vietnam War, this appointment holds profound personal and professional significance. My experiences have shaped my commitment to understanding how race, ethnicity, immigration, and social inequality influence educational opportunity, identity and belonging. Through my research, teaching and community engagement, I have sought to elevate the voices and experiences of Asian American communities, particularly those of Hmong Americans and Southeast Asian Americans, whose stories are often overlooked in broader conversations about race and inequality.</p>
<p>"This endowed chair provides an incredible opportunity to expand that work by supporting research, mentoring students and strengthening partnerships with communities beyond the university. I look forward to continuing to produce scholarship that broadens our understanding of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities while creating meaningful opportunities for students to engage in research and community-based learning."</p>
<p><strong>UC Merced Presidential Chair in Chicano/a and LatinX Engagement</strong></p>
<p>Aguirre-Muñoz, a professor in the <a href="https://cogsci.ucmerced.edu/">Department of Cognitive and Information Sciences</a>, has been named to the chair recognizing her work on Chicano/a and LatinX communities.</p>
<p>"I am deeply honored to be appointed the UC Merced Presidential Chair in Chicano/a and LatinX Engagement," Aguirre-Muñoz said. "This recognition reflects the shared commitment of my students, colleagues, educators and community partners who have worked alongside me to expand educational opportunity across the Central Valley and beyond. My research seeks to better understand how bilingualism and biliteracy can be leveraged to improve learning opportunities and educational outcomes for Chicano/a and LatinX students. I look forward to continuing this work through research and community partnerships that inform educational policy and practice while recognizing the linguistic, cultural and intellectual assets of our communities.</p>
<p><strong>MacArthur Endowed Chair in Human Rights and International Justice</strong></p>
<p>Monroe, a <a href="https://polisci.ucmerced.edu/">political science</a> professor, has been named the MacArthur Endowed Chair in Human Rights and International Justice, honoring her scholarship on migration, global governance and the international institutions that shape human rights protections.</p>
<p>The chair was established through a systemwide gift to the University of California from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. MacArthur Foundation chairs support distinguished faculty working in areas of strategic interest to the foundation, including digital media, human rights and social justice.</p>
<p>"I'm deeply honored to be named the MacArthur Endowed Chair in Human Rights and International Justice," Monroe said. "Human rights research only matters if it's connected to real communities and real institutions. This appointment will provide me the resources to expand research at the intersection of human rights, migration and international institutions, as well as deepen ties with interested students, colleagues and partners across the Central Valley and beyond."</p>
<p><strong>McClatchy Chair in Communications</strong></p>
<p>Kim, a professor in the <a href="https://gasp.ucmerced.edu/">Department of Global Arts, Media and Writing Studies</a>, has been appointed the <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2004/mcclatchy-company-endows-chair-communications">McClatchy Chair in Communications</a>, honoring her scholarship on how media practices shape public memory, political belonging and struggles for human rights.</p>
<p>The McClatchy Company established the chair to support faculty who advance the future of communication and prepare students to make a meaningful impact in a rapidly changing media landscape.</p>
<p>"It is a great honor to be endowed with the McClatchy Chair in Communications at UC Merced," Kim said. "The McClatchy newspapers were at the heart of democratic life in the Central Valley and in news outlets throughout the country. As McClatchy Endowed Chair, my goal is to extend the university's public mission by connecting students, faculty and community partners to the rich media landscape and historical memory of the Central Valley.</p>
<p>"I am a communication and media studies scholar, and my research is unified by a central question: how do media practices shape familial and public memory, political belonging and struggles for human rights? My published work has examined how artists, activists and everyday people have turned to communication technologies to intervene in state-regulated narratives of violence, war, migration and dispossession, with a particular focus on U.S. empire of bases in the Asia-Pacific. At UC Merced, this work aligns closely with the university's commitment to public scholarship, community engagement and the cultivation of first-generation scholars whose lives and histories have often been excluded from dominant media narratives.</p>
<p>"As an immigrant who moved to the U.S. as a child, I experienced firsthand the importance of news media. We left South Korea during the period of the Chun Doo Hwan dictatorship, and one of the first things he did after gaining control was to censor the news and punish journalists who investigated his administration," Kim said. Immigrant news outlets were our main connection to our families and friends across vast oceans. A vibrant news media landscape is more important than ever, and UC Merced is perfectly positioned to shepherd the McClatchy Foundation's legacy and commitment to a vibrant and well-informed civil society."</p>
<p><strong>A Growing Legacy of Endowed Support</strong></p>
<p>These five appointments highlight UC Merced's growing national prominence for the depth and quality of its research enterprise. Made possible by the generous investment of supporters, endowed chairs provide sustained and flexible funding that enables faculty to pursue ambitious research, mentor students and deepen the university's engagement with the communities it serves.</p>
<p>That momentum continues today, with UC Merced now counting 26 endowed chairs across the university.</p>
<p>"These appointments reflect the extraordinary generosity and vision of UC Merced's donors," said Ed Klotzbier, vice chancellor and chief external relations officer. "Endowed chairs are lasting investments in people and ideas. They empower exceptional faculty to pursue groundbreaking research, inspire students and generate discoveries that benefit California and the world for generations to come."</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
<p>These five faculty members exemplify the caliber of scholarship that is advancing UC Merced's rise as a national research university.</p>
Betsy Dumont, executive vice chancellor and provosthttps://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - UC Merced Celebrates Permanent Acquisition of ‘Four Seasons of Yosemite’ Murals /news/2026/uc-merced-celebrates-permanent-acquisition-%E2%80%98four-seasons-yosemite%E2%80%99-murals2026-08-21 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Campus Life, Community Engagement, Arts and Culture, Campus, Library, Yosemite National ParkBy Francesca Dinglasan, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-08-21t112400.150.png" width="870" height="450" alt="Mural artist William Paulson addresses event attendees behind a podium" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/A reception was held to mark the acquisition of the murals which reside on the third floor of the Kolligian Library.<p>"These works are a tribute to nature, to culture, and to time itself." </p>
<p>That's how UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz described "Four Seasons of Yosemite" during a reception at the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library, where campus leaders and community members, donors and the artist himself gathered to celebrate the university's milestone acquisition of the four monumental stained-glass murals. </p>
<p>A fixture of the library's third-floor study space since 2016, the murals were created by artist William Poulson. They are now a permanent part of the university's art collection, marking the largest art acquisition in UC Merced's history. </p>
<p>"What a wonderful thing, to be able to celebrate the significant occasion of the permanent acquisition of the 'Four Seasons of Yosemite' with you today," said Sarah Forzetting, who became UC Merced's university librarian July 1. One of the first things she learned on the job, she said, was that the deal had just closed. "How lucky am I?" </p>
<p><strong>A Decades-Long Vision </strong></p>
<p>Poulson first conceived "Four Seasons of Yosemite" in 1986, shortly after closing a stained-glass studio in Maui. That September, he arrived in Yosemite National Park and spent weeks sketching its valley. The drawings would become the finished designs for each mural. </p>
<p>The fall mural, "Tissiack," the Ahwahneechee name for Half Dome, was the first he completed, in 1988. It premiered at the park's Ahwahnee Hotel in 1989 and was featured at the Yosemite Visitor Center the following year. </p>
<p>Twenty years later, in 2008, Poulson finished "The Chief," representing winter. The monochromatic mural centers on a full moon over snow-covered terrain, with Cathedral Spires rising on one side of the valley and El Capitan on the other, while a bobcat looks down on a pair of snowshoe hares. </p>
<p>The spring mural, "Cascade Creek," followed in 2019, featuring vivid dogwood blossoms and a rushing creek in whites, blues and greens. Poulson completed the series in 2022 with "Valley Life," representing summer. The mural depicts a view of Yosemite Valley looking west toward El Capitan and Sentinel Rock. </p>
<p>Each mural is 14 feet wide and 8 feet high, assembled from seven individual 2-by-8-foot glass panels. </p>
<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/image_2_0.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Shot of the four murals" />The murals depict the four distinct seasons of Yosemite National Park.https://news.ucmerced.edu/<p><strong>From Yosemite Valley to UC Merced </strong></p>
<p>Housing four 14-foot murals proved to be its own challenge over the years. To free up studio space to complete later panels, Poulson arranged with Yosemite's park concessionaire to display the fall and winter murals in Yosemite Lodge’s Cliff Room. When the concession contract changed hands, the murals had to come out, and Poulson had nowhere to put them. </p>
<p>Trevor Hirst, executive director of UC Merced’s Health Sciences Research Institute, and Linda Hirst, professor of physics, noticed the bobcat featured in “The Chief” and thought of UC Merced’s mascot. They helped connect Poulson with former UC Merced Vice Chancellor Kyle Hofmann, who saw the murals and immediately thought of exhibiting them in the library. </p>
<p>Then-University Librarian Haipeng Li embraced the idea, and in spring 2016 the winter mural moved to the library, with the fall mural following later that year. The murals were on loan for several years before the university moved to acquire them permanently. </p>
<p><strong>A Community Effort </strong></p>
<p>"This acquisition could not have happened through university resources alone," Collin Lewis, UC Merced’s executive director for the arts, told the crowd. "It happened because of you." </p>
<p>Longtime Merced-area arts advocate Carolyn Vara played a leading role in building community support for the acquisition, spearheading a fundraising campaign that brought together more than 100 donors. Community members contributed gifts ranging from $25 to tens of thousands of dollars toward giving the murals a permanent home at UC Merced. </p>
<p>Beyond the fundraising, Lewis pointed to the murals' expanding role in the classroom. He credited Maria DePrano, a UC Merced art history professor who teaches with the murals each year and draws comparisons between the murals' contemporary craftsmanship and the historic stained glass of France's Chartres Cathedral. </p>
<p> "That's exactly what a university art collection should do," Lewis said, "connect history to the present, connect the classroom to the world around us, and give our students the chance to encounter remarkable works firsthand." </p>
<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/image_1_b.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Two men standing in front of a mural" />UC Merced's executive director for the arts, Collin Lewis (left) stands with mural artist William Poulsonhttps://news.ucmerced.edu/<p>Poulson said he was glad the murals found a lasting home on a university campus. "I think this is the best place for them: a place for education, for art students and for the community," he said. "I hope you feel the same." </p>
<p>The acquisition comes as the library expands its broader cultural-preservation initiatives. Forzetting announced that the library will soon open a facility dedicated to preserving the cultural memory and historical record of the Sierra Nevada and Central Valley, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities along with matching support from the chancellor's office. </p>
<p>UC Merced's Permanent Collection, established by Muñoz in 2022, has grown to more than 100 works through both gifts and strategic acquisitions. Much of that growth has come under Lewis, who oversees the collection and the university's public art portfolio. He also is the director of UC Merced Arts, the performing and visual arts presenting program. </p>
<p>"Every work that joins UC Merced's collection becomes part of how we teach and how we build community,” Lewis said “The 'Four Seasons of Yosemite' murals are an enduring part of our institution's intellectual, cultural and civic life. </p>
<p>"Art like this belongs at the center of a public university's mission," he added. "None of it would be possible without the generosity of our donors and supporters, who share our belief that art builds community, improves our wellbeing, and can change our lives and the places around us." </p>
<p><strong>Plan Your Visit </strong></p>
<p>"Four Seasons of Yosemite" is on permanent display on the third floor of the Kolligian Library, open to the public during regular library hours. </p>
Alyssa Johansen - Bustling Campus Greets Students for UC Merced’s 21st Academic Year/news/2026/bustling-campus-greets-students-uc-merced%E2%80%99s-21st-academic-year2026-08-19 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Campus Life, Medical Education Building, Athletics, Campus, Campus Community, SJV PRIME, Student Affairs, Student Life, Students, Undergraduate StudentsBy Jody Murray, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-students-use-carts-to-move-in.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="UC Merced students and parents using carts to move stuff into residence halls" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Students and parents take part in move-in days for residence halls as the 2026-27 academic year begins.<p>The growing energy across campus is palpable as UC Merced prepares for its 21st academic year. Fall semester instruction begins Wednesday, Aug. 26, furthering the mission <a href="https://www.ucmerced.edu/accolades">of one of the nation’s top public research universities</a> to provide knowledge and opportunity to a vibrant and diverse student body.</p>
<p>Orientation sessions and move-in days for on-campus student residents began the week of Aug. 17, leading a slate of <a href="https://uc-merced.foleon.com/student-newsletter/august-2026/welcome">welcome-to-campus activities.</a></p>
<p>“To all of our new students, welcome to the UC Merced family. To all of our returning students, we are delighted to see you again,” Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Engagement Tonantzín Oseguera said.</p>
<p>“Being a Bobcat means more than attending classes,” Oseguera said. “It means exploring ideas, building community and finding your voice. You belong here, and we're ready to support you every step of the way.”</p>
<h2>Scholars Bridge Crossing</h2>
<p>First-year and transfer students are invited to take part in one of UC Merced’s oldest traditions. The new Bobcats will gather starting at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25, on the green next to the Pavilion dining hall. Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz and other campus leaders will lead the march over the bridge, while staff, faculty, current students and alumni cheer on the students. The procession will then pass through the Beginnings sculpture, signifying the start of the students’ academic journeys at UC Merced.</p>
<p>Immediately after Scholars Bridge Crossing, the schools of <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/">Engineering</a>, <a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/">Natural Sciences</a>, and <a href="https://ssha.ucmerced.edu/">Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts</a> will host welcome receptions for students. Those who have not declared majors are invited to attend a reception hosted by Undergraduate Education.</p>
<h2>Signs of a Growing Campus</h2>
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<p><a href="https://meb.ucmerced.edu/"><strong>Medical Education Building</strong></a><strong>:</strong> Final touches are being made to the new home for healthcare instruction and research. The two-building complex, scheduled for occupancy in the spring 2027 semester, stands four stories tall and boasts more than 200,000 square feet of offices, classrooms and laboratories. The complex will host the <a href="https://publichealth.ucmerced.edu/">public health</a> and <a href="https://psychology.ucmerced.edu/">psychological sciences</a> departments, the <a href="https://hsri.ucmerced.edu/">Health Sciences Research Institute</a>, and <a href="https://admissions.ucmerced.edu/SJVP-BStoMD">the San Joaquin Valley PRIME+</a> program.</p>
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<p><strong>Promise Housing:</strong> The distinctive residential complex going up next to the Bellevue parking lot is a joint initiative to streamline the transition for transfer students between Merced College and UC Merced. The complex will have nearly 500 beds in fully furnished, apartment-style units with two-bedroom and four-bedroom layouts. A Transfer Student Resource Center on the ground floor will provide academic advising, administrative support and campus integration services. Promise Housing’s first residents, all of them Merced College students, are scheduled to move in this January for the spring 2027 semester.</p>
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<p><strong>Classroom and Office Building 3:</strong> UC Merced’s third “COB” is in the early stages of construction on the campus’s northeast corner. Key features of the three-story project include a performing arts auditorium and an audience-in-the-round lecture hall.</p>
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<h2>New Degrees</h2>
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<p><a href="https://economics.ucmerced.edu/undergraduate-programs/majors/business-administration-ba"><strong>Business Administration:</strong></a> This bachelor’s degree gives students a broad grounding in management, finance, marketing, accounting and economics, with an emphasis on real-world application, case studies and practical projects.</p>
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<p><a href="https://economics.ucmerced.edu/undergraduate-programs/majors/accounting-bs"><strong>Accounting:</strong></a> With a focus on financial accounting, auditing, taxation and regulation, along with the ethical standards required in public practice, this bachelor’s degree prepares students for the California exam required to become a certified public accountant.</p>
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<p><strong>Computer Science:</strong> The bachelor’s degree will build a solid foundation for innovation in areas ranging from databases and data management, security, graphics and visualization, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and robotics and computer networks.</p>
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<h2>New Campus Leaders</h2>
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<p>Louis Rossi started work Aug. 1 as dean of the School of Natural Sciences. Rossi, a professor of mathematical sciences, comes from the University of Delaware, where he was the founding dean of the Graduate College and vice provost for Graduate and Professional Education. He succeeds Professor Michael Findlater, who served as interim dean since March 2024. Findlater remains a member of the UC Merced faculty.</p>
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<p>University Librarian Sarah Forzetting started her role July 1. She came to UC Merced from Stanford University, where she was associate director for Acquisitions and Collections Services. Forzetting succeeds Haipeng Li, who retired in June after 11 years in the role and more than 35 years in higher education.</p>
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<p>Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students José Miguel Pulido León came to UC Merced from University of the Pacific, where he served as dean of students. He began his UC Merced role July 1. León succeeds interim Dean of Students Le’Trice Curl, who returned to her role as an associate dean of students.</p>
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<h2>Bobcat Athletics on the Rise</h2>
<p>On Sept. 1, UC Merced’s athletics program <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2026/uc-merced-approved-full-ncaa-division-ii-membership">becomes an active National Collegiate Athletics Association Division II member</a>. The university completed an expedited transition process from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to the NCAA. The Bobcats are now eligible for all conference, regional and national championships.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Jody Murray - UC Merced Team Wins International EV Design Competition/news/2026/uc-merced-team-wins-international-ev-design-competition2026-08-19 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Research Excellence, Management & Technology, First. Further. Forward, Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Mechanical EngineeringBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc_merced_ev_design_competition_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="Postdoctoral researcher Dilawer Ali is seen sitting next to lab equipment at UC Merced." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/The UC Merced team came up with a cost-effective technique to measure how much life remains in a car battery.<div>
<p>Imagine driving down a road in an electric vehicle with no charging stations in sight. Do you want only an estimate of how many more miles your car can go before the battery dies?</p>
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<p>As electric vehicles proliferate throughout much of the world, it's never been more important to know precisely how much charge is left in their batteries.</p>
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<p>A team from UC Merced came up with a cost-effective technique to measure how much life remains in a car battery. For this, the team earned first place in this year's international IEEE Transportation Electrification Council Electric Vehicle Design Competition.</p>
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<p>Dilawer Ali, a Fulbright Ph.D. scholar from Pakistan, along with Adan De Le Cueva Perez, and Fan Yang of Hong Kong Poly comprised the team, advised by UC Merced electrical engineering and computer science Professor Eric Cheng.</p>
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<p>"When you are driving, if you don't know how much charge is left, it is quite annoying," said Dilawer, who led the team. "You're driving on a highway, and you get stuck. It could be embarrassing."</p>
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<p>The team wanted their measurement to be specific and accurate. Commonly used techniques can only estimate how much charge remains.</p>
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<p>"But that might give an error, and the errors could accumulate," Dilawer said. "What we are doing is using an ultrasonic sensor, which is a noninvasive technique that doesn't bother the battery."</p>
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<p>Once ultrasonic echoes are captured, our algorithm—combining Empirical Mode Decomposition and Extended Kalman Filtering—rapidly converts them into precise state-of-charge readings, showing exactly how much charge remains.</p>
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<p>Similar high-accuracy sensors used can be very expensive, Ali said. His team got the data with low-cost, non-invasive sensor equipment.</p>
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<p>Dilawer said the win, in a competition that drew teams from around the world, indicates UC Merced's increasing strength in world-changing research. The team was awarded a certificate as well as a cash prize.</p>
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<p>"It's an honor to be among the top dogs," he said.</p>
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<p>Dilawer also expressed gratitude to the Fulbright Program for sponsoring his doctoral studies at UC Merced, and said he was thrilled to be at an esteemed university that is making significant contributions to electric vehicle research.</p>
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<p>It's particularly rewarding when the goal is to improve a product that people use, rather than just serving as an academic exercise, he said.</p>
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<p>"The research I'm doing is really impacting the world."</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - Early Ambition, Hard Work Lead to Graduating UC Merced at 19/news/2026/early-ambition-hard-work-lead-graduating-uc-merced-192026-08-17 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, First. Further. Forward, School of Natural Sciences, Molecular and Cell Biology, Undergraduate StudentsBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_adesh_johal_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="Professor Patti LiWang and student Adesh Johal, holding a syringe and a test tube, stand in a lab at UC Merced." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Adesh Johal spent the summer working on Patti LiWang's research team.<div>
<p>A few months ago, Adesh Johal wanted to join Patti <a href="https://chemistry.ucmerced.edu/content/patricia-liwang" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> LiWang</a>'s research group.</p>
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<p>"At the time, he was loaded up on credits so it didn't seem like he would have enough time to get much done in lab," said LiWang, a professor of molecular biology at UC Merced.</p>
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<p>She was putting it lightly. Johal, who is 18, entered the university last fall after graduating from Merced College. And he is on pace to graduate this fall at age 19. He also works as a medical scribe at Mercy Medical Center and helps care for his grandfather.</p>
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<p>So obviously he didn't have time to take part in LiWang's lab. Except…</p>
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<p>"He took my biochemistry course and was number one in the class of over 100 by the end of the semester, so that got my attention," LiWang said.</p>
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<p>She also ran into him regularly when he was studying in the Biomedical Sciences and Physics Building. "I saw him almost daily, studying or helping friends study. He would write on the whiteboard, and I could see that he was working on all the details of my biochemistry class, and it was near-perfect."</p>
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<p>She had a graduate student who could take on an undergraduate, and got Johal a position. So now he works 20 to 25 hours a week on LiWang's research team.</p>
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<p>"The lab has been great," Johal said. He spent the summer working with the graduate student and will work on his own project shortly, LiWang said.</p>
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<p>Johal continues to work at Mercy while taking a full course load. That's an intimidating schedule for most people, but for Johal, who graduated from Buhach Colony High School in Atwater at age 15 in 2023, it's nothing new.</p>
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<p>"I started taking classes at Merced College in eighth grade and, in the 10th grade, graduated," he said. He went to earn more associate's degrees while also wrapping up high school two years early.</p>
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<p>At Merced College, he served as a tutor, working with students several years older. One student who was over 21 joked that when she passed her test, "I'll take a shot for you."</p>
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<p>He is also working with a team at Mercy that focuses on implementing tools such as artificial intelligence to improve the hospital's acute care and emergency department workflows.</p>
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<p>A team project currently on pause but that Johal hopes will resume soon is a discharge navigator tool.</p>
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<p>"Health literacy can be a challenge in the Valley, and our emergency department discharge instructions don't always give patients the clarity they need to understand and navigate their next steps in care," Johal said.</p>
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<p>Telling someone to follow up with a primary care provider isn't helpful if that individual doesn't have a regular doctor. Johal is working with organizations such as the United Way and the Central California Alliance for Health to provide people with information about resources ranging from health needs to food pantries.</p>
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<p>Johal also took the time to fit in extracurricular activities, including the Bhagat Puran Singh Health Initiative club on campus. BPSHI is a student-run organization inspired by the Sikh principle of seva, or selfless service, and works to improve healthcare access through free basic health screenings and wellness education in underserved communities.</p>
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<p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">"Healthcare is not always about what happens inside a hospital with physicians and machines; it often starts with prevention and early access," Johal said. "If someone has to wait months for an appointment, these clinics can provide an opportunity for an initial health screening and education that they may not otherwise receive." </p>
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<p>Ambition and the desire to help people came to Johal at an early age; he credits the influence of his older siblings with helping him succeed as he grew up in Atwater. Attending Merced College and then UC Merced gave him all the opportunities he was looking for while remaining close to home.</p>
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<p>He said he doesn't regret the accelerated pace of his education.</p>
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<p>"I missed out on some parties and high school events, but to be able to graduate two years early is worth it," he said.</p>
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<p>His advice to upcoming students is to prioritize, stay organized and take care of their health. Despite his packed schedule, Johal manages to get seven to eight hours of sleep a day and regularly goes to the gym.</p>
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<p>"Be consistent, be disciplined and understand that you might have to miss something," he said. "You can't be everywhere at all times."</p>
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<p>After graduation this fall, Johal said he plans to continue working at Mercy while studying for the MCAT and then applying to medical school.</p>
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<p>LiWang has no doubt Johal will continue to be successful at every endeavor.</p>
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<p>"This is a student who can learn anything," she said.</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - Researchers Launch Project to Bring Light-Tuning Materials to Central Valley Greenhouses/news/2026/uc-merced-researchers-launch-project-bring-light-tuning-materials-central-valley2026-08-18 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Research Excellence, Campus, Solar, Faculty, Research, School of Natural Sciences, Chemistry & Chemical BiologyUniversity Communications<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/tomatoes_ucmered.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="UC Merced farmland " />https://news.ucmerced.edu/UC Merced researchers are transforming sunlight into more efficient, sustainable crop growth.<p align="left">UC Merced researchers are launching a project that could change how Central Valley growers harness the sun’s energy, using a family of light-active molecules developed at the university to design smarter agricultural greenhouses.</p>
<p align="left">The Central Valley grows a significant share of the nation’s food but does so under increasing pressure from heat and drought, along with shifting growing seasons. Greenhouse and shade-structure technologies are already part of how growers adapt, and researchers believe a new generation of light-tuning materials can make those structures more productive and efficient.</p>
<p align="left">The work, led by UC Merced chemistry professors <a href="https://chemistry.ucmerced.edu/content/hrant-hratchian">Hrant Hratchian</a> and <a href="https://chemistry.ucmerced.edu/content/ryan-baxter">Ryan Baxter</a> and supported by the Fresno–Merced <a href="https://vista.ucmerced.edu/f3/">Farms Food Future (F3) Initiative</a> UC Merced iCREATE project (award no. 07 79 07913) builds on several years of fundamental research into compounds that absorb specific wavelengths of light with unusual precision.</p>
<p align="left">Plants do not use all sunlight equally. Photosynthesis is driven mostly by red and blue light, while ultraviolet light can stress crops and degrade the plastics used to make greenhouses. Conventional greenhouse films are largely passive. They may block some UV, but they cannot redirect that energy or be tuned for specific crops, climates, or growing seasons. The UC Merced approach will let future materials do both: absorb UV that would otherwise be wasted or harmful, and convert it into the wavelengths that help plants grow.</p>
<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ali_abou_takka_ucmerced_copy.jpg" width="600" height="350" alt="Ali Abou Takka" />Postdoctoral researcher Ali Abou Taka leads computational modeling and characterization efforts for the project.https://news.ucmerced.edu/<div>
<p align="left">Postdoctoral researcher <a href="https://vista.ucmerced.edu/person/ali-abou-taka/">Ali Abou Taka</a> is leading the computational modeling and characterization that will guide the next phase of the project, translating these molecules into materials that can be deployed in the field.</p>
<p align="left">The team has collaborated on developing design principles for small molecules that interact with light in precise, controllable ways. What makes this moment different is that the work is beginning to point toward a tangible product that addresses a problem: visible right outside our windows.</p>
<p align="left">At the heart of the project is a class of “push–pull” chromophores. These molecules are engineered with two halves. One half donates electrons and the other accepts them. That asymmetry gives the molecule its photochemistry. When sunlight hits it, the molecule absorbs a specific slice of ultraviolet light and channels the energy into a controlled molecular transformation, releasing the remaining energy as visible light. By varying a few atoms on either side of the molecule, the UC Merced team can shift the absorption and emission windows across a broad range, effectively providing a design knob for tuning the type of light absorbed and the frequency of light emitted. This scientific discovery provides an exciting pathway toward tunable greenhouse sunlight filters.</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - UC Merced, Campos Foundation Deepen Commitment to Underrepresented STEM Students /news/2026/uc-merced-campos-foundation-deepen-commitment-underrepresented-stem-students2026-08-12 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Campus Life, Diversity & Inclusion, Community Engagement, Campus, Engineering, Events, Gifts, Outreach, Student Affairs, StudentsBy Francesca Dinglasan, UC MercedCentral Valley high-school students participated in the STEM-focused Campos ENgage Summer Bridge Academy at UC Merced.<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-students-in-campos-bridge-academy_0.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Summer Bridge Academy students pose in front of banner that says Campos" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/The Campos ENgage Engineering Summer Bridge Academy allows high school students from underrepresented backgrounds to see themselves as future engineers.<p>For the second year, UC Merced has partnered with the Campos Foundation to host the Campos ENgage Engineering Summer Bridge Academy, a weeklong summer program aimed at supporting underrepresented minority and female students interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). </p>
<p>Held from July 26-31, the program welcomed 25 rising seniors from high schools across the Central Valley, including Buhach Colony High School in Atwater; Sunnyside High School and University High School in Fresno; Le Grand High School in Le Grand; Matilda Torres High School in Madera; El Capitan High School, Golden Valley High School and Merced High School in Merced; Thomas Downey High School in Modesto; Patterson High School in Patterson; Tulare Western High School in Tulare; and Redwood High School in Visalia. </p>
<p>The 12 high schools across 10 cities are up from nine schools in the program's first year, signifying the academy's growing reach throughout the region. </p>
<p>The initiative is designed to offer students direct exposure to engineering through hands-on experiences, mentoring and academic workshops. Participants were also introduced to the UC Merced campus and learned about the university's welcoming and accessible environment. </p>
<p>"I have never been so invested in a team-based activity until now, and making a product and showing our effort is something I will never forget," one student-participant said. </p>
<p>"When a student sets their mind to solving a difficult open-ended problem and then builds a solution to that problem with their own hands, that student has started on the path to becoming an engineer," said Alejandro Gutiérrez, associate teaching professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and associate dean for student success. "We are helping them realize, often for the first time, that they have what it takes to do this work." </p>
<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/dsc07177_2.jpg" width="675" height="450" alt="Academy attendee is shown making adjustments to a small robotic vehicle" />Students enrolled in the academy participated in several STEM-related, hands-on activities.https://news.ucmerced.edu/<p>The Campos Foundation's mission is to elevate underrepresented students in STEM fields by creating access and early exposure to those fields. Through the Summer Bridge Academy, students are given the opportunity to see themselves as future engineers, a particularly critical focus in communities where many young people are first-generation college students. </p>
<p>"As someone who comes from a family of immigrants, with neither parent attending college, it was unclear how STEM or engineering would be for me," another participant said. "With the Campos ENgage Engineering Summer Bridge Academy program, I'm able to see engineering as a plausible path." </p>
<p>A generous grant from the Campos Foundation in 2025 enabled UC Merced to pilot the program's first cohort of 23 students. This year, the foundation renewed its support, allowing the campus to expand the program to 25 participants. </p>
<p>Results from that first cohort point to the program's promise. Of the 23 students in that group, 56% applied and were admitted to UC Merced, and 46% of those admitted went on to enroll for the fall term, an early indication that the academy is helping create a lasting pipeline to campus. </p>
<p>Through the program, students gained a better understanding of the work engineers do along with hands-on experiences that empowered them to picture themselves in a professional role. Their participation also introduced them to UC Merced as a supportive, attainable educational home built with their specific needs in mind, making both a college degree and an engineering career feel within reach. </p>
<p>"It was truly a blessing to be a part of this program," one student reflected. "It not only helped me learn more about engineering, but also about myself and what I value." </p>
<p>"The impact on the first cohort of Campos ENgage engineering students made clear how much this program means for these promising scholars and for the Central Valley's future engineering workforce," said Deanna Miller Campos, president of the Campos Foundation. "This important partnership between the Campos Foundation and UC Merced is continuing to create real pathways for underrepresented students in STEM, and we look forward to its ongoing growth and expansion." </p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - Chancellor's Catalyst Awards Ignite Research in Humanities, Social Sciences/news/2026/chancellors-catalyst-awards-ignite-research-humanities-social-sciences2026-08-12 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Research Excellence, History & Heritage, Hispanic-serving Institution, Arts and Culture, Chancellor, Humanities, Center for the Humanities, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, History and Critical Race & Ethnic Studies, Literatures & Languages, Global Arts, Media & Writing Studies, Cognitive & Informational Sciences, Anthropology & Heritage Studies, Political Science, Psychological Sciences, Sociology, Public HealthBy Jody Murray, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-agua-fria-gold-rush-town-site-marker.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Closeup of stone marker for townsite of Gold Rush town Agua Fria" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/The site of Mariposa County Gold Rush town Agua Fria will be the subject of an archeological study by UC Merced faculty and students.<p>Digging for stories in a Gold Rush town that vanished in flames 170 years ago. Pinging brainwaves for reactions from sentences that slide between Spanish and English. Fortifying students’ skills and confidence with a practice called powerwriting.</p>
<p>These ventures are among nearly a dozen UC Merced research projects made possible by the Chancellor’s Catalyst Awards, an initiative designed to spur compelling inquiry in the humanities and social sciences.</p>
<p>The awards support 11 projects powered by the talents of more than two dozen professors. Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz allocated a total of $202,000 to fund the projects during the 2026-27 academic year.</p>
<p>“As higher education nationwide faces headwinds in the funding of academic research, I am proud to support the meaningful work being done in UC Merced’s <a href="https://ssha.ucmerced.edu/">School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts</a> to deepen understanding of who we are and where we’re going,” Muñoz said.</p>
<p>Nearly every project is led by professors from more than one academic discipline — literature and history, for instance, or philosophy and public health. In addition, six projects will involve graduate and undergraduate students as members of the researcher teams.</p>
<p>School Dean Leo Arriola said the awarded projects combine talent and expertise toward a single goal. “They are emblematic of the interdisciplinary collaboration that SSHA stands for,” he said.</p>
<p>A closer look at three Chancellor’s Catalyst awardees:</p>
<h2>Unearthing Secrets of a Gold Rush Town</h2>
<p>Agua Fria was a thriving California Gold Rush town in the Sierra foothills that once served as the seat of Mariposa County. It attracted a spectrum of fortune-seekers and settlers: Mexicans and Chileans, U.S. East Coasters and Europeans, Chinese and Indigenous people.</p>
<p>And then it was gone. The settlement named “cold water” in Spanish was consumed by fire after roughly five years of existence. Today, a stone marker along a rutted road off Highway 140 is the only visible evidence the town was there.</p>
<p>Anthropology Professor <a href="https://ahs.ucmerced.edu/content/beth-scaffidi">Beth Scaffidi</a> and history Professor <a href="https://ssha.ucmerced.edu/content/david-torres-rouff-1">David Rouff</a> will lead an archaeological project to uncover Agua Fria’s buried remains, thought to include roughly 75 structures, and piece together the lives of those who lived there. Undergraduate students will conduct excavations, catalog artifacts and search for historical records.</p>
<p>“Much of the town’s written history is missing or, at least, less developed,” Scaffidi said. “So archeology is a great tool for trying to fill those gaps.”</p>
<h2>Eavesdropping on the Bilingual Brain</h2>
<p>Code-switching — moving between two languages in conversation, sometimes in mid-sentence — is common among bilingual speakers. Researchers in this project will delve into what this does in the listening brain. Study participants’ brain activity will be monitored as they listen to bilingual passages in Spanish and English. Participants will then be tested on how well words are remembered at the point of a language switch.</p>
<p>“People should be better able to remember the words that happened at a code switch if the language was more salient or informative to them,” said cognitive science Professor <a href="https://ssha.ucmerced.edu/content/kristina-backer-0">Kristina Backer</a>, a project lead along with cognitive science Professor <a href="https://ssha.ucmerced.edu/content/dr-zenaida-aguirre-munoz">Zenaida Aguirre-Muñoz</a> and Spanish linguistics Professor <a href="https://spanish.ucmerced.edu/faculty/dalia-maga%C3%B1a">Dalia Magaña</a>.</p>
<p>The findings could influence an ongoing debate in bilingual education over whether mixing languages in the classroom can improve learning. “We want to maximize the ways we can increase students’ deeper comprehension of what they read,” Aguirre-Muñoz said.</p>
<h2>Tapping the Power of Human-centered Writing</h2>
<p>In a world where people can use artificial intelligence to generate paragraphs of polished text in seconds, researchers will test whether a technique called powerwriting can promote keeping human thinking front and center.</p>
<p>The method urges students to pause mid-draft, question their reasoning and apply any thoughts to what they’re writing. Powerwriting is designed to build confidence in their expressions and themselves.</p>
<p>The project will add powerwriting sessions to existing courses. Students will take surveys that measure confidence before and after the instruction. Student researchers will help design prompts and interviews.</p>
<p>Writing studies Teaching Professors <a href="https://writingstudies.ucmerced.edu/content/susan-varnot-0">Susan Varnot</a> and <a href="https://writingstudies.ucmerced.edu/content/paul-gibbons">Paul Gibbons</a> are the lead researchers, as are public health Teaching Professor <a href="https://publichealth.ucmerced.edu/content/lindsay-crawford">Lindsay Crawford</a> and medical education Teaching Professor <a href="https://meded.ucmerced.edu/content/susan-deriemer-phd">Susan DeRiemer</a>.</p>
<p>On Sept. 11, Goldberry Long, a UC Riverside creative writing professor and an expert on powerwriting, will lead a seminar for faculty at UC Merced on using the technique in the classroom.</p>
<p>Varnot said powerwriting helps people overcome composition anxiety and tap into an instinctual mode that challenges assumptions and expands self-inquiry. Gibbons added that “writing is a process, but it’s also an experience. In order to write, I need to be able to question and reflect.”</p>
<p>Other projects supported by the Chancellor’s Catalyst Awards will study short-form digital media’s effect on children’s attention, explore Persian design influences in Yosemite’s Ahwahnee Hotel, and investigate references to vaccine skepticism in newsletters from members of Congress.</p>
<p>“SSHA has an amazing range of disciplines, from arts to cognitive science,” Arriola said. “These research awards promote the cross-discipline collaboration and student opportunities for which we excel.”</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Jody Murray - New Book Chronicles the Creation and Impact of UC Merced/news/2026/new-book-chronicles-creation-and-impact-uc-merced2026-08-07 00:00:00Featured News (gateway), In BriefCommunity, In The Community, Campus, Campus Community, CTKBy Brenda Ortiz, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/evening_library_ucmerced.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="The Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library in the evening" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/The Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library stands as a lasting symbol of the community vision and leadership that helped bring UC Merced to life, a story chronicled in James H. Erickson’s "The Miracle of Merced."<p>In “The Miracle of Merced,” author James H. Erickson chronicles the volunteers, educators and community leaders who helped transform a patch of land into the nation’s first research university of the 21st century.</p>
<p>The book tells the story of the people who refused to let go of the vision: bringing a world-renowned University of California campus to Merced.</p>
<p>“I was inspired to write ‘The Miracle of Merced’ by the incredible volunteer team … who made the campus a reality,” he said. “The campus would not exist today without the vision, the tenacity and the courage of Fresno attorney Leo Kolligian, who persuaded his friend Gov. George Deukmejian to support a new campus, and Bob Carpenter, who was able to rally an entire community around the single goal of building a new premier university in Merced.”<img alt="book cover: "The Miracle of Merced"" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/documents/miracleofmerced_cover.jpeg" style="margin: 10px; float: right; width: 234px; height: 350px;" /></p>
<p>The 105-page book published earlier this year preserves the campus’s founding and celebrates the community partnerships that made it happen and draws on firsthand experiences of community members including Carpenter who helped lead the effort to site the campus in Merced.</p>
<p>Erickson was appointed vice chancellor for advancement on July 1, 1999, the same day the UC Board of Regents named Carol Tomlinson-Keasey chancellor. As Tomlinson-Keasey’s first vice chancellor appointment, he led efforts to build the campus’s Foundation Board of Trustees and helped establish its first 14 endowed chairs. He retired at the end of 2004.</p>
<p>In the book, Erickson looks ahead to UC Merced’s future and its anticipated impact by its 50th anniversary. As he makes clear, the story of UC Merced is far from finished; the vision that built the campus continues to fuel what comes next.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Brenda Ortiz - UC Merced Experts in Soil, Agriculture Join UC ANR/news/2026/uc-merced-experts-soil-agriculture-join-uc-anr2026-08-05 00:00:00Faculty And Staff NewsStaff & Faculty News, First. Further. Forward, Engineering, Environmental Research, School of Engineering, School of Natural Sciences, Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity Communications<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_anr_hero.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Mugshots of Mohammad Maharlooei and Lauren Hale are imposed over a photo of the Beginnings statue on the UC Merced campus." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Mohammad Maharlooei and Lauren Hale are helping address the pressing needs of people across California.<p>Two UC Merced-affiliated scientists have joined University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.</p>
<p>Lauren Hale, a soil microbiologist in UC Merced's Department Life and Environmental Sciences, and Mohammad Maharlooei, an assistant professor of UC Cooperative Extension in agricultural waste management and bioenergy production, are among a number of recent hires by UC ANR as the organization works to address the pressing needs of people across California.</p>
<p>The new experts focus on oak woodlands, coastal water resilience, irrigation efficiency, weeds, livestock, agricultural waste management and bioenergy production, land equity, small farms, organic production, and greenhouse and controlled environment agriculture.</p>
<p>Hale joins UCCE from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service's Water Management Research Unit in Parlier, where she worked as a research soil scientist for the past seven years.</p>
<p>At USDA-ARS, her research focused on agricultural management that improves biological soil health and, in turn, water productivity of irrigated Central Valley crops, mainly through adoption of conservation practices like cover crops and organic amendments. Previously, Hale was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oklahoma studying microbial community dynamics and soil carbon storage.</p>
<p>"Although California leads the nation in organic production, this is only the second statewide position focused on organic agriculture," Hale said. "Houston Wilson served as the founding director of the Organic Agriculture Institute and worked with a team of academic coordinators to quickly develop many education, extension and research strengths. I am very excited to build on this work and help bring state-of-the-art research to California growers."</p>
<p>She earned her Ph.D. in environmental sciences from UC Riverside and a bachelor's degree in microbiology from North Carolina State University.</p>
<p>In her new role, Hale will apply her expertise to advancing research for organic growers and bringing together interdisciplinary teams to address pressing challenges. She noted that solutions for organic producers can be used by all growers because they can enhance strategies for integrated pest management and water management, and help promote climate resilient farms.</p>
<p>Maharlooei will focus on developing engineering- and technology-driven solutions to reduce crop loss and waste during harvest and postharvest operations.</p>
<p>He will work on the design and prototyping of machinery and equipment to convert agricultural residues and byproducts into value-added products - a process known as valorization. This helps divert materials from landfills and supports more sustainable and circular agricultural systems.</p>
<p>"UC ANR is a pioneer in agricultural residue management and byproduct valorization," Maharlooei said. "In this role, my goal is to develop impactful extension and research programs that reduce crop loss and ensure that food is used as food whenever possible, thereby strengthening food security and environmental sustainability in California and beyond."</p>
<p>Born and raised in Shiraz, Iran, Maharlooei follows in the footsteps of his father, who worked at the university in his hometown.</p>
<p>"My interest in agricultural machinery began early in life," Maharlooei said. "My father was a technician in the Department of Agricultural Machinery Engineering, and I spent many of my childhood summer vacations working alongside him as a hobby. That sparked my fascination with agricultural systems and ultimately shaped my career path."</p>
<p>At Shiraz University, Maharlooei earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural machinery engineering, a master's in mechanics of agricultural machinery engineering, and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering of agricultural machinery.</p>
<p>After receiving his doctorate, he joined the faculty of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman in Iran. He was also a visiting researcher at North Dakota State University and a postdoctoral researcher at UC Merced prior to joining UC ANR.</p>
<p>"Agriculture plays a critical role in global food security, yet significant losses occur between harvest and consumption," Maharlooei said. "I am motivated by the opportunity to design practical, engineering-based solutions that reduce waste, improve efficiency and enhance sustainability across agricultural systems."</p>
<p>Since 1914, UC Cooperative Extension researchers have collaborated with community members to develop science-based solutions on many critical issues.</p>
<p>Read about all the new scientists who have recently joined UC ANR <a href="https://ucanr.edu/blog/anr-news-releases/article/newhiresjuly2026"> here </a> .</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - Merced Native Sets Sights on Career in Veterinary Medicine/news/2026/merced-native-sets-sights-career-veterinary-medicine2026-08-10 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Bobcat Bound, Hispanic/LatinX Heritage Month, Campus, Campus Community, School of Natural Sciences, Science, Biological Sciences, Undergraduate Students<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-07-31t125023.959.png" width="870" height="450" alt="Graphic with Bobcat Bound graphic ad headshot of Esperanza Garcia" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Esperanza Garcia is a biological sciences major.<p><em>This is part of a </em><a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/bobcat-bound"><strong><em>series of profiles</em></strong></a> <em>of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2026 semester.</em></p>
<p>Driven by a passion for animal care, incoming biological sciences major student Esperanza Garcia is already well on her way toward a future in veterinary medicine.</p>
<p>A Merced High School graduate with a 4.0 GPA, Garia gained hands-on veterinary experience through the Animal Science Career Technical Education pathway mastering skills such as administering injections, suturing and animal handling.</p>
<p>Her involvement in the Future Farmers of America, California Scholarship Federation and Peer-Assisted Learning System reflects a commitment to service, leadership and helping others, including volunteering to assist special needs students. Now she’s bringing that dedication to UC Merced as a steppingstone to veterinary school.</p>
<p><strong>Why are you excited about coming to UC Merced?</strong> I am excited to attend UC Merced because I can earn a UC degree close to home. I am also looking forward to meeting new people, joining clubs, and learning from my professors.</p>
<p><strong>Academic and personal goals:</strong> My goals are to do well in my classes and gain experiences that will help me get into veterinary school. I also want to become more confident, make new friends and grow as a person.</p>
<p><strong>What's your superpower ability or something you are really good at?</strong> I am good at staying patient and helping others, especially when working with animals.</p>
<p><strong>If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?</strong> It would be tacos! There are so many different ways to make them, so I never get tired of them. </p>
<p><strong>What do you do to relax or have fun?</strong> I like spending time with my friends, baking, listening to music and being with my pets.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - How Much Does Wildfire Reduce Forest Water Use and Increase Runoff?/news/2026/how-much-does-wildfire-reduce-forest-water-use-and-increase-runoff2026-08-04 00:00:00Research Highlights (gateway)Research Excellence, Staff & Faculty News, First. Further. Forward, Engineering, Environmental Research, Sierra Nevada Research Institute, School of EngineeringUniversity Communications<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_wildfire_and_runoff_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="A landscape of burned-out trees near Lake Almanor in October 2025." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Wildfires such as the 2021 Dixie Fire have major impacts on the state's water supply.<div>
<p>Wildfire is reshaping the forests of California's Sierra Nevada and affecting the water those forests supply to downstream users.</p>
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<p>A paper published in <a href="https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/30/4367/2026/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Hydrology and Earth System Science</a> reports that the effect of wildfire on potential runoff from the state's main water-supply watersheds has increased in the period 1985-2023, most markedly since 2019.</p>
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<p>To measure how much water forests use, researchers from UC Merced, UC Berkeley and UC Irvine used data on evapotranspiration, the measure of water evaporating from soil and released by plants. The data drew from satellite imagery, ground measurements and climate records. Annual potential runoff was calculated by subtracting these evapotranspiration values from annual precipitation.</p>
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<p>They verified their findings with full-natural-flow values for the study area, which includes the main watersheds serving California's State Water Project and Central Valley Project. Full-natural flow is calculated as the runoff that would occur at a stream-gauging station in the absence of upstream diversions and changes in reservoir storage.</p>
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<p>The researchers found that by 2023, the cumulative burned area, about one-fifth of the total watershed, resulted in a potential runoff increase of about 740,000 acre-feet per year, or about 5.4 percent of the combined average full-natural flow from these basins.</p>
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<p>"The annual potential runoff after a wildfire is a balance between vegetation mortality and regrowth, which is accounted for by the satellite data used in developing evapotranspiration," said lead author Ziying Han, who carried out the analysis while a graduate student at Berkeley.</p>
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<p>"While wildfire can increase potential runoff, it can also have devastating effects on communities and ecosystems in the fire area," said co-author Han Guo, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Merced. "Forest restoration using mechanical thinning and prescribed fire can produce similar water benefits, while also improving forest health, recreation in the forest, carbon storage and other ecosystem services."</p>
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<p>Developing quantitative estimates of water and related benefits is central to advancing forest restoration. While fire is an important part of these ecosystems, lower-severity fire can have significantly more net benefits compared to the stand-replacing wildfires so apparent in recent years.</p>
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<p>"Linking benefits of fuels treatments to beneficiaries and reducing uncertainty in projected benefits, are central to financing the multi-billion dollar per year need for forest restoration," said engineering <a href="https://snri.ucmerced.edu/content/roger-bales" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Professor Emeritus Roger Bales</a>, a co-author of the study. "Reducing projected wildfire severity through fuels treatment has enormous co-benefits to public health, timber production, erosion reduction, biodiversity, community protection and much more."</p>
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<p>The findings support ongoing efforts to restore and protect the region's forests.</p>
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<p>"This research strengthens the case that fuels treatment isn't just wildfire risk reduction - it's a water security investment," said Gregg Verutes, director of conservation science at the nonprofit Blue Forest. "That's the kind of evidence that helps us bring new capital to this work."</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - A Healer Shaped by the Valley and Devoted to Its Future /news/2026/healer-shaped-valley-and-devoted-its-future2026-07-30 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Alumni, San Joaquin Valley, Biological Sciences, Natural Sciences EducationBy Francesca Dinglasan, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-07-30t141229.472.png" width="870" height="450" alt="" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Dr. Garima Handa credits her alma mater with preparing her for a career in medicine and now hopes to inspire and mentor the next generation of aspiring physicians while advancing cardiovascular care in the region.<p><em><strong>Editor's note: This story is republished from the <a href="https://online.flippingbook.com/view/444926382/"> Spring/Summer 2026 issue </a> of UC Merced Magazine.</strong></em></p>
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<p>Dr. Garima Handa's journey from an undergraduate at UC Merced to a physician specializing in interventional cardiology at Dignity Health in the Central Valley was a full circle one. </p>
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<p>"Leaving home to gain skills is powerful. But bringing those skills back to serve the community that raised you? That's just as meaningful," she said. "Both journeys matter tremendously." </p>
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<p>After graduating from UC Merced in 2012 with a degree in biological sciences, Handa attended medical school in Florida, followed by a residency and general cardiology fellowship in New York. She then went to Kentucky for a year of training in interventional cardiology, a specialty that combined her passions. </p>
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<p>Handa credits the foundational education at UC Merced for instilling the resilience and work ethic needed for the rigors of medical training.</p>
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<p>"You take with you the ability to adapt, work hard and mold yourself to any challenge," she said. "That's what matters." </p>
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<p>"I knew from the beginning that medicine was for me," she added. "Even in middle school and high school, I was that nerd watching surgical videos in the library during lunch. I always wanted to be in health care." </p>
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<p>Handa's decision to specialize in cardiology, along with her deep interest in advancing women's cardiovascular health, is both clinical and personal.</p>
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<p>"In med school, you hear women present differently with heart disease. But it's not until you see the consequences of missed diagnoses that it really hits you," she explained. "My grandmother had symptoms for a long time, but they were overlooked. One day, she had a massive heart attack and died. That experience has stayed with me." </p>
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<p>Handa sees many alignments between UC Merced and Dignity Health, which share a <br />
commitment to holistic health and well-being, advancing health education and improving health outcomes in the Central Valley and beyond. </p>
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<p>Among the potential opportunities for further collaboration between the two institutions are mentorship and learning experiences for UC Merced students at Dignity Health clinical sites. Handa encourages students interested in medicine, especially those from underrepresented communities or those still exploring their paths, to seek guidance from physicians who can support their journeys.</p>
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<p>"When I was an undergrad, it was hard to find doctors to shadow. I know how tough that can be," she said. "But that's how you learn if medicine is really for you." </p>
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<p>As for her advice to the next generation of health care leaders following in her footsteps, Handa suggests they not "underestimate the power of starting here in Merced." </p>
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<p>"I know what it feels like to sit in those classrooms and wonder how far you'll go," she said, "but the truth is, you'll go as far as your perseverance takes you." </p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - California fire season has been quiet. A heat wave could change that fast/news/2026/california-fire-season-has-been-quiet-heat-wave-could-change-fast2026-07-30 00:00:00In The NewsCalifornia has benefited from lucky weather conditions so far, despite a low snowpack and blistering March, according to John Abatzoglou, a professor of climatology at UC Merced. <img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/default_images/news-default-hero.jpg" alt="" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/<p><em><strong>Editor's note: This story is republished from the <a href="https://online.flippingbook.com/view/444926382/"> Spring/Summer 2026 issue </a> of UC Merced Magazine.</strong></em></p>
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<p>Dr. Garima Handa's journey from an undergraduate at UC Merced to a physician specializing in interventional cardiology at Dignity Health in the Central Valley was a full circle one. </p>
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<p>"Leaving home to gain skills is powerful. But bringing those skills back to serve the community that raised you? That's just as meaningful," she said. "Both journeys matter tremendously." </p>
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<p>After graduating from UC Merced in 2012 with a degree in biological sciences, Handa attended medical school in Florida, followed by a residency and general cardiology fellowship in New York. She then went to Kentucky for a year of training in interventional cardiology, a specialty that combined her passions. </p>
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<p>Handa credits the foundational education at UC Merced for instilling the resilience and work ethic needed for the rigors of medical training.</p>
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<p>"You take with you the ability to adapt, work hard and mold yourself to any challenge," she said. "That's what matters." </p>
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<p>"I knew from the beginning that medicine was for me," she added. "Even in middle school and high school, I was that nerd watching surgical videos in the library during lunch. I always wanted to be in health care." </p>
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<p>Handa's decision to specialize in cardiology, along with her deep interest in advancing women's cardiovascular health, is both clinical and personal.</p>
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<p>"In med school, you hear women present differently with heart disease. But it's not until you see the consequences of missed diagnoses that it really hits you," she explained. "My grandmother had symptoms for a long time, but they were overlooked. One day, she had a massive heart attack and died. That experience has stayed with me." </p>
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<p>Handa sees many alignments between UC Merced and Dignity Health, which share a <br />
commitment to holistic health and well-being, advancing health education and improving health outcomes in the Central Valley and beyond. </p>
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<p>Among the potential opportunities for further collaboration between the two institutions are mentorship and learning experiences for UC Merced students at Dignity Health clinical sites. Handa encourages students interested in medicine, especially those from underrepresented communities or those still exploring their paths, to seek guidance from physicians who can support their journeys.</p>
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<p>"When I was an undergrad, it was hard to find doctors to shadow. I know how tough that can be," she said. "But that's how you learn if medicine is really for you." </p>
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<p>As for her advice to the next generation of health care leaders following in her footsteps, Handa suggests they not "underestimate the power of starting here in Merced." </p>
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<p>"I know what it feels like to sit in those classrooms and wonder how far you'll go," she said, "but the truth is, you'll go as far as your perseverance takes you."</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/https://calmatters.org/environment/wildfires/2026/07/dove-fire-heat-wildfires-ca…https://calmatters.org/environment/wildfires/2026/07/dove-fire-heat-wildfires-california/ - Solar Company Partners with UC Merced to Test New Panels/news/2026/solar-company-partners-uc-merced-test-new-panels2026-08-10 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Research Excellence, Management & Technology, First. Further. Forward, Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Solar, School of Engineering, Mechanical EngineeringBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_solar_panel_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="UC Merced graduate student Shariful Islam and Sean Dunfield of Tandem PV install a solar panel atop the SE2 building on campus." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/A coating on the panel could boost its energy output significantly.<div>
<p>UC Merced is no stranger to solar panels. The campus, built to be sustainable from the beginning, is home to thousands of them, and they provide a good chunk of the electricity that powers the university.</p>
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<p>But one very special panel was recently installed on the top of the Science and Engineering 2 Building.</p>
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<p>The panel was crafted by Tandem PV, a Fremont company that uses perovskite-silicon tandem technology to make high-efficiency solar panels that integrate into existing manufacturing supply chains.</p>
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<p>This panel has been treated with a thin coating - one-hundredth of a human hair thick - that should boost its energy output from 24 percent to 30 percent. This allows Tandem's technology to generate about 30% more electricity from the same footprint compared to typical silicon solar panels - reducing labor and balance of system costs which account for roughly 75% of utility-scale solar costs.</p>
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<p>To test panel durability on a larger scale, Tandem PV has collaborated with researchers at UC Merced. They will collect and analyze data from the panel to see how it performs over the next several months. It was installed next to small versions of the same panel, which have been in place for earlier testing.</p>
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<p>"This is a big deal for us because it will be the first time for Tandem PV to put a panel of this size out for testing," said <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/sarah-kurtz" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Professor Sarah Kurtz</a>, chair of UC Merced's electrical engineering department, who is leading the team that will analyze the results.</p>
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<p>UC Merced offers the perfect combination of skilled researchers, community spirit and location for this kind of project, said Sean Dunfield of Tandem PV.</p>
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<p>"Everybody knows Sarah Kurtz," Dunfield said. "She collaborates with a lot of people in the industry and they all have the utmost respect for her."</p>
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<p>The California Energy Commission, which contributed funding, puts a priority on the work being done in-state.</p>
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<p>"And UC Merced is an easy trip," Dunfield added. "I drove here from the Bay Area this morning to drop it off."</p>
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<p>Having the panel on campus will make it convenient. Previously, such solar testing was done at UC Merced's Castle Aviation and Development Center at the former Air Force base in Atwater.</p>
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<p>Tandem PV raised a Series A funding round of $50 million to build the panels to the size they are. The company aims to raise a Series B later this year to build a high-volumecommercial scale factory.</p>
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<p>The project has obvious payoff for Tandem PV, but the students also gain real-world, cutting-edge experience, Kurtz said. Her team that helped with this installation include Shariful Islam, a graduate student in charge of the data collection, and undergraduates Josue Vera, Luke Gagne and John Kim. Other students help with data analysis.</p>
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<p>"This is a way for students to apply what they are learning in class in a way that is a tangible contribution to the project," Kurtz said. One of her students, Christine Chang, parlayed the work into an internship with Tandem PV this year. With so many other countries heavily investing in green energy, it's an opportunity to grow and train a local high-tech workforce.</p>
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<p>It's not at all easy.</p>
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<p>"My experience with making solar cells is that you have to do a hundred or even a thousand things right or it doesn't work," Kurtz said. "Tandem PV has mastered many of the critical steps and is the leading company in the United States for this kind of technology."</p>
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<p>Having the technology work is one thing, but it's also important that the panels be cost-efficient and durable.</p>
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<p>"What everybody cares about is, what is the energy output at 30 years?" Dunfield said.</p>
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<p>The work being done at UC Merced will have immediate and real impact on the effort.</p>
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<p>"At the student level, it's really unusual to have access to this kind of project," Dunfield said. "You learn a lot in school, but here they can see the science in commercialization and tech transfer."</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - As North America grapples with destructive wildfires, ‘super’ El Niño may offer hope/news/2026/north-america-grapples-destructive-wildfires-%E2%80%98super%E2%80%99-el-ni%C3%B1o-may-offer-hope2026-07-28 00:00:00In The NewsThe climate cycle is “providing us some early prognostics in terms of an outlook — better than having nothing,” said John Abatzoglou, a climatology professor at UC Merced who has independently studied the link between wilfires and El Niño. However, from those early outlooks, “things can change quite a bit. Things will change quite a bit.”<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/default_images/news-default-hero.jpg" alt="" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-07-22/as-u-s-grapples-with-destru…https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-07-22/as-u-s-grapples-with-destructive-wildfires-el-nino-hope- Fresno Student Eager to Dive into Life at UC Merced/news/2026/fresno-student-eager-dive-life-uc-merced2026-07-27 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Bobcat Bound, Public Health, Public Health, Students, Undergraduate StudentsBy Jody Murray, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-bobcat-bound-image-with-student-peyton-smith_0.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Bobcat Bound graphic and a photo of incoming student Peyton Smith." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Peyton Smith, a graduate of Central East High School, plans to study public health at UC Merced.<p><em>This is part of a </em><a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/bobcat-bound"><strong><em>series of profiles</em></strong></a><em> of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2026 semester.</em></p>
<p>Peyton Smith brings a love of water sports, an interest in medicine and a goal to work as a pediatrician to UC Merced. The Fresno student brings a deep resume of public service in high school to her Bobcat career.</p>
<p><strong>Where I come from:</strong> I am from Fresno and graduated from Central East High School. We were originally the Grizzlies but changed to the Bengals this year.</p>
<p><strong>What I’ve done:</strong> I played water polo all four years of high school and was team captain for three of those years. I swam on the swim team for two years, then I played badminton during my senior year and was team co-captain. I prefer water sports, though! I participated in Mock Trial, Athletes as Readers and Leaders, Interact Club, California Scholarship Federation, National Honor Society, and Spanish Club. Interact was my favorite club because I volunteered as much as I could.</p>
<p><strong>Why I’m excited about coming to UC Merced:</strong> I am eager to meet new people and learn more about public health. I am excited about all the research opportunities. I want to study abroad, probably not in my first year, but after a year or two.</p>
<p><strong>My academic and personal goals:</strong> My career objective is to become a pediatrician. I hope to maintain a high GPA and to finish my pre-med prerequisites in good standing. I also want to shadow frequently at a hospital.</p>
<p><strong>If I could only keep three apps on my phone, they would be:</strong> My Clock app, Chrome app, and TikTok. I need multiple alarms to wake me up in the morning. I search for answers to my questions on Chrome. Lastly, I doomscroll on TikTok too much not to have the app.</p>
<p><strong>My favorite food:</strong> Shrimp Alfredo pasta. My mom made it when I was little and I love shrimp, so that’s why it’s my favorite!</p>
<p><strong>My go-to song:</strong> “Dancing in the Dark” by Rihanna. I love the movie “Home,” and the song brings good vibes when it comes on.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Jody Murray - Remodeled Applegate Zoo, Including UC Merced-Sponsored Bobcat Exhibit, Celebrates Opening Day/news/2026/remodeled-applegate-zoo-including-uc-merced-sponsored-bobcat-exhibit-celebrates-opening2026-07-24 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Community, First. Further. Forward, ChancellorBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_zoo_reopening_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="UC Merced mascot Rufus stands and applauds next to Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz at the Applegate Zoo reopening." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/A community celebration for the reopened zoo was held Friday.<p>Bobcat kittens Boomer and Bobbie scampered, played and splashed in their pool Friday morning, blissfully unaware they were part of a major celebration at Merced's Applegate Zoo.</p>
<p>The zoo, closed since Jan. 1 for remodeling, reopened to a large crowd eager to see the new black bear exhibit, remodeled bobcat habitat and other improvements.</p>
<p>"Today is much more than about new exhibits," said Chris Jensen, director of Parks and Community Services for the city. "Four years ago, we began this process to better serve the community and the rescued animals here … every animal here has a unique story - a story of rescue and hope."</p>
<p>Two black bears, the zoo's marquee exhibit, are prime examples of that rescue and hope. Waterfall was raised in captivity as someone's pet, zookeeper Josh Moreno said. And Missy was found by state officials when she was a year old.</p>
<p>"She was emaciated - typically a bear that age is going to weigh 30 pounds. She was 10 pounds," Moreno said. "That's how both of these bears ended up here, where we are so fortunate to have zookeepers who love what they do."</p>
<p>The city invested $2 million from American Rescue Plan Act funds. The money went toward improving the bear habitat, which is three times larger and now features a waterfall and plunge pool ("Missy's favorite place," Jensen said), as well as upgraded walkways and updates to the gift shop.</p>
<p>UC Merced, where bobcats are not only the campus mascot but part of the university's history from the start, donated money toward remodeling the enclosure.</p>
<p>"For more than 20 years, this organization has invested not only in higher education but the future of the entire community," Jensen said. "Their investment made it possible to complete renovations to our bobcat exhibit.</p>
<p>"We are incredibly grateful for this partnership with UC Merced and look forward to many more years of it."</p>
<p>Bobbie and Boomer, rescued from San Diego County earlier this year, joined resident bobcat Rufus in the bobcat display.</p>
<p>UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz called the zoo "a place where families from across the Central Valley build a deeper appreciation for the beauty and grandeur of wildlife."</p>
<p>"The zoo reflects values we all share: education, stewardship, partnership and investment in our community," Muñoz said.</p>
<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/zoo_grand_opening374.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="The zoo's Rufus relaxes in the shade of his exhibit." />Rufus looks majestic while lounging in the shade. https://news.ucmerced.edu/<p>UC Merced's contribution isn't limited to the species that shares its legacy. Muñoz pledged $20,000, commemorating the university's 20<sup>th </sup> anniversary, toward the zoo's next project, a new tortoise exhibit.</p>
<p>"Great universities only thrive alongside great communities like Merced," the chancellor said. "As we say at UC Merced, Go big, let's go 'cats."</p>
<p>The remodeled zoo promises a better experience for everyone who visits, said City council member Mike Harris, whose district includes the facility as well as the adjacent Kiddieland, an amusement park for children operated by the Kiwanis Club of Greater Merced.</p>
<p>"This is one of Merced's signature destinations," Harris said. "Together the zoo and Kiddieland create a place where children can learn, families can connect and lifelong memories are made."</p>
<p>Applegate Zoo was established in 1962 and now houses a population of about 75 native California mammals, birds and reptiles, most of them from wildlife rescue centers. The zoo is at 1045 W. 25th St. Ticket prices, hours and other information are available on the city's <a href="http://www.cityofmerced.gov/parks-and-community/applegate-park-zoo"> website</a>.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - UC Merced Professor Sora Kim Makes Waves Again on Shark Week/news/2026/uc-merced-professor-sora-kim-makes-waves-again-shark-week2026-07-22 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Staff & Faculty News, First. Further. Forward, School of Natural Sciences, Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity Communications<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_shark_week_2026_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="UC Merced Professor Sora Kim stands on a dock next to actor and comedian Ken Jeong and singer and rapper Rei Ami. " />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Professor Sora Kim is joined on the show by Ken Jeong and Rei Ami.<div>
<p>Talk about meta: A pop culture phenomenon is using a pop culture phenomenon to undo the results of a pop culture phenomenon.</p>
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<p>And for the fourth consecutive year, paleoecology Professor Sora Kim is diving back into the spotlight of the Discovery Channel hit "Shark Week," this time with a K-pop twist intended to rebrand sharks as less frightening.</p>
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<p>Kim appears in the new "Shark Week" premiere show, "K-Pop Shark Heroes," which uses the power of K-pop, or Korean popular music, to transform the perception of sharks across the globe.</p>
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<p>"It's super cool to be invited to be part of the show," Kim said. "I think sharks are generally misunderstood."</p>
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<p>Filmed in the Bahamas, the show pairs Kim with actor and comedian Ken Jeong and co-host Grammy-nominated singer and rapper Rei Ami while fellow shark expert Tristan Guttridge rounds out the on-screen team. The group splits into duos - Guttridge with Jeong, Kim with Rei Ami - setting up a mix of science and entertainment throughout the episode.</p>
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<p>The concept tackles a serious issue with a playful hook: increased shark activity in places we don't expect.</p>
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<p>"Scientists think that as water temperatures change and prey shift, sharks are now going to locations they traditionally didn't go," Kim said. That has fueled public concern. And there have always been plenty of misconceptions about sharks, especially since the blockbuster film "Jaws" came out.</p>
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<p>That is where the show's mission comes in.</p>
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<p>"The premise of the show is that we're trying to rebrand sharks and do some myth-busting," Kim said.</p>
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<p>Among the myths she addressed: sharks hunting humans as prey and detecting single drops of blood from miles away. Without spoiling any of the answers, Kim said she explains how sharks rely on perception tools - from smell to electrosensory systems - and use their mouths as a primary way to explore their environment.</p>
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<p>The science comes with plenty of adrenaline.</p>
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<p>Kim swam cage-free along the sea floor while lemon, bull, reef and great hammerhead sharks swam around her. On her birthday, she found herself face-to-face with a great hammerhead, an experience she described as "pretty amazing."</p>
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<p>"I was scuba diving with Rei Ami and I looked into the shark's mouth, which was pretty amazing," she said. "It was just that close to me."</p>
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<p>While that might seem like a frightening experience, Kim emphasized the larger goal: understanding, not fear.</p>
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<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_shark_week_2026_secondary_0.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="A Discovery crew member, Rei Ami and Professor Sora Kim wade through ocean water, looking ahead." />Kim said the show offers a mix of science and fun.https://news.ucmerced.edu/<div>
<p>This year's production also marks a milestone in representation. Kim noted that three of the four principal on-screen figures are Korean American - something she said made her proud. She is always on the lookout for opportunities to represent people of color and women in science, hoping to inspire others.</p>
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<p>She is also proud of the show's focus on science.</p>
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<p>"It's a mix of science and fun, which I feel like is true of all 'Shark Week' shows," Kim said. "This year featured the most science, but it also injects the most humor because Ken Jeong is an awesome comedian and he's in the primary role."</p>
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<p>Kim's ongoing presence on "Shark Week" reflects her expertise in modern and ancient sharks. In recent years, she has garnered attention because of her research using isotopes in fossilized megalodon teeth to reveal details about the giant shark's diet, habitat and extinction.</p>
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<p>With "Shark Week" set to begin July 26, "K-pop Shark Heroes" is positioned as the premiere program, signaling both a high-profile platform and a continued role for Kim as a leading scientific voice in popular media.</p>
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<p>Producers have already mentioned bringing her back for a future paleo shark show, but it depends on her schedule. For now, she's focusing on this year's "Shark Week."</p>
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<p>"I'm super excited for the show. I think it's fun. I was excited to work with Tristan again; this is the fourth show we've done together, and we've really built up our rapport over time," she said. "It's great that we can talk about what sharks are doing and why. I like having those science conversations on and off camera."</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - Three UC Merced Students Receive Fellowships Supporting Future Faculty/news/2026/three-uc-merced-students-receive-fellowships-supporting-future-faculty2026-07-28 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Hispanic-serving Institution, Women's History Month, Awards, Campus, Campus Community, Graduate Division, Faculty, Fellowships, Research, School of Natural Sciences, Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Quantitative and Systems Biology, Graduate StudentsBy Brenda Ortiz, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_ucpresidentspre-professoriatefellowhsip_hero_2026.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="collage of three graduate students: Brianna Aguilar-Solis, Vanessa Sanchez and Nora Shamoon" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Brianna Aguilar-Solis, Vanessa Sanchez and Nora Shamoon (left to right) are recipients of the University of California’s President’s Pre-Professoriate Fellowship.<p>UC Merced doctoral students Brianna Aguilar-Solis, Vanessa Sanchez and Nora Shamoon have been awarded the 2026-2027 <a href="https://graduatedivision.ucmerced.edu/node/23751">UC President's Pre-Professoriate Fellowship</a>, a University of California Hispanic Serving Institutions Doctoral Diversity Initiative award that supports promising scholars from California Hispanic-serving institutions as they pursue careers in academia. </p>
<p>Each will receive a full year of support, allowing them to focus full-time on their research.</p>
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<p><strong>Modeling Matter Under Extreme Conditions</strong></p>
<p>Aguilar-Solis, a <a href="https://chemistry.ucmerced.edu/">Chemistry and Biochemistry</a> Ph.D. candidate working with professors <a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/people/aurora-pribram-jones">Aurora Pribram-Jones</a> and <a href="https://chemistry.ucmerced.edu/content/hrant-hratchian">Hrant Hratchian</a>, is developing computer models that help scientists study matter under extreme conditions, with applications in fields such as astrophysics and fusion energy.</p>
<p>“I feel extremely honored to receive this fellowship, as it will allow me to focus on my dissertation work and provide me with funds for professional development opportunities,” said Aguilar-Solis, who plans to graduate in summer 2027 and pursue a postdoctoral fellowship before seeking a tenure-track position at a primarily undergraduate institution. “It will also give me the time and support to explore opportunities related to teaching, such as developing my pedagogical skills.”</p>
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<p><strong>Researching the Biology of Alcohol Tolerance</strong></p>
<p>Sanchez, a <a href="https://qsb.ucmerced.edu/">Quantitative and Systems Biology</a> Ph.D. candidate in Professor <a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/people/fred-wolf-0">Fred Wolf’s</a> lab, studies how the brain responds and adapts to alcohol using the fruit fly Drosophila as a model. Her research aims to understand the biological processes behind alcohol tolerance and how early adaptations to alcohol use may contribute to alcohol use disorder in humans.</p>
<p><strong>“</strong>I am very fortunate and honored to represent this fellowship as a first-generation Latina student,” Sanchez said. “Receiving this fellowship represents not only the sacrifices and barriers I had to overcome, but also the individuals who believed in me.”</p>
<p>Sanchez anticipates graduating in summer 2028 and plans to build a career in academia at a Hispanic-serving institution. </p>
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<p><strong>Fueling Research on Fungal Infections</strong></p>
<p>Shamoon, a Quantitative and Systems Biology Ph.D. candidate in Professor <a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/people/clarissa-nobile-0">Clarissa Nobile’s</a> lab, is studying Candida, a group of fungi that are the most common cause of potentially life-threatening yeast infections.</p>
<p>“I use an innovative planarian flatworm model that enables us to study fungal infection in a living organism while rapidly evaluating potential therapeutic targets. My goal is to identify the genes and biological mechanisms that are essential for infection. By uncovering these ‘make-or-break’ factors, we can help identify new targets for future antifungal therapies,” Shamoon said. “Because Candida can develop resistance to every major class of antifungal drugs currently available, developing new treatment strategies is an urgent public health priority.”</p>
<p>Receiving the fellowship is one of the most meaningful recognitions of Shamoon’s graduate career.</p>
<p>“It reinforces my commitment to building a career dedicated to scientific discovery, mentoring future scientists, and improving human health through research,” Shamoon said. “This fellowship recognizes research excellence, leadership and a commitment to advancing higher education — values that have shaped me as a scientist. I believe education is one of the most powerful ways to empower individuals and strengthen communities.”</p>
<p>Shamoon plans to graduate in spring 2027 and continue advancing biomedical research to bridge fundamental discoveries with real-world applications that improve human health.</p>
<p>“I aim to build a career that contributes to our understanding of infectious diseases, translates discoveries into better treatments and fosters the next generation of scientists,” she said.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Brenda Ortiz - Chef Vanagten Wins Inaugural National Spirit of Service Award/news/2026/chef-vanagten-wins-inaugural-national-spirit-service-award2026-07-21 00:00:00In BriefStaff & Faculty News, StaffUC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-chef-mitch-and-friends.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Mitch Vanagten, Shannon Lee, Kim Garner at UC Merced event" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Chef Mitch Vanagten, left, at a UC Merced event with author Shannon Lee, center, and Vanagten's wife, Kim Garner.<p>Mitch Vanagten, executive chef for UC Merced’s Lakeside Catering, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Paul Fairbrook Spirit of Service Award, a national honor recognizing extraordinary leadership, mentorship and community impact in collegiate dining.</p>
<p>Presented by the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS), the award celebrates professionals who embody a deep commitment to service, a calling that has defined Vanagten’s more than two decades at UC Merced and in the Central Valley.</p>
<p>In a social media post, Vanagten said he was “completely stunned” when his name was announced.</p>
<p>“I knew the caliber of the other finalists and had realistic expectations,” he said. “So when my name was announced as the inaugural recipient, it’s a moment I’ll never forget.”</p>
<p>The award is named for Paul Fairbrook, a Stockton native and campus dining legend. Author of several books and many articles on the topic, Fairbrook was also a founding member of NACUFS. He passed away in 2023.</p>
<p>Fairbrook’s passion and dedication to the industry helped shape collegiate foodservice into what it is today, and it’s that legacy that makes the recognition especially meaningful to the man known at UC Merced as “Chef Mitch.”.</p>
<p>“Having spent more than two decades serving students and our community at UC Merced,” Vanagten said, “it feels especially meaningful to receive an award honoring someone whose legacy was also rooted here in the Central Valley.”</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - UC Merced's Flores Honored for Work with the Community and Labor Center/news/2026/uc-merceds-flores-honored-work-community-and-labor-center2026-07-21 00:00:00AccoladesStaff & Faculty News, Community Engagement, First. Further. Forward, Faculty, School, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, SociologyUniversity Communications<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/edwardfloresaward.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Edward Flores is pictured with a word overlay: Professor Ed Flores has been honored with the 2026 PACIFIC SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION'S Distinguished Contribution to Sociological Praxis Award." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Flores earned the distinction for his contributions to improving the lives of working families and underserved populations in the Central Valley<p>The Pacific Sociological Association recently honored UC Merced sociology Professor <a href="https://sociology.ucmerced.edu/content/edward-flores"> Edward Flores</a>, faculty director of the university's Community and Labor Center, with its Distinguished Contribution to Sociological Praxis Award.</p>
<p>According to the selection committee, Flores earned the distinction for his contributions to improving the lives of working families and underserved populations in California's Central Valley.</p>
<p>Under Flores' leadership, the Community and Labor Center has used applied scholarship in several major initiatives, including a series of research briefs on Central Valley social and working conditions of low income and immigrant workers, and leading a disaster relief survey of immigrant worker families flooded in the city of Planada in early 2023 that helped lead to $40 million in state and local compensation for working families of Planada and Pájaro.</p>
<p>"It means a lot to receive this award," Flores said. "Working with the Community and Labor Center has been the most meaningful experience of my academic career, and it is a privilege to be part of such a strong public-serving mission."</p>
<p>The Pacific Sociological Association was established in October 1929 by a group of university sociologists based on the idea that "where there is contact of human minds, there an association exists; where there is no contact, there is a state of isolation." The group works to promote both sociological research and the teaching of sociology in universities, colleges, community colleges and high schools in the Pacific region.</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - Journeys That Start with a Boarding Pass and Change Everything /news/2026/journeys-start-boarding-pass-and-change-everything2026-07-21 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Campus Life, Study Abroad, Student Life, Undergraduate StudentsSam Yniguez, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/study_abroad_uc_merced_yaritza_mora_0.png" width="870" height="450" alt="" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/From Barcelona and Botswana to 12 ports at sea, Bobcats discover resilience, cultural fluency and life skills that stay with them long after they return home. <div>
<p><em><strong>Editor's note: This story is republished from the <a href="https://online.flippingbook.com/view/444926382/">Spring/Summer 2026 issue</a> of UC Merced Magazine.</strong></em></p>
<p> Yaritza Mora clutched her boarding pass and took a deep breath. Alone at the airport, bound for Barcelona, she wasn't just crossing time zones - she was crossing into a new phase of life.</p>
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<p>She had traveled before, but never solo. This time, every step - from navigating terminals to finding her gate - felt like a rite of passage.</p>
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<p>She had traveled once before with her mother to Italy, but this was different. This time, she was alone.</p>
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<p>"Being at the airport by myself, paying attention, making sure I got to the right place, it felt like one step closer to being an adult," she said. "In school it's one thing, but when you're on your own like that, now you're really an adult."</p>
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<p>Mora, then a UC Merced junior, spent six weeks in Spain completing coursework for her minor in Spanish. She expected a straightforward routine of classes and homework with some sightseeing but quickly learned that studying abroad had a lot more in store for her.</p>
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<p>From navigating housing and figuring out a 40-minute bus commute to adjusting to late-night dinners and afternoon siestas, every detail was part of a larger lesson in independence and adaptability.</p>
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<p>The experience provided Mora with an abundance of self-confidence and a passion to see more of the world. Since her time in Barcelona, she has completed programs in Ghana and Mexico.</p>
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<p>And she's just getting started.</p>
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<p>"It really opened my eyes to what's out there, and I just want to keep seeing more," she said.</p>
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<p><strong>Beyond Travel</strong></p>
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<p>Mora's journey is one example of how UC Merced students expand their horizons through the <a href="https://studyabroad.ucmerced.edu/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> UC Education Abroad Program </a> . With more than 40 programs worldwide, students can spend six weeks, a semester or a year immersed in new cultures and classrooms.</p>
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<p>UC Merced's Study Abroad program is so robust that the university was recognized this year by the U.S. Department of State's Gilman Program as a 25th Anniversary Top Producing Institution in the Medium Colleges and Universities category. The Gilman Program supports undergraduate students looking to develop essential career skills through study and intern abroad experiences.</p>
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<p>For Assistant Director of Study Abroad Craig R. Harmelin, the program is about more than travel. It's about transformation.</p>
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<p>"A lot of people think of the fun parts like traveling and seeing the world, but it's really adulting on steroids," he said. "Students are placed in unfamiliar environments and have to develop resilience, leadership, flexibility, cross-cultural communication and problem-solving skills."</p>
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<p>"Imagine losing your passport abroad," Harmelin continued, "or figuring out housing in another language. You learn to adapt quickly."</p>
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<p>That adaptability can reshape academic and career paths in unexpected ways.</p>
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<p><strong>Brandon's Leap</strong></p>
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<p>While Mora's adventure began in Spain, Brandon Sequeira's path took him even farther - starting in Italy and stretching across three continents.</p>
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<p>The Buhach Colony High School graduate hadn't traveled much before coming to UC Merced. Inspired by a friend's study abroad experience, he convinced his parents to let him participate in a program in Italy.</p>
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<p>It helped that the costs would be covered by scholarships, but to ease their worries about their son spending his first college semester abroad, Sequeira agreed to live with a host family.</p>
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<p>This led him to take a course in Italian for better communication with his hosts. Learning the local language is not a program requirement, but it is encouraged, and Sequeira showcased his new skill when his parents visited him and his host family toward the end of his time there.</p>
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<p><strong>Three Trips, One Goal</strong></p>
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<p>Italy was just the beginning. Energized by his first experience, Sequeira quickly signed up for two more programs, each more immersive than the last.</p>
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<p>"I ended up doing three programs back-to-back-to-back," Sequeira said. "First Italy, then Botswana and then I did Semester at Sea."</p>
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<p>In Botswana, Sequeira's focus on public health put him in the field alongside Doctors Without Borders. He shadowed physicians in rural clinics, helped set up village health expos and distributed food to families. The experience was life-changing.</p>
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<p>Sequeira's final program, Semester at Sea, took him to 12 countries along the Mediterranean. Classes were held on a ship, with coursework tied to excursions in each port. Archaeology meant exploring ruins; political science meant visiting government buildings.</p>
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<p>"It was like a cruise ship with classes," Sequeira said with a laugh, adding that it was tough at times to stay focused with the ocean out the window. "You learn discipline and you remember why you're there and how you have to pass your classes if you want to graduate."</p>
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<p><strong>A Broader View</strong></p>
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<p>Sequeira returned home with a new worldview and a resume that stood out. He worked in UC Merced's Office of International Affairs and created a checklist to help other students prepare for Study Abroad; and shared his story with anyone considering the program.</p>
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<p>He also graduated early, joined the Army as a medic, and is now pursuing a master's degree with military support, all while continuing to travel. By his own count, he has visited 42 countries.</p>
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<p>Sequeira's story is far from unique. Harmelin said these kinds of transformations are common - and deeply impactful. Students return more confident, more independent and more globally aware. They also come back with perspectives that enrich the UC Merced community.</p>
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<p>"Academically, our students get access to some of the most prestigious institutions in the world," he said. "Personally, they learn to navigate ambiguity, lead and create. They come back with a new sense of how big the world is - and how small it is, too."</p>
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<p><strong>Opening Doors</strong></p>
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<p>One of the first questions students and families ask is: Can we afford it? Harmelin said the answer might surprise people. With financial aid and scholarships, students often find a semester in Italy or Barcelona can cost no more than a semester in Merced. That access is critical, especially for Central Valley students who may not have had international opportunities.</p>
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<p>"I grew up here, and I always felt the Valley was geographically isolated," Harmelin said. "I studied abroad myself in Venice during 9/11, and it changed me. I came back to UC Merced because I wanted to provide that same opportunity to students here."</p>
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<p>Mora, reflecting on her first solo adventure in Barcelona, put it simply.</p>
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<p>"If you're in that mental space and it's available financially, you should do it. You may not have another chance like this for a long time."</p>
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Alyssa Johansen - UC Merced Launches Communities of the Valley Series with Dutch American History /news/2026/uc-merced-launches-communities-valley-series-dutch-american-history2026-07-21 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Community, Diversity & Inclusion, Community Engagement, Campus, Events, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, Political ScienceBy Francesca Dinglasan, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-07-21t105724.097.png" width="870" height="450" alt="Man in front of a room presenting to an audience that is seated" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/David Zwart presents "The Dutch-American Story in the San Joaquin Valley" as part of UC Merced's new Communities of the Valley series.<p>David Zwart hadn't even finished introducing himself as the keynote speaker for "The Dutch -American Story in the San Joaquin Valley" at the UC Merced event on July 14 before he'd found a connection in the audience. </p>
<p>"Any connections?" the historian and associate professor at Grand Valley State University asked, rattling off the years he'd spent teaching in nearby Visalia in the late 1990s. An audience member called out a name he recognized. It's a parlor game Zwart calls "Dutch Bingo," a version of six degrees of separation that, among Dutch Americans, usually takes one or two. </p>
<p>The moment set the tone for "Communities of the Valley," a new lecture series made possible through a generous gift from longtime UC Merced supporter and former U.S. Rep. Tony Coelho, who hopes that the university continues serving as a bridge between the region's ethnic communities and higher education. </p>
<p>The series’ inaugural installment focused on the history of Dutch American settlement in the Central Valley, opening with a keynote from Zwart, a historian of Dutch migration, followed by a panel discussion with community members from throughout the region. </p>
<p>Zwart traced how the Dutch American population in the Valley grew from failed 19th-century farming colonies into one of the region's most enduring immigrant communities, as families who had first settled in the Midwest later relocated to the Valley in search of land and religious community. </p>
<p>That migration accelerated in the early 20th century as Dutch settlers in Hanford, Ripon and Modesto recruited relatives and acquaintances through Dutch-language newspapers. Zwart cited a 1905 advertisement placed by early Modesto settler Egbert Stevens, who urged fellow Reformed families to join him because the community needed more members "in order to organize a congregation." The pattern repeated for decades, Zwart said, as word spread through family networks and church publications. </p>
<p>Within the Valley, Dutch settlement concentrated in Kings, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, anchored by Christian Reformed and Reformed Church congregations in Hanford and Ripon organized in the 1910s that went on to plant new congregations in Modesto, Escalon and Fresno through the 1960s. Zwart said that growth was sustained less by the size of the migration than by the density of institutions that bound Dutch American families together across generations. "Dutch American identity is more than windmills, wooden shoes and lawn ornaments," he said, noting that religious institutions gave the community a durability that outlasted its visible markers of ethnic heritage. </p>
<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-07-21t110431.737.png" width="870" height="450" alt="A three-person panel seated at the front of a room in front of an audience" />A panel featuring Dutch American valley residents provided attendees with a personal perspective.https://news.ucmerced.edu/<p>The program closed with a panel discussion bringing together three members of the Dutch American community with different ties to the Valley: Ann Pendleton, a high school teacher; Case Vyfhuizen, a Merced dairy farmer; and Pastor Joel Renkema of Visalia Christian Reformed Church. Their conversation, moderated by Professor Nathan Monroe, touched on faith, agriculture, education and intermarriage, reflecting the range of ways Dutch heritage continues to shape civic and economic life across the region. </p>
<p>Pendleton, who has taught at Ripon High School for years, noted the town's Dutch character has thinned as its population has grown from roughly 2,500 residents to more than 16,000, even as the families who remain have largely preserved their traditions. "The percentage is changing, but I think the values are staying the same," she said. </p>
<p>Vyfhuizen, who immigrated from the Netherlands in 1982 and settled in the Valley to farm, pointed to his own family as an example of that shift. Two of his children married partners of Portuguese descent, and a third married someone of Irish background, he said. Though a departure from the tight Dutch social circles of earlier generations, he noted that church life has held steady. "You teach your kids, bring them to church, they grow up in it, and you hope they find their own way," he said. "We've been blessed with that." </p>
<p>Renkema drew on a line from the Psalms to describe the instinct that shaped the community's early institutions. "How can we sing the songs of the Lord in a foreign land?" That question, he said, drove Dutch immigrants to build the churches and schools that still anchor the community today. </p>
<p><strong>A Gift Rooted in the Valley </strong></p>
<p>The Communities of the Valley series was organized by Monroe, the Tony Coelho Endowed Chair of Public Policy and founding director of UC Merced's Center for Analytic Political Engagement. Monroe said Coelho, a former Valley congressman and a lead author of the Americans with Disabilities Act, has long described his Portuguese heritage and dairy-farming upbringing as central to his own story. </p>
<p>"He left the Valley but never left it behind," Monroe said, describing the series as an effort to advance Coelho’s vision for UC Merced to serve as "a doorway delivering on the promise of being a university for the Valley, for everybody, in different ways." </p>
<p>Vice Chancellor for External Relations Ed Klotzbier, who was on hand to welcome the community in attendance, credited Coelho's gift with making the series possible. "His support reflects a belief that is core to who we are at UC Merced," Klotzbier said, "that the stories of this region matter, that the people of the Valley matter, and that understanding our shared history is essential to building a strong future." </p>
<p>Bryn Forhan, who spent many years on Coelho's legislative staff, attended the program and said it reflected the vision her former boss had held for the university since its founding: a place where the Valley's many communities could see their histories taken seriously. "There's a story for everyone here," she said. </p>
<p>Monroe said the event is the first of several planned under the series, which will next focus on the Hmong and Punjabi Sikh communities, two other groups with deep and long-standing ties to the Valley's agricultural, civic and institutional life, in future installments.</p>
<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-07-21t110405.098.png" width="870" height="450" alt="An event program on a table" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - Wildfire Smoke Chokes Eastern and Midwestern Cities as Air Pollution Soars to Dangerously High Levels/news/2026/wildfire-smoke-chokes-eastern-and-midwestern-cities-air-pollution-soars-dangerously-high2026-07-21 00:00:00In The NewsThe study’s lead author, Dmitri Kalashnikov, a climatologist at the University of California, Merced’s Sierra Nevada Research Institute, said the same is true of northern Minnesota and Ontario. <img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/default_images/news-default-hero.jpg" alt="" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17072026/wildfire-smoke-chokes-eastern-and-mi…https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17072026/wildfire-smoke-chokes-eastern-and-midwestern-cities/- From Atwater to UC Merced with a Big Head Start/news/2026/atwater-uc-merced-big-head-start2026-07-20 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Bobcat Bound, Enrollment, School of Natural Sciences, Molecular and Cell Biology, Biological Sciences, Student Affairs, Students, Undergraduate StudentsBy Jody Murray, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-bobcat-bound-image-with-student-tayven-tipler.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="New UC Merced student and the Bobcat Bound graphic" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Tayven Tipler starts his UC Merced career with an associate's degree from Merced College in hand.<p><em>This is part of a </em><a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/bobcat-bound"><strong><em>series of profiles</em></strong></a><em> of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2026 semester.</em></p>
<p>Tayven Tipler won’t travel far from his hometown when he starts at UC Merced and he is already well along on his higher education journey. Tipler completed several courses at Merced College as a high school student.</p>
<p><strong>Where I come from:</strong> I live in Atwater, where I was born and raised. I graduated this spring from Buhach Colony High School. </p>
<p><strong>What I've done:</strong> I graduated with an associate’s degree from Merced College, thanks to Merced Union High School District’s dual enrollment program. This has helped me excel in general education courses that transfer to UC Merced. I volunteered at Mercy Medical Center and at the Atwater Stingrays swim club. I was a four-year varsity swimmer and water polo player. I received Buhach Colony’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in 2026. Everything I do and strive for is to build a better life for my family and friends, as well as people in my community. </p>
<p><strong>Why I'm excited about coming to UC Merced: </strong>Having UC Merced so close to where I was born and raised is a blessing, as I can get a great education for the medical pathway I want to follow, as well as have a great social life on campus. </p>
<p><strong>My academic and personal goals: </strong>I plan to graduate with a bachelor's degree in biological sciences then go to medical school in California. While at UC Merced, I want to gain personal connections with my community and peers.</p>
<p><strong>My favorite food: </strong>I love a nice Caesar salad — cold, refreshing lettuce with yolk-based dressing. It’s a food I can always come back to that rejuvenates me. </p>
<p><strong>If I could keep only three apps on my phone, they would be:</strong> Messages, the weather app and TikTok. My main form of communication on my phone is Messages, as I feel it is the most reliable. The weather app is the first app I open when I wake up to get ready for the day, and TikTok is for whenever I get bored and want to be up to date with society.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Jody Murray - Summer Program Helps First-Gen Student Take Flight Into Drone Research/news/2026/summer-program-helps-first-gen-student-take-flight-drone-research2026-07-23 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Campus, Campus Community, Research, School of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Science, Professional Development, Students, Graduate Students, Undergraduate StudentsBy Brenda Ortiz, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/david_miguel_ucmerced_hero_0.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="David Miguel" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/First-generation mechanical engineering student David Miguel turned a passion for engineering into impactful research through UC Merced’s Summer Undergraduate Research Initiative.<p>When first-generation <a href="https://mae.ucmerced.edu/">mechanical engineering</a> student David Miguel arrived at UC Merced, he had no research experience, but a passion for engineering and a desire to learn.</p>
<p>A former foster care youth from Los Angeles, Miguel had limited resources to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). His interest in mechanical engineering was sparked at a community fair, an experience that led him to start a general engineering club at his high school.</p>
<p>That passion found direction through UC Merced’s <a href="https://uroc.ucmerced.edu/" title="https://uroc.ucmerced.edu/">Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center</a> (UROC) <a href="https://uroc.ucmerced.edu/suri">Summer Undergraduate Research Initiative</a> (SURI), which Miguel credits with helping him become a researcher and opening pathways he never knew existed.</p>
<p>SURI is an umbrella for more than a dozen programs run by UROC and on-campus partners. Programs range from broadening participation of Californians in STEM Ph.D. programs, the STEM professoriate and the STEM workforce to training in stem cell biology and engineering and providing graduate school preparation. All programs offer a stipend, and some are residential.</p>
<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucmerced_suriboldlyforward_copy_0.jpg" width="700" height="350" alt="Group of students and staff in front of a mural" />The Boldly Forward Research Fellowship is a SURI program designed for undergraduate students interested in gaining hands-on research experience and exploring graduate studies at UC Merced.https://news.ucmerced.edu/<p>“SURI is co-created with faculty, students and partners with the overall goal of providing a rich undergraduate research experience,” UROC Director Patricia Soto, Ph.D. said. “It offers programming to help students develop the professional skills that will enhance the research experience.”</p>
<p>More than a typical internship, SURI combines research apprenticeship with professional development opportunities designed to prepare students for graduate school and future careers. Participants build research and career-readiness skills, receive guidance through multiple layers of mentorship from faculty, graduate students and program staff, and take part in workshops and community-building efforts.</p>
<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/suri_ucmerced_1.jpg" width="700" height="350" alt="Group of students and staff at UC Merced" />More than 90 undergraduate students from across the nation participated in the nine-week summer research program.https://news.ucmerced.edu/<p>The summer of his freshman year, Miguel participated in <a href="https://undoc.ucmerced.edu/programs/core">Career Opportunities and Research Exploration</a> (CORE), a specialized program offered to foster youth, homeless youth, system-impacted individuals and undocumented students. He said he “didn’t understand what research was” until he attended SURI prep workshops in library research, reading articles, contacting professors and designing a research project.</p>
<p>He apprenticed in Research Assistant Professor <a href="https://mae.ucmerced.edu/content/brandon-stark">Brandon Stark's</a> unmanned aircraft systems safety lab, where he focused on thermal management for drones.</p>
<p>“I chose this lab because they let me start my own project from start to finish. I wasn't finishing or refining someone else's work or collecting data for someone else's work,” Miguel said. “I started off by asking my professor, ‘What are some problems that you have in your lab right now?’ During summer, it is the heat. You can't really fly drones past 11 a.m. because the heat damages them.”</p>
<p>His summer research cooled drones up to 14°F, improving flight times.</p>
<p>This summer, 92 undergraduate students — 49 from UC Merced and 43 visiting scholars from institutions across the country — spent nine weeks immersed in hands-on research alongside UC Merced faculty mentors and research teams.</p>
<p>"SURI is co-created with faculty, students and partners with the overall goal of providing a rich undergraduate research experience."</p>
UROC Director Patricia Soto, Ph.D.Brenda Ortiz - Research Reveals the Hidden Life on a Pine Needle/news/2026/research-reveals-hidden-life-pine-needle2026-07-15 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Research Excellence, Research, School of Natural Sciences, Life and Environmental Sciences, Natural Sciences EducationUniversity Communications<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_pine_study_hero_0.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="A closeup of a pine tree with needles and cones" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Microbes help shape the health of entire forests.<div>
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<p>Everyone recognizes the sharp, clean fragrance of pine needles.</p>
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<p>But that's not just a pine forest or a Christmas tree we're smelling - it's the aroma of thousands of microscopic partners working quietly on every needle, helping shape the health of entire forests.</p>
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<p>For years, researchers have known a great deal about microbes living underground around tree roots. But the phyllosphere - the aerial surfaces of leaves and needles - has been far more mysterious. What's living out there on those windswept, sun‑exposed surfaces? And what are those microbes actually doing?</p>
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<p>A team of scientists, including researchers from UC Merced and supported by the Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute (JGI) at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, conducted the first large‑scale genetic survey of microbes living on the needles of three Rocky Mountain conifers: limber pine, Douglas fir and Engelmann spruce. Their study spanned a thousand‑kilometer stretch of mountains and six very different forest sites.</p>
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<p>A <a href="https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-025-02271-y#Fun" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> recent paper</a> in the journal Microbiome details the surprising results and reveals how alive a pine needle really is.</p>
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<p><strong>A Microscopic Community Doing Big Jobs</strong></p>
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<p>The microbes living on conifer needles aren't passive passengers. They interact with the tree throughout its life and can tap into the tree's chemical defenses and help break down nutrients. They can even alter the volatile compounds the tree releases into the air, subtly shaping local air chemistry.</p>
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<p>Using advanced DNA sequencing, the researchers discovered genes that allow bacteria to break down the chemicals trees produce to defend themselves. These include monoterpenes - the piney-smelling compounds responsible for the scent of a forest.</p>
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<p>To humans, that smell is pleasant. To insects and pathogens, it's a warning sign. To certain bacteria, it's lunch.</p>
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<p>It turns out that the mix of microbes living on the needles - and what they're capable of doing - changes depending on the tree's species and where the trees are growing. These patterns seem to reflect both local environmental conditions and the way microbes move through the forest canopy.</p>
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<p>Understanding needle‑surface microbes doesn't just satisfy scientific curiosity. These organisms help determine how well trees tolerate stress, how nutrients move through forests, and even how air chemistry develops above a canopy. They're part of the intricate system that keeps forests healthy and resilient.</p>
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<p>This study shows that microbes aren't just surviving on conifer needles - they're thriving, using the trees' own defense chemicals as fuel and shaping forest ecosystems.</p>
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<p><strong>Different Trees, Different Microbial Neighbors</strong></p>
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<p>Part of the work grew out of the JGI-UC Merced Internship Program. In 2023, Shayna Bennett, a graduate student in Professor <a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/people/carolin-frank" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Carolin Frank</a>'s lab, contributed to the study by analyzing mobile genetic elements - bits of DNA that can move between organisms - across all the needle microbiomes sampled.</p>
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<p>One of the biggest discoveries was how much tree species and location affect which microbes make a home on a needle.</p>
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<p>Some other findings:</p>
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<p>Some microbes are choosy about which tree they call home. For example, a bacterial group called Hymenobacter was far more common on Engelmann spruce than on the other two conifers, suggesting that something about spruce needle chemistry creates a particularly welcoming environment.</p>
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<p>No single environmental factor explained everything. Instead, the phyllosphere turns out to be a complex intersection of tree chemistry, climate and the movement of microbes through the forest canopy.</p>
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<p>The experience shaped the direction of Bennett's graduate work. She is now applying the same experimental techniques she used at JGI to a California native: the black oak. Her research aims to map how the oak leaf microbiome changes across Northern California, opening new windows into how forests respond to stress and environmental change.</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - UC Merced Co-Hosts Institute that Sharpens Instruction of Reading, Writing/news/2026/uc-merced-co-hosts-institute-sharpens-instruction-reading-writing2026-07-16 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Academic Distinction, Merritt Writing Program, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, Global Arts, Media & Writing Studies, StudentsBy Jody Murray, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-mta-reading-writing-seminar.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/From left, communications writer Madiha Patel and UC Merced graduate student Sedney Suarez Gordon do an exercise during the Institute on Reading and Writing Pedagogy.<p>UC Merced has established its identity as a world-class research university that welcomes learners who historically have been left out of higher education. Nearly three-quarters of its undergraduates are first-generation college students.</p>
<p>This distinction put the university in welcome company when it co-hosted one of a handful of institutes held nationwide that trained instructors on how to teach reading and writing effectively at access-oriented institutions: community colleges and open-enrollment universities that educate underserved students.</p>
<p>The Institute on Reading and Writing Pedagogy (the methods and practice of teaching) held its California course June 8–12 at Fresno City College, Merced College and UC Merced. <a href="https://writingstudies.ucmerced.edu/content/estee-beck">Estee Beck</a>, director of UC Merced’s <a href="https://writingprogram.ucmerced.edu">Karen Merritt Writing Program</a>, co-designed and ran the course with Sean Epstein-Corbin, co-chair and professor of Merced College’s English Department, and Mario Giron, English instructor at Fresno City College.</p>
<p>The institute project, funded by the Mellon Foundation for humanities and arts, is presented by the Modern Language Association. Since 2019, MLA has used the institutes to train more than 300 graduate students and early-career instructors across the nation. Thirteen people were chosen to attend the California institute.</p>
<p>The focus of the training was practical and urgent: In an era of artificial intelligence tools, shortened attention spans, and students who came of age swiping through social media, how do instructors teach people to read and write with depth and rigor?</p>
<p>Genevieve Egbunno, a UC Merced sixth-year graduate student in interdisciplinary humanities, said the institute was transformative. Egbunno, an anthropology teaching assistant, learned new ways to help her undergraduates engage deeply with heavy reading loads and express ideas clearly in writing.</p>
<p>For Kara Ayik, a lecturer in the Merritt Writing Program, the institute was a recalibration in a long career.</p>
<p>Ayik, who has taught writing for decades, said the landscape has shifted dramatically. Students today often struggle to sustain focus on longer texts, she said. The institute's emphasis on designing instruction that meets students where they are without lowering expectations resonated with her core beliefs.</p>
<p>"I want to keep the standards high but make it reachable," Ayik said.</p>
<p>Robbie Hill, an English teacher in his third year as an adjunct instructor at Clovis Community College, appreciated discussions about artificial intelligence. He said students often use AI to avoid their struggles with a subject. Hill wants his students to "sit in that curiosity and discovery area" where getting stuck can sharpen critical thinking.</p>
<p>“Access-oriented institutions are the front line in higher education. Training faculty to design deep reading and writing activities is some of the most important work we can do in the age of AI,” Beck said. “This is what this institute is about. It helps teachers build critical reading and writing skills for first-generation students.”</p>
<p>Beck said co-facilitating with Epstein-Corbin and Giron made the work even richer, drawing on their experience in community colleges and university classrooms. She hoped this was the first of many institutes offered in the Central Valley to create a network of educators who work at the intersection of reading and writing.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Jody Murray - Dublin High Grad Drawn to UC Merced’s Growth and Potential/news/2026/dublin-high-grad-drawn-uc-merceds-growth-and-potential2026-08-03 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Bobcat Bound, Campus Community, Engineering, School of Engineering, Undergraduate Students<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_shrihanlakinanan_ucmerced.png" width="870" height="450" alt="Bobcat Bound graphic with headshot of Shrihan Lakinana " />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Shrihan Lakinana is majoring in electrical engineering.<p>This is part of a <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/bobcat-bound">series of profiles</a> of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2026 semester.</p>
<p>Incoming UC Merced student Shrihan Lakinana is bringing a growth mindset, a passion for engineering and a deep appreciation for community to the Bobcat experience.</p>
<p>Lakinana says his proudest achievements have come not from perfect grades, but from learning through challenges and using those lessons to become more driven, humble and resilient. That perspective is one of the reasons he is excited to join UC Merced, where he sees potential in the university’s rapid growth, welcoming culture and diverse student community.</p>
<p>As an electrical engineering major with a computer engineering emphasis, he looks forward to exploring career opportunities, getting involved across campus and meeting people from all walks of life</p>
<p><strong>Where I come from:</strong> I attended Dublin High School in Dublin, Calif. </p>
<p><strong>Why I am excited about coming to UC Merced:</strong> I have many reasons. For one, it is a UC, and being the newest UC, Merced feels like an amazing opportunity I had to take. I felt the amazing development through the new programs and its ever-expanding campus. There is so much potential for this college. I am also very excited to be a part of a new culture, one that is as welcoming as it is. I felt very inspired to join a campus with a strong culture and identity. I am excited to meet and get involved with the diversity of students attending with me. I cannot wait to get involved in clubs, especially ones involving engineering and some of my hobbies such as filmmaking and fashion. </p>
<p><strong>My academic and personal goals:</strong> I hope to accomplish so much at UC Merced. I am excited to be involved with the engineering program and look forward to exploring the options that come out of the major. I am setting goals of succeeding in that major and getting involved in intern opportunities. However, I am going into UC Merced open-minded. I would love to explore the different career opportunities that Merced can offer, even if it does not have to do with electrical engineering. I hope graduate with a pathway that feels right for me. I hope to meet so many people. I want to get involved in the social life. I want to be exposed to the many kinds of people that this world has to offer. Coming from a high school with a large and diverse student population, I feel prepared and excited to meet new people. That is one of my biggest personal goals. It matters to be as much as self-progression. </p>
<p><strong>If I could eat only one food for the rest of my life:</strong> I would want to eat biryani. My mom comes from Hyderabad, India, the capital of biryani, and the food has changed my life. It can be nutritious or tasty, depending on the chosen proteins, rice, masalas, flavors and cooking styles.. Every person, every city, has a different way of cooking it. It tastes amazing and I feel I can prepare it in different ways so I wouldn’t get too bored of it. Eating biryani is also emotionally life-changing for me. I feel like everyone could eat biryani, but nobody would feel the emotions I feel because of how infused biryani has become with my identity and way of life. </p>
<p><strong>How I relax:</strong> Whenever I have free time, I always have the choice of relaxing or having fun. My absolute favorite way to relax is to lie down on my bed or on my couch and put on a movie. As a big superhero film guy, I always have the tough choice between watching a movie I’ve never watched or rewatching movies like “The Batman.” To have fun, I do things with my friends. I love to go out and get food or stay home and play video games. I also like to go to the gym.</p>
<p><strong>If I could go anywhere in the world for a three-day weekend:</strong> I would go to India. This question is really tough because there are so many places I would want to go for different purposes. I love to travel, and my favorite places are tropical/beach areas, so it was tempting to say places like Hawaii, Bali and the Philippines. I also love to explore metropolitan areas to understand different ways of life and try amazing food, so I could have chosen destinations like New York and Los Angeles, but also places like Singapore, Dubai, Tokyo and Seoul. But ultimately, I realized I really value meeting family members.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - UC Merced Approved for Full NCAA Division II Membership /news/2026/uc-merced-approved-full-ncaa-division-ii-membership2026-07-10 00:00:00Bobcat Athletics, Featured News (gateway)Campus Life, Athletics, Student Life, Students<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucmerced_athletics_d2.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="An image on navy background that reads, "UC Merced Athletics. NCAA D2 Make it Yours."" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/UC Merced was first accepted into NCAA Division II on July 11, 2024. <div>
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<p>UC Merced officially becomes an active National Collegiate Athletics Association Division II member on Sept. 1, after receiving confirmation that the athletics department successfully completed its expedited two-year transition process from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to the NCAA.</p>
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<p>Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz and Executive Director of Recreation and Athletics David Dunham were notified this morning during a phone call with NCAA officials. The Bobcats are now eligible for all conference, regional and national championships.</p>
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<p>"We are excited to be full members of NCAA Division II. This would not have been possible without the support of Chancellor Muñoz and the entire UC Merced leadership and the hard work and dedication of our coaches and staff," Dunham said.</p>
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<p>UC Merced was first accepted into NCAA Division II on July 11, 2024. The university played its final year as an NAIA member in the 2024-25 academic year and began NCAA Division II competition with the 2025-26 season.</p>
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<p>"Achieving full NCAA Division II membership is a significant milestone that reflects the dedication of our student-athletes, coaches and staff. We are committed to cultivating scholar-athletes who excel both in competition and in the classroom, preparing them for success long after their playing days. This achievement reinforces our mission of providing an exceptional educational experience where academic excellence and athletic achievement go hand in hand," Muñoz said. </p>
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<p>UC Merced had many highlights in its first year of NCAA Division II competition.</p>
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<p>Men's track athlete Sharvin Manjrekar won the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Steeplechase Championship.</p>
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<p>Women's soccer appeared in two United Soccer Coaches West Region Top 10 Polls.</p>
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<p>Women's volleyball beat 2024 CCAA Tournament Champion California State University, Stanislaus.</p>
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<p>Women's basketball swept 2024-25 CCAA Regular Season and Tournament Champion Cal State Dominguez Hills.</p>
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<p>Men's basketball athlete Elijah Charles earned D2CAA All-West Region honors.</p>
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<p>Men's track athlete Martel Fields hit the NCAA 200m qualifying time.</p>
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<p>Six Bobcats earned all-conference honors with nine more student-athletes earning honorable mention.</p>
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<p>85 student-athletes earned an academic distinction.</p>
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<p>Other milestones throughout the NCAA Division II process include being accepted into the CCAA in November 2023. UC Merced men's and women's basketball, cross country, soccer, track and women's volleyball compete as a CCAA member. UC Merced water polo was admitted into the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) in January 2024. The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation accepted UC Merced men's volleyball in June of 2025.</p>
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<p>UC Merced is now the highest-ranked university in U.S. News and World Report's Best Colleges in the Nation to be an active member in NCAA Division II.</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - Downtown Merced Charms UC Tech Conference Attendees/news/2026/downtown-merced-charms-uc-tech-conference-attendees2026-07-10 00:00:00Faculty And Staff NewsStaff & Faculty News, First. Further. Forward, In The Community, Campus CommunityBy Jody Murray, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-uctech-attendee-gets-raffle-sticker-at-hotel19.jpg.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="A UC Tech attendee gets a raffle sticker at the front desk of El Capitan Hotel" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Attendees gathered stickers at downtown businesses, including El Capitan Hotel.<p>Remnants of Pretty Good Burgers and golden fries lay on the table between four web wizards tucked into a booth in the downtown Merced restaurant.</p>
<p>After two days of keynote speakers, seminars, breakout sessions and a sponsor fair at UC Merced, attendees of the <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2026/uc-tech-lands-uc-merced-summer"> annual UC Tech conference </a> picked up and moved to the city's vibrant Main Street core to walk the bricked sidewalks, inhale the small-town atmosphere and enjoy some food.</p>
<p>Conference-goers were impressed. Jenn Dandle, who has attended UC Techs at other campuses over the years, liked what she saw.</p>
<p>"It seems the town appreciates what the university brings to it, and that's really cool," said Dandle, web manager of the Geisel Library at UC San Diego. "There's an intermingling between the town and the university you don't always see."</p>
<p>Oh, and her team, which shared her booth, recommends the fries, with or without seasoning.</p>
<p>A couple hundred conference attendees, representing information technology expertise from every University of California location, strolled the four-block stretch for what the host campus organizers called "Metal on Main." The label was a nod to the conference's theme, "To the Metal: Reflect. Reforge. Reimagine."</p>
<p>UC Tech's hosts spiced the evening with a hunt - attendees collected dot stickers at Main Street locations. Every dot meant another entry into a raffle for a UC Tech-branded Bluetooth speaker and other prizes.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/documents/uc-merced-uctech-badge-with-raffle-stickers67.jpg.jpeg" style="border-width: 2px; border-style: solid; margin: 2px 4px; width: 200px; height: 240px; float: left;" />Scott Armanini, associate director of strategic initiatives at UC Davis, proudly displayed 10 stickers of yellow, red, orange, purple and green on his badge. He had just scored a dot at Hi-Fi Wine.</p>
<p> "The hospitality of UC Merced has been off the charts," Armanini said, "just outstanding organization and preparation."</p>
<p>As the sun dropped below the skyline, the good vibes continued. Attendees tapped toes to live music by Sound Remedy. Two UC Office of the President colleagues at Lovers Deli dove into squares of pepperoni pizza, one with jalapeños, one with hot honey. Four from UCLA wrapped themselves around a carnitas tray and onion ring tower at The Mainzer. Three others from UCOP slammed buttons on Pac-Man Battle Royale Chompionship at Joystiq.</p>
<p>"UC Merced really put their own spin on the conference," said Tobi Paton, a business systems analyst who recently went from UC Davis to UC Berkeley. "Usually, you're on campus the whole time, and here we're getting a taste of downtown Merced.</p>
<p>"Yeah. I'm loving this."</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - What Do Driverless Cars and Building Evacuation Routes Have in Common? A Lab at UC Merced/news/2026/what-do-driverless-cars-and-building-evacuation-routes-have-common-lab-uc-merced2026-07-08 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Management & Technology, First. Further. Forward, Engineering, Computer Science, School, School of Engineering, Computer Science EngineeringBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_greer_lab_hero_0.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="Students and Professor Ross Greer are pictured in his lab, holding a small car with a processor affixed to the top of it." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/A team from the lab earned the top prize at the National Highway Transportation Safety Institute Enhanced Safety of Vehicles conference this spring in Toronto, Canada<div>
<p>Step into <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/ross-greer" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Ross Greer</a>’s lab — gingerly, because there’s a makeshift racetrack on the floor — and you will see multiple projects aimed at making autonomous vehicles smarter and safer.</p>
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<p>And these projects are getting global recognition.</p>
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<p>A team from the lab earned the top prize at the National Highway Transportation Safety Institute Enhanced Safety of Vehicles conference this spring in Toronto, Canada. UC Merced’s team was one of three from the U.S. selected to advance from the preliminary round and compete at the NHTSA conference.</p>
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<p>They also are competing at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Intelligent Vehicle Symposium in Detroit this summer.</p>
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<p>In addition, Greer recently received a $200,000 grant from the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities toward developing autonomous systems for resilient human–machine teaming.</p>
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<p>During a tour of the lab, it swiftly becomes apparent that this is groundbreaking work.</p>
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<p>“This is our RoboRacer — a fully autonomous race car,” said Greer, a computer science and engineering professor.</p>
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<p>As the RoboRacer zipped around a course made up of boxes and flexible HVAC ducting, it avoided both the stationary obstacles and the people who stepped in its way.</p>
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<p>“It has no clue it’s going in a loop right now,” student Angel Martinez-Sanchez said. “It senses people. .”</p>
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<p>A camera atop the car senses obstacles — those placed in its path and those that might suddenly enter, such as a pedestrian or oncoming car. But the processor also can map the area where it’s going, so it can determine the proper speed. The processor has a few different modes it can operate in, Martinez-Sanchez said.</p>
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<p>The team is using processors provided by AI giant NVIDIA through a <a href="https://ucm.edu/j87slc" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> grant awarded </a> earlier this year.</p>
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<p>“Once I have the map on, it understands it can book it down the hall and slow at the corners,” Martinez-Sanchez said.</p>
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<p>Another team is working on a project that improves the real-time sharing of traffic and other information.</p>
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<p>Many of the data sets (currently available) are from one point of view. Their app would analyze input from various points to provide a fuller picture of the situation.</p>
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<p>“It’s an app that can connect to the vehicle’s camera and can connect to another computer,” student Parthib Roy said.</p>
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<p>If the camera picks up indications that the car is entering a work zone, it chimes adetection alert to the driver.</p>
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<p>Sharing those kinds of alerts across a broader system is the topic of another project. It replicates traffic conditions and hazards you might see in a smart phone map, but they are updated in real time and shared with a group of devices. So if there’s a caravan heading to a location and along the way there’s a sudden traffic jam or a log in the road, the lead car would alert the others.</p>
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<p>“The biggest thing is scalability,” student Kianna Ng said. “Right now, this is all local.”</p>
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<p>The program shows the car detecting signs, work vehicles, cones and workers.</p>
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<p>Another project takes the processor out of the car and puts it into other parts of life.</p>
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<p>Working off previous research into autonomous driving, student Wesley Maia built a system that can tell mobility device users if a sidewalk is suitable for them. Current systems might mark road work, for example, but wouldn’t have information about sidewalks and steps.</p>
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<p>Another project can help people escape buildings in emergency situations.</p>
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<p>Evacuations can be chaotic and difficult, and even more so for the visually impaired.</p>
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<p>“We’ve collected a ton of evacuation data,” Maia said. And they used it to develop a system that can help people determine where to go if, for example, one escape route is suddenly blocked by flames.</p>
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<p>“We built a decision tree refiner,” student Cristian Parker said. “It can devise alternate routes for you.”</p>
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<p>The decisions are made quickly using real-time data that could save vital seconds in the chaos of an emergency.</p>
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<p>“One of the most rewarding parts of this work is watching students realize that the technology behind autonomous vehicles can have impact far beyond cars,” Greer said. “The same AI systems that help a vehicle understand its surroundings can also help people navigate emergencies, improve accessibility, and make transportation safer for everyone, and our students are dedicated to making these AI systems trustworthy to the communities they serve.”</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - UC Tech Lands at UC Merced This Summer/news/2026/uc-tech-lands-uc-merced-summer2026-07-07 00:00:00Faculty And Staff NewsStaff & Faculty News, First. Further. Forward, StaffBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-07-07t113120.093.png" width="870" height="450" alt="Students walk along a path in front of a staircase near The Pavilion on a sunny day at UC Merced." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/More than 400 people are expected to attend the conference.<div>
<p>Hundreds of University of California technology professionals will converge on UC Merced's campus this week for a conference aimed at sharing ideas, highlighting best practices and collaborating across the system.</p>
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<p>But UC Tech, as it's called, is also an opportunity for the host campus to show off the community around it, and UC Merced is leaning into that with events that will bring attendees downtown into stores and cafes.</p>
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<p>This year's conference, set July 8-10, is themed "To the Metal: Reflect. Reforge. Reimagine." According to organizers, the theme highlights the strength of the UC tech community as an adaptable, empowered force reshaping the higher education landscape.</p>
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<p>Initially called the University of California Computing Services Conference, UC Tech began in 1982 as a grass-roots effort by UC campuses to share common knowledge and information. The first event, focused on academic software, was held in a conference room on the UC Santa Cruz campus with 21 people in attendance.</p>
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<p>The meeting has evolved into a full conference experience for more than 400 people, with keynote speakers, breakout sessions and a sponsor fair with 25 industry supporters. By connecting with IT colleagues from other campuses, attendees can learn how others address problems and implement innovative solutions.</p>
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<p>Attendees will take part in activities highlighting the community and attractions near the campus. During a "Metal on Main" event, participants will visit participating businesses and collect stamps from each for entries into a raffle drawing. Optional gatherings are planned at nearby Lake Yosemite and, on July 11, Yosemite National Park.</p>
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<p>"We're thrilled to be hosting our colleagues and partners from across the state here in Merced - many for the first time - showing off our amazing campus and community," said Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer Nick Dugan. "I'm especially excited to bring everyone downtown for Metal on Main to eat, drink and mingle in our local businesses."</p>
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<p>Teams and individuals also will compete for the UC Tech Awards.</p>
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<p>Founded in 2001, these awards are given each year in seven categories that highlight askill or value that has driven technological advancement across the UC system. They are the AI Impact Award, Larry L. Sautter Award for Innovation in Information Technology, IT Security Award, Yvonne Tevis UC Collaboration Award, Mojgan A. Amini Operational Excellence Award, Design Award and Sustained Impact Award.</p>
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<p>These awards celebrate individuals and teams within the university's technology community for significant contributions to advancing UC's mission through innovative tools and approaches.</p>
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<p>At the end of the conference, the organizers will "Pass the Buck" - sending a dollar bill with the names and dates of event hosts to the next UC Tech location.</p>
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<p>"UC Tech is UC at its best - reminding us that we do our best work together," Dugan said." Whether it's finding an all-important collaborator for an esoteric technology problem or broadly sharing our approach to major challenges and opportunities like artificial intelligence, harnessing our collective wisdom and sharing the beauty of our campuses is a great summer highlight and tradition that we're happy to bring to Merced."</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - Student from Modesto Ready to Make an Impact at UC Merced/news/2026/student-modesto-ready-make-impact-uc-merced2026-07-06 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Bobcat Bound, First. Further. Forward, Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Mechanical EngineeringBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_bobcat_bound_savala_alvarez.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Depicted is student Anthony Savala Alvarez, in a red cap and gown at his high school graduation, with a blue and gold graphic reading "Bobcat Bound"" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Anthony Savala Alvarez will major in mechanical engineering.<div>
<p><em>This is part of a <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/bobcat-bound" target="_blank">series of profiles</a> of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2026 semester.</em></p>
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<p>Anthony Savala Alvarez comes to UC Merced this fall with several accomplishments under his belt: He graduated high school with a grade point average of 4.1, earned the California Seal of Biliteracy, and took part in several sports, including varsity soccer, cross country and track and field.</p>
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<p>Savala Alvarez is no stranger to the university; his brother, Eduardo, is a <a href="https://ucm.edu/5ryncj" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> recent graduate</a>. Anthony said he's looking forward to the opportunities UC Merced offers. </p>
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<p><strong>Where you come from</strong>: I was born in San Jose and live in Modesto, where I graduated from Ceres High School.</p>
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<p><strong>Why are you excited about coming to UC Merced?</strong> UC Merced's low student-to-instructor ratio will give me a great learning experience. I'm interested in many of the clubs offered, as well as meeting new people who share my interests.</p>
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<p><strong>Academic and personal goals:</strong> I plan to major in mechanical engineering with a possible minor in Spanish. By the time I graduate, I want to leave an impact on the school that will help future generations of students follow their goals.</p>
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<p><strong>What do you do to relax? </strong>In my spare time, I like to play the guitar, video games or even go on an occasional run.</p>
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<p><strong>You can teleport anywhere in the world for a three-day weekend. </strong>Where do you go? I would definitely go to Europe because of the different landmarks and amazing scenery. I would enjoy going to a soccer game and living in the moment.</p>
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<p><strong>Quotable:</strong> "I want to create connections with people who not only will help me in my academic journey but also help me become a better individual."</p>
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<div> </div>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - UC Merced Recognized Among Nation’s Best Colleges in Money’s 2026 List /news/2026/uc-merced-recognized-among-nation%E2%80%99s-best-colleges-money%E2%80%99s-2026-list2026-07-01 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Campus Life, Community Engagement, First. Further. Forward, Hispanic-serving Institution, Rankings, Campus, Student AffairsBy Sam Yniguez, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-07-01t150656.243.png" width="870" height="450" alt="Rufus Bobcat high fives with a student" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/UC Merced's received strong marks in Money's report for quality of education, affordability and student outcomes.<p>UC Merced continues to rank among the nation’s top universities, earning a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 in Money’s 2026 “<a href="https://money.com/best-colleges/">Best Colleges in America”</a> report. </p>
<p>The annual evaluation scores more than 700 institutions nationwide using a range of factors, including graduation rates, cost of attendance, instructor access and economic mobility. </p>
<p>The university has maintained a 4.5-star rating since Money transitioned from a traditional ranking system to its current ratings model — an approach designed to help students and families identify colleges that best fit their needs. </p>
<p>Money’s methodology evaluates 25 indicators across three categories: quality of education, affordability and student outcomes, with affordability carrying the greatest weight. This year’s framework placed increased emphasis on net price and borrowing levels, while also highlighting how well institutions serve low-income students, including outcomes for Pell Grant recipients. </p>
<p>The ratings also incorporate data from Third Way’s Economic Mobility Index, which measures how effectively colleges deliver strong returns for students from lower-income backgrounds. </p>
<p>“UC Merced’s continued recognition in this report reflects our deep commitment to expanding access to a high-quality education while delivering meaningful outcomes for our students,” Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said. “We remain focused on creating opportunities that empower our students to succeed and lead in their communities and beyond.” </p>
<p>Consistently recognized as a national leader in social mobility, UC Merced serves a predominantly first-generation student population and continues to demonstrate that academic excellence and affordability can go hand in hand. </p>
<p>The repeat 4.5-star rating underscores UC Merced’s growing national reputation for delivering a strong return on investment while advancing its mission to serve the San Joaquin Valley and the state of California. </p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - CalTeach, Bakersfield Migrant Program Opening Doors for Young Minds/news/2026/calteach-bakersfield-migrant-program-opening-doors-young-minds2026-06-30 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Campus Life, First. Further. Forward, Campus Community, Outreach, San Joaquin ValleyUniversity Communications<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-calteach-migrant-ed-hero_1.jpg.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="Depicted are two two lines of middle-school students standing in front of the blue and gold UCM on the UC Merced campus." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Roughly 20 sixth-graders took part in the program, living and learning on the UC Merced campus.<p>A new partnership between UC Merced's CalTeach program and the Bakersfield City School District gave middle-school children from migrant families a rare opportunity to live and learn on a college campus while exploring science in a hands-on, deeply engaging way.</p>
<p>The collaboration began when the Bakersfield program, called Migrant Education Program DFD21, contacted UC Merced to expand its efforts to expose students to higher education. Funding issues have shuttered similar programs elsewhere in California.</p>
<p>"Bakersfield chose to continue its migrant education program because of the demographic it serves," said Mariah Gonsalez, director of K-12 outreach and education for CalTeach. The district regularly partners with universities to create academies, free of charge, connecting students to mathematics, social-emotional learning and English language arts, she said.</p>
<p>At UC Merced, that vision took shape as a weeklong residential neuropsychology academy for 20 sixth-grade students at the beginning of June.</p>
<p>"We developed a neuropsychology academy focused on understanding the brain - how it works, development and sleep," Gonsalez said. "Students even dissected a real sheep brain."</p>
<p>For Marcel Guerra, a teacher with the Bakersfield City School District who works with the migrant education program, the academy represents something much larger than a weeklong academic experience.</p>
<p>"It's a big district: 44 schools, about 30,000 total student population," Guerra said. "Kern County has a strong migrant population. Our school district has several thousand migrant students."</p>
<p>The migrant education program, he said, is designed to help students whose schooling is often interrupted.</p>
<p>"The migrant program itself is a supplemental service designed to fill in the gaps from the moves. So, if they're moving for crops, for seasonal stuff, they're missing school. We not only supplement those learning gaps, but also supply life-changing opportunities like this."</p>
<p>Building trust with families is key to making those opportunities possible.</p>
<p>"We struggle sometimes getting the kids to show up. The moves affect a lot of them. But we have managed to create good relationships with our families, so there is some stability," Guerra said. "We build relationships with the families so that they trust us enough that they send the kids with us for a week for something like this, and the kids have a great experience."</p>
<p><strong>A Week of Discovery</strong></p>
<p>The program adapted an existing hands-on STEM curriculum to meet the needs of migrant students, incorporating math, English language development, reading and writing. All students in the cohort were Spanish speakers, and the academy was bilingual - a first for UC Merced CalTeach.</p>
<p>"It was the first residential program CalTeach has conducted at the UC Merced campus through Bobcat Summer STEM Academy," Gonsalez said. CalTeach students did the teaching, providing visiting students with another example of what their futures could hold.</p>
<p>"We're learning about how the brain works, like how it reacts when you have a feeling," said Yorshua Gonzalez, who hopes to go to college and become a soccer player like his hero, Cristiano Ronaldo.</p>
<p>For the students, navigating both science labs and life away from home, the week provided discovery, inspiration and a clearer sense of what is possible. Students stayed in campus housing, ate in The Pavilion and worked in scientific laboratories, while also taking part in recreational and community-building activities such as tie-dying their own T-shirts. They ended the academy with a signing ceremony, and all the students, instructors and staff signed the shirts as parting gifts.</p>
<p>Diego Perez Herrera said the campus left a strong impression.</p>
<p>"I like what I'm learning in the classes," he said. "I also like how everything looks here. It is clean and beautiful and there are lots of trees.</p>
<p>"I would like to go to college and learn more," he added. "There are many students who don't get the opportunity to go to college or don't want to go." Diego wants to be a firefighter.</p>
<p>Campus groups including La Familia met with students to talk about college life and "the experience of being first-generation college students and finding community on campus," Gonsalez said.</p>
<p>For Nikol Ramirez, the experience offered a first glimpse of campus life.</p>
<p>"I like how you can live here and work here and study," she said. It was her first time on a college campus. She hopes to study graphic design and animation.</p>
<p><strong>Experiential Learning</strong></p>
<p>The weeklong academy's instruction followed a student-centered, inquiry-based model designed to spark curiosity.</p>
<p>"Students explore first, relying on observation and curiosity, using 'I notice' and 'I wonder' questions to guide critical thinking," Gonsalez said. Concepts were introduced after hands-on exploration, then reinforced through labs and collaborative activities.</p>
<p>The results were encouraging.</p>
<p>"Students performed very well," Gonsalez said, noting that none had prior exposure to neuropsychology. She added that English learners may not typically have access to electives because they are taking English-as-a-second-language courses, which can limit the time for other opportunities.</p>
<p>For many students, it is a week full of firsts.</p>
<p>"You know, a lot of these kids have never been out of town or away from their family, so this is a big deal," Guerra said. "It has a huge, positive impact on their independence, their social skills."</p>
<p><strong>Looking Forward</strong></p>
<p>The work is personal for Guerra, whose upbringing keeps him connected to the community he serves.</p>
<p>His father was a pastor, their church was filled with migrant families and his parents are immigrants, he said.</p>
<p>"So doing this is kind of a no-brainer, you know?" Guerra said. "I dedicate my Saturdays and summers to the migrant program because these are my people."</p>
<p>Over the years, he has seen students move through the program and on to college, including participants who have attended universities across California. Those success stories reinforce the importance of experiences such as the UC Merced residential one, he said.</p>
<p>Following positive feedback from the district, UC Merced plans to continue and expand the partnership.</p>
<p>"We plan to offer this program again next summer, building on what we learned from this first residential experience," Gonsalez said. Future academies will explore new themes while maintaining a focus on accessibility and meaningful experiences for students.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - Victorville Student Pursues Neuroscience at UC Merced/news/2026/victorville-student-pursues-neuroscience-uc-merced2026-07-13 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Bobcat Bound, Campus Community, School of Natural Sciences, Science, Biological Sciences, Students, Undergraduate Students, Yosemite National Park<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_5_0.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Wonderful Ezieme " />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Wonderful Ezieme is majoring in neuroscience.<p><em>This is part of a <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/bobcat-bound">series of profiles</a> of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2026 semester.</em></p>
<p>After moving from Nigeria to the United States two years ago, Wonderful Ezieme built a new foundation in California, where he distinguished himself as a dedicated student and active member of his high school community. He balanced academics with athletics while nurturing a growing interest in neuroscience.</p>
<p><strong>Where I come from</strong>: I went to University Preparatory School in Victorville.</p>
<p><strong>What I've done</strong>: I was a straight-A student throughout high school. I’ve been on the honor roll two years. I competed in track and field (100 meters, shot put and discus), and I joined clubs such as the California Scholarship Federation and Chess Club. </p>
<p><strong>Why I am excited about coming to UC Merced</strong>: I want to explore new places. I want to be at Yosemite every week. I want to do a lot of research as a neuroscience major, and I want the academic satisfaction of attending a top 25 college.</p>
<p><strong>My academic and personal goals</strong>: I want to become a neurosurgeon, psychologist, researcher or professor. Personally, I want to become more open, strong and partake in a lot of campus activities. I hope to become a strong-willed and kind person. </p>
<p><strong>How I relax</strong>: I like to read, sing or watch shows. </p>
<p><strong>What’s my superpower?</strong> I can hyper-focus on something for hours on end, but it isn’t a power I can easily activate. </p>
<p><strong>If I could teleport anywhere in the world for a three-day weekend, I would go to</strong>: Somewhere in the Sahara Desert, a random rainforest or anywhere in Europe like London, Sweden or Paris. </p>
<p> </p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - UC Merced Scientists Use Sewage to Track Nicotine Use in Central Valley/news/2026/uc-merced-scientists-use-sewage-track-nicotine-use-central-valley2026-06-24 00:00:00Featured News (gateway), Research Highlights (gateway)Research Excellence, Environment, Mind & Body, Bioengineering, COVID-19, Health Disparities, Health Sciences Research Institute, School of Engineering, Bioengineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Public HealthBy Jody Murray, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-nicotine-in-sewage-sampling.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="UC Merced researchers extract sewage samples from university system" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Student researchers (from left) Jonathan Chavez, Danna Jimenez and De'Liz Amador take samples from the UC Merced wastewater system. The samples were analyzed for the presence of nicotine.<p><strong>Key points: </strong></p>
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<p>Researchers successfully tested a technique that uses human sewage to measure the use of nicotine products such as cigarettes and vaping pens in a selected community.</p>
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<p>The project, led by scientists at UC Merced, can strengthen public health efforts by supplementing surveys about nicotine use with scientific data.</p>
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<p>The research targeted a handful of Central Valley communities. Scientists hope to expand it to other California locations.</p>
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<p>UC Merced researchers successfully measured nicotine use from products such as cigarettes and vaping pens in Central Valley communities, confirming that health education can be backed by hard data from an unusual source: human waste.</p>
<p>An analysis of wastewater in three counties, along with UC Merced’s sewage system, was a significant step in a long-range plan to extend testing to other locations in California. The research is led by Professor <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/colleen-naughton">Colleen Naughton</a> with support from UC Merced’s <a href="https://ncpc.ucmerced.edu/">Nicotine and Cannabis Policy Center</a> (NCPC) and <a href="https://hsri.ucmerced.edu/">Health Sciences Research Institute</a>.</p>
<p>“To our knowledge, this was the first use of this technology in California for monitoring nicotine,” said Naughton, a member of the <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/departments/civil-environmental-engineering-cee">Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering</a>. A department colleague, Professor <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/marc-beutel">Marc Beutel</a>, is working alongside Naughton on the project.</p>
<p>NCPC is funded by the <a href="https://www.trdrp.org/index.html">Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program,</a> administered by the University of California Office of the President.</p>
<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-professor-and-student-in-lab.jpg" width="500" height="402" alt="UC Merced professor and research student in lab" />Professor Marc Beutel watches as student researcher Danna Jimenez filters a wastewater sample.https://news.ucmerced.edu/<p>Tobacco is a significant health concern in the Valley’s rural areas. The federal Centers for Disease Control reported that 9.9% of the overall U.S. adult population smoked cigarettes in 2024, but the percentage jumps to about 16% in “non-metropolitan” areas.</p>
<p>Traditional methods of collecting information about nicotine use, such as surveys and phone calls, suffer from low response rates and difficulties in connecting with hard-to-contact populations. In addition, answers to questions such as “do you smoke, and how much?” can be subjective or inaccurate.</p>
<p>The science of wastewater epidemiology treats a sewage system like a health screening tool, scanning for microscopic chemical signatures, or biomarkers, shed by humans. The technique gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, with community infections sometimes detected before hospitalizations spiked. Naughton’s lab developed <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/content/professor-naughton-earns-aaees-grand-prize-covidpoops19">an award-winning online dashboard</a> that tracked wastewater testing for the virus around the globe.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/images/uc-merced-two-bottles-of-wastewater-samples.jpg" style="float: left; width: 350px; height: 264px;" title="Samples ready to go to San Diego State for scanning." />To detect tobacco use, the technique looks for chemicals in body excretions, mostly urine, after the liver metabolizes nicotine. Naughton said the tests can tell the difference between nicotine that passed through a person versus, say, an ashtray’s contents dumped into a toilet.</p>
<p>Naughton’s team took samples from wastewater at UC Merced and at treatment plants in Merced, Modesto and Woodland (Yolo County) from July through December 2025. Samples were sent to San Diego State University. There, a team led by environmental health Professor Euhna Hoh analyzed them with a mass spectrometer, a highly sensitive instrument that can weigh and count at the molecular level.</p>
<p>The spectrometer is so sensitive that UC Merced student researchers were trained to ensure they had no secondhand smoke in their clothing, as even a microscopic trace could ruin a sample.</p>
<p>Some results:</p>
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<p>Not surprisingly, UC Merced, which operates as a smoke-free campus, had lower nicotine concentrations than the three communities. Naughton said there was a bump in levels during late-October midterm tests. A spike in student stress, perhaps?</p>
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<p>Total nicotine consumption data were similar in the three municipal wastewater treatment plants. The data, together with census numbers, could be seen to indicate Merced smokers light up nearly twice as often as those in Modesto and Woodland. Naughton, however, stressed the data alone can’t drill down to individual habits. “It’s a population sample of thousands of people,” she said. “It’s about trends.”</p>
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<p>She said she and her team intend to improve the ability to differentiate cigarette use from vaping, which generates mist instead of smoke. The researchers are also aware of emerging products such as nicotine pouches, which may increase nicotine consumption.</p>
<p>“In the Central Valley, where we have underserved populations and a shortage of healthcare, smoking causes so many problems, like heart and lung disease,” Naughton said. “So this is an important tool we can use to help those populations.”</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Jody Murray - All-faculty Rock Band Cuts Album at UC Merced Recording Studio/news/2026/all-faculty-rock-band-cuts-album-uc-merced-recording-studio2026-06-22 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Staff & Faculty News, Arts and Culture, Engineering, Faculty, Lecturers, Global Arts Studies, Humanities, Writing, Merritt Writing Program, School of Engineering, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, Global Arts, Media & Writing Studies, Sociology, SociologyBy Jody Murray, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-faculty-band-g-street-revolution-performs.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="UC Merced faculty band G Street Revolution performing" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/G Street Revolution performs at the Star Club in Merced. The faculty band's first album was recorded at UC Merced's studio.<p>An all-faculty rock band formed in a professor’s garage a decade ago has released the first album produced at UC Merced’s digitally advanced recording studio.</p>
<p>The album showcases the eight members of G Street Revolution. Their day jobs cross a spectrum of academics: engineering, sociology, mathematics, music and writing. The album, their first, is called <a href="https://artists.landr.com/991043568988">“Dumpster Fire.”</a></p>
<p>The recording studio is in the Arts and Computational Sciences Building, near rooms devoted to the Global Arts Studies Program. ACS has a film screening room, a dance studio, and spaces for student musicians.</p>
<p>Professor <a href="https://gasp.ucmerced.edu/content/jayson-beaster-jones">Jayson Beaster-Jones</a>, a co-founder of G Street Revolution, said that every evening during the school year, ACS thrums with the energy of dance groups and bands as they go through their paces.</p>
<p>“This building at night is rocking,” Beaster-Jones said. “It’s very, very busy.”</p>
<p>It was here that G Street Revolution logged about 10 weeks of recording and mixing, stretched over about a year, to complete “Dumpster Fire.” Work on the album wrapped in April.</p>
<p>G Street Revolution — the name refers to a Merced thoroughfare and the spinning of vinyl records — has played live nearly 70 times in 10 years at venues around Merced County and in support of UC Merced events.</p>
<p>“Dumpster Fire,” like the band, defies narrow categorization. One could start with “alternative rock,” only because “alternative” allows whatever the band pours into it. Several G Streeters have roots in jazz and blues. They all lean into sophisticated arrangements and give every instrument a spotlight.</p>
<p>The album is full of chunky bass lines, swinging keyboards and a nimble-footed lead guitar. Professor <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/tea-lempiala">Tea Lempiälä</a> and Teaching Professor <a href="https://writingstudies.ucmerced.edu/content/paul-gibbons">Paul Gibbons</a> provide vocals as solo leads and in harmony.</p>
<p>Topping off the sound are the croons and barks of two saxophones. Yes, these rockers have horns.</p>
<p>“That’s fairly unusual,” Beaster-Jones said.</p>
<p>The lineup:</p>
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<p>Beaster-Jones (saxophone), music professor</p>
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<p>Gibbons (lead guitar, vocals), writing studies teaching professor</p>
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<p>Lempiälä (vocals), management of complex systems professor</p>
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<p><a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/people/arnold-d-kim-0">Arnold Kim</a> (bass guitar), applied mathematics professor</p>
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<p><a href="https://sociology.ucmerced.edu/content/nella-van-dyke">Nella Van Dyke</a> (trombone, percussion), sociology professor emeritus</p>
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<p><a href="https://gasp.ucmerced.edu/content/patricia-vergara">Patricia Vergara</a> (keyboard), ethnomusicology professor</p>
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<p><a href="https://writingprogram.ucmerced.edu/mwpfaculty">Byron Webb</a> (drums, vocals), Merritt Writing Program lecturer</p>
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<p><a href="https://gasp.ucmerced.edu/content/caleb-westby">Caleb Westby</a> (saxophone), music technology lecturer</p>
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<p>Colleges and universities are a rich source of all-faculty music groups. Questionable Authorities, a punk rock band, have head-banged in and around State University of New York-New Paltz since 2003. Christopher Newport University has the SEC Band (as in “School of Engineering and Computing”) and Florida Gulf Coast University the Immokalee Road Band.</p>
<p><img alt="Montage of G Street Revolution band members" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/images/uc-merced-g-street-revolution-group-shot1.jpg" style="width: 450px; height: 503px; float: left;" title="Clockwise from top left: Gibbons, Kim, Lempiälä, Vergara, Beaster-Jones." />In 2015, Beaster-Jones and Gibbons were introduced to each other at a UC Merced faculty meeting. Soon after, Gibbons brought his guitar and Crate amp to Beaster-Jones’ garage for a jam session. Things began to click. Webb, who had played with Gibbons in another band, was brought in as a drummer.</p>
<p>Webb, who teaches courses in academic writing, said playing in the band is like composing poetry. “I love bringing in songs I write to see what these great musicians can contribute to them,” he said.</p>
<p>The band’s first gig was in May 2016 at Lake Yosemite. Members came and went over the first few years, but the lineup has been largely stable since 2019, Beaster-Jones said.</p>
<p>Because of members’ years of teaching and playing in classrooms and band rooms, rehearsals have a higher register than most bands are used to.</p>
<p>“For instance, Patricia has some of the best ears I’ve ever encountered,” Westby said. “She’ll drop something like, ‘Hey, whoever’s playing the flat nine on this chord, could they do a sharp 11?’ Versus other rock bands where it’s like, ‘Hey, that sounded weird.’”</p>
<p>Creating “Dumpster Fire” satisfied several goals beyond being the first album recorded at the ACS studio. For the music academics in the band, it was a form of publication, similar to a book or research paper. It also preserved some of their original work, including songs written eight or nine years ago (usually, about 70% of the music at G Street shows is theirs, Beaster-Jones said).</p>
<p>There’s also the joy of sharing their music more broadly. The album is available on popular services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora and Amazon Music. That reach matters especially to Lempiälä, a native of Finland who has family and friends thousands of miles away. “For all the people who can’t come and listen to us live, to be able to share it, well, that’s wonderful,” she said.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
<p>“I love bringing in songs I write to see what these great musicians can contribute to them."</p>
Byron Webbhttps://news.ucmerced.edu/<p>Westby, whose background includes concert band composition and creating “weird, electronic music that would get you thrown out of a bar in 1960,” served as the engineer. He had some recording and editing chops but had never applied them to G Street’s type of music.</p>
<p>“It was a great opportunity to try new strategies, to put the rubber to the road and see what I can do,” Westby said.</p>
<p>Over two weeks, the full band recorded the songs live in the ACS. Each member played in a separate room, connected by headphones and monitors, to isolate their sounds. “There were wires sticking out of doors and going down the hall … maybe the fire marshal doesn’t need to read this story,” Westby said.</p>
<p>This created a “scratch track” — a structural blueprint for the songs. The studio’s soundboard has 16 recording tracks but Westby was able to expand that to 18. Bar by bar, verse by verse, solo by solo, the band recorded takes that built up “Dumpster Fire.”</p>
<p>Student interns helped keep the wheels turning with tasks such as documenting microphone placements and volume settings after takes, or making backup recordings on a Mac desktop.</p>
<p>The result of all this attention to detail is an album that covers a lot of territory in 33 minutes.</p>
<p>The title track was written by Gibbons in late 2016. He said the lyrics, aimed at “rampant narcissism” and worship of wealth, are as relevant today as they were then.</p>
<p>“It’s pointed at a person — a ‘you’ — but it could be anyone with those traits,” he said.</p>
<p><em>Some take to flight or they fall on the road<br />
Some go into the light and do what they’re told<br />
Some slide over like birds on a wire<br />
Some die by candlelight and others<br />
In a dumpster fire</em></p>
<p>“Stand Back,” with strutting horns backing Lempiälä’s plaintive vocals, skewers the scourge of mansplaining. The lyricist, Kim, said it was a challenge to write for a woman’s voice. “The subject just kind of came to me and I ran with it,” he said.</p>
<p>“Simple Bees of Rain” is a bluesy Gibbons-Lempiälä duet with Gibbons on acoustic guitar and he and Beaster-Jones trading solos on lead guitar and sax. “2020s Blues” combines wildfires, COVID and political tension as “the poison in the air.” “G Street Strut” is an instrumental that, true to G Street Revolution’s vibe, pushes boundaries and gives everyone moments to do their thing.</p>
<p>“Most of the time, when folks form bands, they want to go somewhere with it. They hope to be commercially legible,” Vergara said. “In our case, we can do whatever we want. If I do a jazz solo in the middle of a song, they usually say, ‘Do more of that.’”</p>
Jody Murray - Global Film Highlights Faculty Voice on the Future of Soil/news/2026/global-film-highlights-faculty-voice-future-soil2026-06-18 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Research Excellence, Staff & Faculty News, Environment, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Research, Faculty, Sierra Nevada Research Institute, School of Natural Sciences, Life and Environmental Sciences<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-berhe-groundswell-hero1.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe and 'Groundswell' co-Director Joshua Tickell " />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe and 'Groundswell' co-Director Joshua Tickell at The Pavilion. His hat bears the name of one of the films in the trilogy he has helped create, and, coincidentally, the name of the Pavilion coffee spot.<p>A leading expert in soil biogeochemistry and environmental engineering, UC Merced Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, brings her research and perspective to a global conversation about the future of our planet.</p>
<p>Berhe, the Ted & Jan Falasco Chair in Earth Sciences and Geology and director of the UC Merced Earth Institute (formerly Sierra Nevada Research Institute), is one of the scientists interviewed in the new documentary “Groundswell.”</p>
<p>The film, now streaming on Amazon Prime, spans five continents and encounters farmers, scientists, and Indigenous leaders who are reshaping humanity's relationship to land through regenerative agriculture, a specialty at UC Merced.</p>
<p>“Groundswell” is the final chapter of a documentary trilogy, following “Kiss the Ground” and “Common Ground.” Each showcases regenerative agriculture solutions taking hold, ultimately benefiting human health and a hope for global renewal.</p>
<p>The film, directed by Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell and narrated by Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore, features a dynamic ensemble of voices and builds on a trilogy that explores solutions rooted in soil health.</p>
<p>Together, they explore how many of the problems ailing humans connect to the state of the world's soil. Independent farmers implementing historic indigenous techniques demonstrate how changing agricultural practices could potentially save the world.</p>
<p>Berhe’s appearance underscores the global reach and impact of UC Merced research, emphasizing the vital role of science in addressing some of today’s most urgent environmental challenges.</p>
<p>Through stories of innovation and collaboration, “Groundswell” offers a hopeful vision for the future — one where healthier soils can help restore ecosystems and communities around the world.</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/Lorena Anderson - Adewole Earns Lindau Young Scientists Spot, Named Merck Next Gen Leader/news/2026/adewole-earns-lindau-young-scientists-spot-named-merck-next-gen-leader2026-06-18 00:00:00In BriefStudent & Alumni Success, Black History Month, Awards, Campus Community, Graduate Division, Faculty, Fellowships, Research, School of Natural Sciences, Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Chemical Sciences, Graduate StudentsBy Brenda Ortiz, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/kunle_adewole_0.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Headshot Kunle Adewole" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Kunle Adewole has been selected as a Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings Fellow and a Merck Next Gen Leaders in Chemistry awardee.<p>UC Merced doctoral candidate Adekunle “Kunle” Adewole has been selected as a 2026 <a href="https://www.lindau-nobel.org/">Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings</a> Fellow. </p>
<p>Adewole was also chosen as one of 18 participants in the <a href="https://www.lindau-nobel.org/young-scientists/">Baden-Württemberg International Post Meeting Programme for Young Scientists</a>.</p>
<p>“I keenly anticipate this opportunity to exchange ideas and views with all participants and delegates as we examine one of the major recent advances transforming how we pursue science,” he said.</p>
<p>The first-generation <a href="https://chemistry.ucmerced.edu/">Chemistry and Biochemistry</a> student’s research with <a href="https://chemistry.ucmerced.edu/content/andrea-merg">Professor Andrea Merg</a> focuses on creating protein-like materials made of small building blocks (peptides) that can be programmed by their sequence to form specific 3D shapes. By harnessing the biological nature of these materials, his work enables applications in medicine and biosensing, particularly in targeted drug delivery.</p>
<p>Adewole said he is proud to represent the campus in such a prestigious academic and research space.</p>
<p>“I cannot wait to meet, learn from and exchange ideas with the minds that have shaped and are currently shaping our pursuit of science,” he said. “I’m excited to connect with all the other young scientists attending from all around the world.”</p>
<p>Adewole acknowledged those who have helped shape his journey: his Ph.D. advisor Merg, Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Education Professor <a href="https://chemistry.ucmerced.edu/content/hrant-hratchian">Hrant Hratchian</a>, Professor <a href="https://chemistry.ucmerced.edu/content/christine-isborn">Christine Isborn</a> and his thesis committee.</p>
<p>“I’m beyond ecstatic at the prospect of such an upcoming transformative experience.” Adewole said, recognizing the University of California Office of the President for sponsoring his trip to the Lindau Conference.</p>
<p>Adewole was also selected for the Merck Next Gen Leaders in Chemistry award. The award recognizes graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for their outstanding contributions to the broader chemistry community through chemical research, advocacy for diversity, equity and inclusion in chemistry, and their potential to be scientific pioneers and innovators. Awardees receive mentorship, career development and an expenses-paid trip to present at a Merck scientific symposium.</p>
<p>“I look forward to the numerous opportunities ahead for growth with this year’s cohort of amazing talent,” he said.</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/Brenda Ortiz - A Pioneer Bobcat Blazes a Path Through Law and Technology/news/2026/pioneer-bobcat-blazes-path-through-law-and-technology2026-06-18 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Alumni, San Francisco Bay Area, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, Political Science, Political Science, Student Life, Clubs and Organizations, Students, Graduate StudentsBy Jody Murray, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-alumni-temnee-wright-hero.png" width="870" height="450" alt="UC Merced alumna Temnee Wright" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/UC Merced alumna Temnee Wright built a groundbreaking student legacy and a thriving career guiding fast‑growing tech companies.<p><strong>Editor's note: This story is republished from the </strong><a href="https://online.flippingbook.com/view/444926382/"><strong>Spring/Summer 2026 issue</strong></a><strong> of UC Merced Magazine.</strong></p>
<p>Temnee Wright, ’08 has realized a successful career as legal counsel at several Silicon Valley companies. Her interest in law was forged at UC Merced, where she made the most out of being a student in the university’s first undergraduate class.</p>
<p>Wright is the senior commercial counsel for San Jose-based Astera Labs, a semiconductor company that develops connectivity solutions for AI and cloud infrastructures. She negotiates details of and drafts documents for things like software licenses, vendor contracts, real estate leases and strategic partnerships.</p>
<p>She provides legal support and advice on existing contracts to colleagues in areas such as sales, procurement and engineering. Wright also works to stay abreast of the changing landscape in data privacy, along with contract and employment law.</p>
<p>Wright said she chose UC Merced in part for the opportunity to make her mark on the new campus. The university also was an easy drive from the family home in San Jose. She followed through on the former, founding the Merced Pre-law Society and serving as a founding officer of the African American Student Association.</p>
<p>“In high school I enjoyed being in clubs — doing activities and planning things. My counselor thought UC Merced would be a great opportunity for that,” Wright said. “And she was right.”</p>
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<p>“Back then, they called us pioneers. I feel UC Merced still has that supportive, entrepreneurial spirit.”</p>
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Temnee Wrighthttps://news.ucmerced.edu/<p><strong>Becoming a Founder in UC Merced’s First Class</strong></p>
<p>Broad swaths of the campus remained under construction when Wright and 875 fellow Bobcats gathered for UC Merced’s first undergraduate courses in 2005. She initially majored in psychology, but an elective course about the Supreme Court during her second year hooked her on political science.</p>
<p>“I was like, ‘I want to do this instead,’” she said. The creation of the Pre-Law Society soon followed. She and other club members lined up volunteer events and internships. They took a field trip to UC Hastings College of the Law.</p>
<p>“It was great,” she said of the club. “UC Merced was very supportive.” Several members of the club went on to pursue careers in legal fields, Wright said.</p>
<p>Wright graduated in three and half years, getting her political science bachelor’s degree in fall 2008. The good news: She could focus on starting work on a law degree at UC Hastings. The “oops” news: She didn’t walk the stage in the spring 2009 ceremony where First Lady Michelle Obama was the keynote speaker.</p>
<p>“It was fine, though, because I was very focused on starting law school,” Wright said. “I went to the spring ceremony with friends and it was really fun.”</p>
<p>“I feel like I was celebrated, appreciated.”</p>
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Temnee WrightJody Murray - Heat Waves Making Wildfires Worse in the Western United States/news/2026/heat-waves-making-wildfires-worse-western-united-states2026-06-17 00:00:00Research Highlights (gateway)Research Excellence, Environment, First. Further. Forward, Engineering, Environmental Research, School of Engineering, Management of Complex SystemsBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_heatwaves_and_wildfires.png" width="870" height="450" alt="Depicted is the UC Merced campus in the foreground, with smoke from a distant wildfire seen behind it on a blue sky." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Wildfires make impacts even from miles away from the burned area.<div>
<p><strong>Key points:</strong></p>
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<p>• Researchers found that heat waves are a critical enabler and driver of wildfire-burned areas across the western U.S.</p>
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<p>• The findings suggest that heat waves contribute not only to increased flammability, but to longer burn periods and increased lightning.</p>
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<p>• Burned area in forests during the summer more than doubled between 2001 and 2024. Most of this recent increase - 64 percent - occurred during heat waves.</p>
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<p>Heat waves are associated with a disproportionate share of wildfire activity and trends in the western U.S. in recent decades, UC Merced researchers found in a new study.</p>
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<p>The study, <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aea1277" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> published Wednesday</a> in Science Advances, analyzed links between heat waves in both wildfire occurrence and growth across the western United States. It was co-written by a team of postdoctoral researchers, including Dimitri Kalashnikov, Emily Williams and Cong Yin, working under management of complex systems <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/john-abatzoglou" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Professor John Abatzoglou</a>. Four of the researchers also discuss their findings in <a href="https://theconversation.com/heat-waves-increase-wildfire-risk-a-new-study-explains-how-much-and-its-not-a-small-number-285128" target="_blank">a piece</a> for The Conversation. </p>
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<p>While overall impacts of heat waves on human health, infrastructure and ecosystems have been extensively studied, the connection between heat waves and wildfire activity remains relatively underexplored, the researchers said.</p>
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<p>They found that periods of intense heat fuel significant increases in how much area burns from wildfires as meteorological and fuel flammability conditions promote new ignitions and exacerbate ongoing fire activity. And in most regions, these effects persist even after the heat wave ends.</p>
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<p>"I think we need increased awareness that heat waves aren't simply a nuisance or an opportunity to escape to the mountains to enjoy outdoor recreation," Kalashnikov said. "Our study shows that heat waves are in fact a major driver of wildfire activity across the western United States, and these impacts could potentially increase as summers continue to get hotter."</p>
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<p>The area of forest land burned in the western United States increased 2.5-fold since 2001. Roughly 64 percent of that increase coincided with heat waves. There were not similar increases in non-forested areas, the researchers found, as fire activity in those regions is closely linked to availability of fuels rather than hot weather.</p>
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<p>While periods consisting of heat waves and the five days immediately after them represent only 12 to 15 percent of warm-season days, they accounted for roughly 42 percent of total burned area between May and October in 2001-2024.</p>
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<p>The growing influence of heat waves in shaping burned area in western United States forests has important implications for fire management and public health and can improve predictions of wildfire risk, they wrote.</p>
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<p>Their results suggest several processes through which heat waves serve as both catalysts and enablers of fire activity. However, the study found that not all heat waves have the same impact on fire activity. A moist heat wave - accompanied by rain or higher humidity - does not increase forest fire activity as much as drier conditions do.</p>
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<p>Dry heat waves desiccate fuels and increase flammability. Those conditions remain for long periods after the heat ends. And dry lightning that often accompanies heat waves can also increase ignitions. At the same time, human-caused wildfires also increase during heat waves, especially in the Northwest, likely because the conditions are ripe for a flame from an accidental or negligent source - such as a towing chain sparking on a road, careless use of fireworks or escaped campfires.</p>
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<p>"Climate impacts aren't neatly siloed," Williams said "They are messy, they interact and exacerbate each other. We all know that heat waves mean dangerous heat stress for people. But here we show that heat waves can also be dangerous in another way - by increasing the risk of large fires. And more large fires means a heavier smoke burden, meaning communities aren't just sweltering, but are sweltering in the smoke."</p>
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<p>"We know people in the Western United States are suffering from both heat waves and wildfires," Yin said. "These compounding climate threats and their interactions pose escalating risks to our daily life. For example, increasing medical stress from heat- and smoke-related illnesses."</p>
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<p>The report outlines several precautions that could go a long way toward mitigating some of these impacts.</p>
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<p>Presently, heat waves are not directly linked to fire early warning systems or warnings that are issued when conditions merit, but could be, the researchers said. Explicitly accounting for heat waves could also help people take more precautions during periods of high fire danger, and fire-suppression resources could be placed on alert in areas where a heat wave is imminent.</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - UC Merced Foundation Trustees Establish Endowed Scholarship to Support Las Positas Transfer Students /news/2026/uc-merced-foundation-trustees-establish-endowed-scholarship-support-las-positas-transfer2026-06-17 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Enrollment, Financial Aid, Scholarships, Gifts, Financial Aid/Scholarships, Undergraduate StudentsBy Francesca Dinglasan, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-06-17t100547.050.png" width="870" height="450" alt="Leadership from Las Positas and UC Merced Board of Trustees pose with big check" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Las Positas College and UC Merced unveil the Las Positas College to UC Merced Pathway Scholarship<p>Four members of the UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees have created a $100,000 endowed scholarship designed to remove financial barriers for Las Positas College students on the path to earning a UC Merced degree. </p>
<p>The Las Positas College to UC Merced Pathway Scholarship was unveiled at the June 10 board meeting held at Las Positas, where trustees Denise Watkins, Monya Lane, Lynn Seppala and John Loll marked the milestone with a ceremonial check presentation. All four are from the Tri-Valley and their deep roots in the region and connections to the Livermore college sparked their leadership in establishing the scholarship. </p>
<p>As a director and founding member of the Las Positas College Foundation Board, Seppala has long worked to strengthen pathways between the community college and the University of California campus. He and his wife, Joan, are longtime advocates for regional students. </p>
<p>“The Las Positas Promise reflects what two institutions can accomplish when they are dedicated to each other and to the students they serve," said Seppala. "This scholarship shows Las Positas College students that UC Merced is a welcoming, attainable next step. I'm proud that our Tri-Valley trustees came together to make that possible.” </p>
<p>The endowed fund is designed to provide scholarships to students annually, with the potential to expand its reach as the endowment grows. </p>
<p>Watkins, who chairs UC Merced's Boldly Forward comprehensive fundraising campaign, was instrumental in bringing the four trustees together around this shared commitment to the Tri-Valley's students and workforce. </p>
<p>"Beyond providing direct financial support and resources to these promising students, this endowment is a testament to our community’s belief in them and their potential," said Watkins. "Transfer students bring their spirit of determination and perseverance to UC Merced, and this endowed scholarship ensures that more of them get the chance to bring those qualities to the campus." </p>
<p>The scholarship builds on the Las Positas Promise, a formal partnership signed in 2024 that created a streamlined transfer pathway between Las Positas College and UC Merced. Developed in part through the sustained engagement of the university's Tri-Valley trustees, the agreement gives Las Positas students a defined route to earning a degree from UC Merced. </p>
<p>The Las Positas Promise is part of a broader network of <a href="https://admissions.ucmerced.edu/apply/transfer-requirements/merced-promise">transfer partnerships</a> UC Merced has developed with California community colleges, including agreements with Madera Community College, Yosemite Community College District, Fresno City College and Merced College. Each partnership aims to attract, track and retain qualified students by developing academic program mapping tools and creating undergraduate research opportunities for students on track to transfer.</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - Regional Answers Best Option to Address Global Water, Energy Problems/news/2026/regional-answers-best-option-address-global-water-energy-problems2026-06-15 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Research Excellence, Staff & Faculty News, First. Further. Forward, Engineering, Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity Communications<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_nasem_water_report_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="Depicted is Project Nexus, a structure that holds solar panels over an irrigation canal in Hickman." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Efforts such as Project Nexus can help address water and energy shortages.<div>
<p>A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine calls for the U.S. Department of Energy to develop innovative technology and infrastructure at the intersection of the nation's water and energy systems.</p>
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<p>The country's energy and water systems are profoundly interconnected, and disruptions can cascade rapidly across both, says the report from the Committee on Enabling DOE Regional Energy-Water Technology Pilots.</p>
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<p>"The Western United States, particularly California, is locked in a balancing act to secure water and energy without sacrificing environmental health," said UC Merced civil and environmental engineering <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/safeeq-khan" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Professor Safeeq Khan</a>, who is a member of the committee and contributed to the report. "Because these two sectors are deeply interconnected, a shift in one dynamically impacts the other."</p>
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<p>These systems affect public health, economic activity, environmental quality and national security, the report found.</p>
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<p>Energy and water systems are often managed separately, however, and regional environmental, socioeconomic and political conditions can vary widely, making a single national approach inadequate to address the range of challenges facing the systems.</p>
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<p>"California's mountains - the state's natural water towers - are changing in ways that will alter the storage and movement of water resources, as well as hydropower generation and consumption," Khan said. "Simultaneously, the region is grappling with an escalating wildfire crisis."</p>
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<p>And new challenges are always arising.</p>
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<p>In recent years, data centers have placed increasing strain on the electric grid and used significant quantities of water in some areas, while other stressors, such as extreme weather, are testing aging infrastructure and exposing systemic vulnerabilities. The report points to Winter Storm Uri in 2021, during which prolonged power outages disrupted water treatment and distribution across Texas, to underscore how coupled energy and water systems are.</p>
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<p>"The breadth of challenges and contexts across the energy-water nexus are extraordinary and will take a multipronged approach to address," said Katharine Jacobs, chair of the committee that wrote the report, director of the Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions and professor of environmental science at the University of Arizona. "Our report offers a foundation for DOE to integrate cross-sector collaboration and regional knowledge to protect and strengthen our communities and country."</p>
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<p>Pilot programs could demonstrate technologies that advance resilience and reduce structural risks to energy and water systems, the report says. In addition, pilot programs could improve access to energy and clean water, as well as create skilled jobs. The report provides strategies for how to build a suite of pilot projects and ensure that investments yield measurable, long-term benefits and mitigate risk.</p>
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<p>Some of those pilot programs are already in development. In the Northern San Joaquin Valley, UC Merced is a partner in <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2026/states-first-solar-canal-project-moves-uc-merced-lab-real-world" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Project Nexus</a>, a first-in-the-state effort to examine the costs and benefits of erecting solar panels over irrigation canals.</p>
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<p>"There is a real opportunity to invest in distributed water-energy infrastructure," Khan said. "Key strategies include developing rural, bio-based energy facilities that improve grid reliability while creating markets for forest fuel management and agricultural waste; deploying technologies that optimize and conserve water and energy simultaneously, rather than one at the expense of the other; and aligning pumped storage with offsite reservoirs."</p>
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<p>The absence of a specific federal agency dedicated to water management issues that can centralize, coordinate and evaluate data has hindered the federal government's ability to develop cohesive, cross-sector water programs, the report notes.</p>
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<p>At the same time, water management decisions are inherently local and context-specific, shaped by regional hydrology, governance structures and community needs, making a fully centralized approach neither practical nor desirable.</p>
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<p>However, within this landscape, entities such as DOE's Hydropower and Hydrokinetic Office can serve as conveners and coordinators at the federal level without supplanting state, tribal and local authorities. DOE should focus on creating management structures that align budgets and strategies, extend existing benefits withoutduplicating effort, and foster collaboration, transparency and partnerships with industrial and agricultural partners, the report says.</p>
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<p>The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, engineering and medicine. They operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Abraham Lincoln.</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - Agreement Opens New Opportunities for Longtime Partners UC Merced, Livermore Lab/news/2026/agreement-opens-new-opportunities-longtime-partners-uc-merced-livermore-lab2026-06-10 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Research Excellence, First. Further. Forward, ChancellorBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-06-11t081528.673.png" width="870" height="450" alt="" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Lab Director Kim Budil and UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz signed the agreement Wednesday.<div>
<p>UC Merced and the <a href="https://www.llnl.gov/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory</a> have long been partners in cutting-edge science and technology.</p>
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<p>University students and researchers take part in numerous lab activities such as the <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2025/two-weeks-one-challenge-lifelong-impact-bobcats-dive-data-science-challenge" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Data Science Challenge</a>, which brings students to Livermore to for an intensive two-week summer experience where the collaborate on complex scientific and computational problems. And on <a href="https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2023/scholars-explore-future-careers-national-labs-day" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> National Labs Day</a>, the university connects graduate students and postdoctoral scholars with researchers from national labs across the country, including Livermore.</p>
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<p>Now that collaboration has been extended to an exciting new level with a Strategic Partnership Agreement, signed Wednesday, that will bring the two entities closer together than ever before, leading to expanded opportunities for students, researchers and project scientists.</p>
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<p>"This is a permanent, visible, articulated and mutually beneficial partnership between the lab and UC Merced," UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said. "My hope is that our futures are inseparable from one another."</p>
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<p>Under the agreement, UC Merced and the laboratory will collaborate to advance scientific research, support national and energy security, strengthen California's innovation ecosystem, and educate the next generation of scientists and engineers.</p>
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<p>"LLNL and UC Merced have established a deep and productive partnership that positions us both to advance scientific discovery and drive innovation," Livermore lab Director Kim Budil said.</p>
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<p>Budil oversees an annual operating budget of about $3.25 billion and a workforce of about 9,000 employees. She is no stranger to the University of California, having worked previously as the vice president for national laboratories in the UC Office of the President.</p>
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<p>"Our collaboration creates meaningful pathways for career development that enable our workforce to grow and excel," she said.</p>
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<p>The university and the lab will pursue coordinated research initiatives in four major technical areas:</p>
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<p>• Advanced materials and manufacturing</p>
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<p>• Fusion energy science</p>
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<p>• Smart agriculture and environmental biosciences</p>
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<p>• Biodefense and human health</p>
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<p>The lab and university will explore the development of shared facilities and research spaces at UC Merced that enable collaboration, student training and technology innovation. The proposal includes work space for Livermore lab personnel on the university's campus.</p>
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<p>The agreement is aimed at expanding opportunities for faculty engagement, co-taught courses, student internships, micro-credential programs and professional development.</p>
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<p>Muñoz and Budil emphasized this is not just an agreement among scientists conducting lab research, but rather a pact to develop solutions to problems facing the region and the world, as well as to educate a workforce qualified for employment at Livermore and other national labs.</p>
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<p>"The work we do is meaningful and impactful in a way a lot of scientific research doesn't feel," Budil said. She said the lab has teams working in areas of vital concern to the Central Valley, such as water, food security, agriculture and climate change. "This is not abstract. This is how you can put this type of knowledge, these types of capabilities, to work in the real world."</p>
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<p>Those concerns reflect the research interests of faculty at the university, Muñoz said.</p>
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<p>"This agreement represents a tremendous reciprocal, cross-pollination in the genius and brilliance of the lab and the genius and brilliance of UC Merced."</p>
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<p>He pointed to the university's <a href="https://meded.ucmerced.edu/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Medical Education pathway</a> as a golden opportunity for collaboration.</p>
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<p>"Imagine the lab being on the ground floor of creating the medical school at UC Merced," Muñoz said. "We will be addressing the question of how we use technology and these platforms to introduce ways to care for people that right now are unimaginable."</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - Grant Supports UC Merced's Work to Strengthen College and Career Pathways in the San Joaquin Valley /news/2026/grant-supports-uc-merceds-work-strengthen-college-and-career-pathways-san-joaquin-valley2026-06-10 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, Gifts, Grants, StudentsBy Francesca Dinglasan, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-06-10t095401.797.png" width="870" height="450" alt="Student walking across a bridge on campus" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/With support from the Gates Foundation, UC Merced is expanding college pathways, strengthening partnerships and helping high school students take the next step toward degrees and meaningful careers.<p>A $3 million grant from the Gates Foundation is advancing UC Merced’s efforts to expand educational pathways and improve college and career outcomes for thousands of high-school students across the San Joaquin Valley. </p>
<p>The funding is part of the Gates Foundation's Pathways initiative, which aims to ensure that all students, regardless of background or socioeconomic status, are equipped to navigate the transitions from high school to college and meaningful careers. The initiative places special focus on students from underserved communities who have historically had the fewest resources and support when it comes to life after high school. </p>
<p>The need is especially acute in the Valley. While students from the region graduate from high school at rates comparable to the rest of California, only 16% go on to earn college degrees – nearly half of the statewide rate of 37%. </p>
<p>One of the project's key goals is expanding dual enrollment, which allows high school students to get a head start on college by earning credit before they set foot on a college campus. Research indicates these students are more likely to enroll in higher education institutions and earn college degrees or credentials. The grant will support efforts to extend that advantage to far more students across the Valley. </p>
<p>UC Merced's Center for Educational Partnerships (CEP) administers the grant and serves as the regional intermediary. As the effort’s hub, CEP coordinates funding, technical support and shared learning across a network of community partners, as well as distributing sub-awards to local school districts and colleges committed to developing and strengthening educational pathways. </p>
<p>"We're honored that the Gates Foundation has asked the Center for Educational Partnerships to support the targeted implementation of pathways, data infrastructures and partnerships,” said Orquidea Largo, UC Merced's associate vice chancellor and chief outreach officer. “Collectively, UC Merced CEP, K-12 and our regional community college partners will braid efforts to elevate the impactful work already underway.” </p>
<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/hero_-_2026-06-10t095847.600.png" width="870" height="450" alt="Group photo of attendees from a recent regional CEP partners meeting " />Regional partners convene at UC Merced on June 8 to strengthen educational pathways for San Joaquin Valley students. The collaborative effort, led by UC Merced's Center for Educational Partnerships, is supported by a grant from the Gates Foundation. https://news.ucmerced.edu/<p>This past academic year, the project directly supported two school districts in Merced County and one in Fresno County, collectively representing more than 25,000 students. More than 90% of students in the target areas come from the initiative's priority populations, including Hispanic/Latino students and those who qualify for free or reduced-price meals. </p>
<p>"We are building systems that support innovation, equity and meaningful opportunities for all students," said Bryan Ballenger, superintendent of Gustine Unified School District, one of the partner districts. "We are grateful for the partnership and shared commitment to preparing students for success in college, career and life." </p>
<p>Regional community colleges, which are central to expanding dual enrollment and creating clear pathways to four-year degrees, are key collaborators in the initiative as well. </p>
<p>"This investment represents a critical step forward in strengthening college readiness in the Modesto Junior College service area, particularly for students who have historically faced barriers to access," said Modesto Junior College Vice President of Instruction Patrick Bettencourt. "By leveraging real-time data and deepening our shared understanding of student needs, we can create clearer, more equitable pathways from high school to higher education." </p>
<p>Merced College, another partner institution, shares that commitment. </p>
<p>"This collaboration underscores our shared commitment to providing students with transformative educational opportunities," said Michael McCandless, vice president of Student Services. "We look forward to the lasting positive impact this work will have on our future leaders and the communities we serve." </p>
<p>The Gates Foundation selected the Valley as one of a small number of regions across California, where it sees the greatest potential for this student-success model, to share it as a blueprint for other communities. </p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Alyssa Johansen - Work Aimed at Increasing Computer Security Earns CAREER Award/news/2026/work-aimed-increasing-computer-security-earns-career-award2026-06-08 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Staff & Faculty News, Management & Technology, First. Further. Forward, Engineering, NSF, School of EngineeringBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/qian_wang_hero_-_2026-06-03t162719.984_68_48884087.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Depicted is a mugshot of Professor Qian Wang in a white shirt with a blue sweater next to the UC Merced entrance sign with palm trees. " />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Wang is the 42nd researcher from UC Merced to earn a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation.<div>
<p>Electrical engineering Professor <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/qian-wang" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Qian Wang</a> has received a CAREER award for her research into quantum computing.</p>
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<p>She is the 42nd researcher from UC Merced to earn a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).</p>
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<p>CAREER awards are among the NSF's most prestigious awards. They are given through the Faculty Early Career Development Program to recognize untenured faculty members as teacher-scholars. Early-career faculty members are selected based on three factors: the strength of their research proposals; their potential to serve as academic role models in research and education; and their leadership in their field and organizations.</p>
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<p>Wang will receive $600,000 over the next five years for the project "Securing and Optimizing Quantum-Resilient Cryptography for Versatile Computing Architectures."</p>
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<p>Wang's <a href="https://sequoia-lab.github.io/index.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Sequioa lab</a> focuses on hardware-centered security in the post-quantum and quantum computing era. As quantum computers keep improving, they could eventually break encryption methods currently in use, putting a lot of modern digital systems at risk.</p>
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<p>"We are entering the quantum era, yet the security of quantum computing systems remains largely underexplored," Wang said. "As quantum computers advance rapidly and threaten the cryptographic foundations of today's digital infrastructure, our project focuses on improving both the performance and security of post-quantum cryptographic algorithms so they can be widely adopted in real-world systems. By enabling a smooth and secure transition to quantum-resistant infrastructure, this work will help protect critical data and services while strengthening national cybersecurity readiness."</p>
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<p>She has been with UC Merced since 2024, after working as a research scientist at Intel.</p>
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<p>"We are privileged to have Professor Wang with us. Her time at Intel and her selection of research topics enables our students to gain knowledge and skills related to some of today's most pressing problems," said Professor <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/sarah-kurtz" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Sarah Kurtz </a> , Department of Electrical Engineering chair.</p>
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<p>Each CAREER award proposal includes an educational outreach component.</p>
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<p>Quantum computing is rapidly transforming the future of computing, creating a growing demand for a quantum-ready workforce. This project will integrate quantum computing and post-quantum cryptography concepts into courses, laboratories and student research activities at UC Merced. Undergraduate and graduate students will gain hands-on experience with state-of-the-art quantum technologies and security challenges.</p>
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<p>She was honored to learn about the CAREER award.</p>
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<p>"This support will enable us to advance the security and performance of next-generation quantum and post-quantum computing systems while providing valuable research and educational opportunities for students," Wang said. "I am grateful to my collaborators, students and mentors whose contributions have made this work possible."</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - UC Merced Graduate Student Secures Fellowship in Climate Equity Work/news/2026/uc-merced-graduate-student-secures-fellowship-climate-equity-work2026-06-08 00:00:00In BriefStudent & Alumni Success, Awards, Environmental Research, Graduate Division, Faculty, Fellowships, Research, School of Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Earth Systems Science, Graduate StudentsBy Brenda Ortiz, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_haddad_hero-03_copy.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Isabelle Haddad" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Isabelle Haddad will begin a Natural Resources Defense Council fellowship focused on advancing equitable clean transportation policies after completing her dissertation this summer.<p>When Isabelle Haddad, a Ph.D. candidate in <a href="https://es.ucmerced.edu/">Environmental Systems</a>, looks ahead to the next chapter, her future is already coming into focus.</p>
<p>The New York native participated in commencement in May and will defend her dissertation in August. She will then begin a one-year, full-time position on Aug. 31 as a Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Transportation Affordability and Equity Fellow.</p>
<p>“I am grateful to contribute to work that creates real-world impact by advancing clean transportation policies while prioritizing communities that have historically been underserved,” Haddad said. “I look forward to helping ensure these communities are meaningfully included in the transition to a more sustainable and equitable transportation system.”</p>
<p>Haddad’s role will focus on advancing zero-emission vehicle access and affordability at the state level, conducting research on new policy ideas and supporting overall decarbonization efforts.</p>
<p>This aligns with Haddad’s dissertation research with Professor <a href="https://es.ucmerced.edu/content/samuel-markolf">Sammuel Markolf</a>, which focused on advancing equity in climate action by evaluating how climate action plans incorporate equity considerations, developing approaches for the equitable siting of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and conducting climate survey research to assess support for EV charging expansion, as well as public understanding of environmental and climate justice concepts.</p>
<p>“Through this work, I have explored ways to ensure that climate policies and investments effectively serve underrepresented communities,” she said.</p>
<p>The fellowship represents a significant leap forward in her journey toward a career in sustainability policy.</p>
<p>“My career goal has always been to advance environmental policy through work in the nonprofit sector, making this fellowship with the NRDC an exciting step toward my dream career,” Haddad said. “As I begin my professional journey in sustainability, I am eager to contribute to meaningful policy solutions that address environmental challenges while promoting equity.”</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Brenda Ortiz - A Brand-New Degree and a Stellar Job Offer to Accompany it/news/2026/brand-new-degree-and-stellar-job-offer-accompany-it2026-06-02 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Student & Alumni Success, First. Further. Forward, Engineering, San Joaquin Valley, School of Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_savala_alvarez_hero.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Depicted is UC Merced graduate Eduardo Savala Alvarez, in a cowboy hat and stole on campus." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Eduardo Savala Alvarez accepted a job as a project engineer with Clark Construction.<div>
<p>UC Merced prides itself on its high social mobility ranking (No. 3 among public schools in the country, according to the <a href="https://basicneeds.ucmerced.edu/news/2025/uc-merced-named-14th-best-college-nation-wall-street-journal" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Wall Street Journal</a>). Social mobility is defined as the ability to move between socioeconomic tiers.</p>
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<p>But what does that mean, really?</p>
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<p>Well, you might look to Eduardo Savala Alvarez, who recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in civil and environmental engineering.</p>
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<p>The son of a father who works as a chef and a mother who is a homemaker, Savala Alvarez graduated from Ceres High School. He arrived at UC Merced with "determination, humility and a dream of building a better future for his family," Professor <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/siddaiah-yarra" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Siddaiah Yarra said</a>.</p>
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<p>"Like many students from California's Central Valley, he understood the value of hard work long before stepping into a college classroom," Yarra said. "Through faculty mentorship, hands-on engineering education, industry engagement and student leadership opportunities, Eduardo transformed that dream into reality."</p>
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<p>Before he graduated, Savala Alvarez received three job offers, with an average starting salary of $92,000 per year and an average signing bonus of $4,300. He ultimately accepted an offer from Clark Construction, where he will serve as a project engineer.</p>
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<p>He credited his experience at UC Merced with preparing him for a successful career in engineering.</p>
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<p>"Since campus has that small-school environment, I was able to go to my academic advisor when needed and was helped on the spot," Savala Alvarez said. "I was also able to go to my professors' offices whenever I needed help, not just to talk about school but also to be given advice either on my career or personal life."</p>
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<p>He helped start the American Society of Civil Engineers Student Chapter at UC Merced and served on the board as project manager for two years.</p>
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<p>"This position as well as the knowledge from the civil and environmental engineering classes that UC Merced has to offer ultimately helped me in securing a full-time job after graduation and prepared me for the next steps in my career," he said. "Time management, leadership, public speaking and multitasking are just some of the skills that I learned throughout my time at UC Merced."</p>
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<p>For Savala Alvarez and his family, his recent achievement represented far more than a job offer, Yarra said. It symbolized generational progress, opportunity and the transformative power of education. His journey demonstrates how the civil and environmental engineering department at UC Merced is helping Central Valley students move toward meaningful careers, financial stability and long term social and economic mobility.</p>
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<p>"Eduardo's story is one of many examples showing how investment in education can empower students from Central Valley to become engineers, leaders and contributors to the communities they proudly call home," Yarra said.</p>
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<p>Savala Alvarez, who commuted from his Modesto home all four years of college, advised future students to take advantage of campus resources that range from free snacks and tutoring to activities and clubs.</p>
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<p>"UC Merced is a place where anyone can leave their mark and write their story just like me."</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - New Study Urges Earlier Detection of Valley Fever as Cases Climb/news/2026/new-study-urges-earlier-detection-valley-fever-cases-climb2026-06-03 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Research Excellence, Staff & Faculty News, Mind & Body, Health, Infectious Diseases, Valley Fever, Research, Public Health, StaffBy Lorena Anderson, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-ayo-adebiyi-valley-fever-hero1.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Ayomidamope Adebiyi, a board-certified family nurse practitioner and clinical lead at UC Merced's Occupational Health Services department, has taken the lead on researching and promoting ways to diagnose Valley fever earlier and treat it more thoroughly." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Ayomidamope Adebiyi, a board-certified family nurse practitioner and clinical lead at UC Merced's Occupational Health Services department, is promoting ways to diagnose Valley fever earlier and treat it more thoroughly.<p><strong>Key Points:</strong></p>
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<p>Valley fever is widely underdiagnosed and often mistaken for common respiratory illnesses, leading to delayed diagnosis and unnecessary antibiotic use.</p>
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<p>Cases are rising and spreading geographically, driven by climate patterns, soil disruption and population growth, making the disease a growing public health concern.</p>
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<p>The study promotes the COCCI framework, which emphasizes early testing, exposure assessment and structured clinical decision-making to improve outcomes and reduce complications.</p>
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<p>A new study published in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners calls for a shift in how Valley fever is recognized and treated, warning that delayed diagnosis continues to prolong illness, drive unnecessary treatment and contribute to preventable deaths.</p>
<p>The paper was authored and led by Ayomidamope "Ayo" Adebiyi, DNP, a board-certified family nurse practitioner and clinical lead at UC Merced's Occupational Health Services department, and co-authored by Professor Mary K. Estrada at the University of Arizona. Adebiyi recently completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice with a focus on Executive Systems Leadership and Health Policy, and a post-master's certificate in Nursing Education, both at Johns Hopkins University. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1555415526000863">The paper </a>outlines a structured approach to help frontline providers identify the disease earlier — a step researchers say could significantly improve patient outcomes.</p>
<p>“Valley fever is an underdiagnosed but growing public health issue, especially in endemic regions,” the study noted, emphasizing that better awareness, earlier testing and consistent clinical practices are essential to reducing illness severity and healthcare costs.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
<p>“Eighty percent of people with Valley fever don’t get the correct diagnosis until a median of 23 days after their first clinical contact, if they even get tested. That’s a lot of illness, a lot of days lost from work and a lot of unnecessary antibiotics.”</p>
Ayomidamope Adebiyi <img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/calif-correctional-health-care-services-valley-fever-2025.jpg" width="441" height="350" alt="A graphic shows how people get Valley fever" />Image courtesy of California Correctional Health Care Serviceshttps://news.ucmerced.edu/<p><strong>Missed Diagnoses, Growing Burden</strong></p>
<p>Valley fever, or coccidioidomycosis, is caused by inhaling fungal spores that live in soil. While once considered a regional illness concentrated in the southwestern United States, it has now expanded beyond traditional boundaries and affected far more people than reported data suggests.</p>
<p>Researchers estimate that between 205,000 and 360,000 symptomatic cases occur annually — far higher than official counts. A major challenge is delayed recognition, with many patients waiting weeks for an accurate diagnosis while often receiving ineffective antibiotics. Because symptoms such as fatigue, cough, fever and shortness of breath resemble more common respiratory illnesses, the infection is frequently overlooked in early stages.</p>
<p>“Eighty percent of people with Valley fever don’t get the correct diagnosis until a median of 23 days after their first clinical contact, if they even get tested,” Adebiyi said. “That’s a lot of illness, a lot of days lost from work and a lot of unnecessary antibiotics.”</p>
<p><strong>Cases are Rising</strong></p>
<p>Overlapping environmental and demographic changes drive the increase in Valley fever. Adebiyi pointed to climate patterns as a key factor, with longer droughts followed by rainfall disrupting soil and increasing the spread of airborne spores. At the same time, expanding development is increasing exposure.</p>
<p>“As rural areas are almost becoming semi-urban, there’s more construction, which disrupts the soil,” she said.</p>
<p>Improved reporting has made the disease more visible, though many cases still go undiagnosed when symptoms are mild or resolve on their own.</p>
<p>The result is a disease that is both expanding geographically and still widely underrecognized — especially in areas where clinicians may not routinely consider it.</p>
<p>At the center of the study is the COCCI framework, a clinical guide designed to help nurse practitioners and other providers identify Valley fever sooner and manage it appropriately:</p>
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<li><strong>Consider exposure:</strong> Assess whether patients live in or have traveled to endemic areas or have been exposed to dust, construction or soil disturbance</li>
<li><strong>Order diagnostic testing early:</strong> Especially for patients with persistent respiratory symptoms or those who do not respond to initial treatment</li>
<li><strong>Check for risk factors:</strong> Identify patients at higher risk for severe disease, including those who are immunocompromised, pregnant or have underlying conditions</li>
<li><strong>Check for complications:</strong> Evaluate for signs of more serious disease, such as neurologic symptoms or widespread infection</li>
<li><strong>Initiate appropriate care:</strong> Manage uncomplicated cases in primary care and refer severe or complex cases to specialists</li>
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<p>At its core, the COCCI framework shifts clinical thinking from “treat first, test later” to “evaluate exposure, test early and manage deliberately.” Rather than relying on intuition, the framework provides a clear, step-by-step approach.</p>
<p>A defining feature of the COCCI framework is reassessment after initial care. Clinicians are encouraged to schedule follow-up visits, monitor symptoms and adjust treatment if patients do not improve.</p>
<p>“Having this framework would really change outcomes. If we can quickly identify Valley fever, we can change the quality of life for many people and even save some lives.”</p>
Ayomidamope Adebiyi Lorena Anderson - 2025 costliest year on record for wildfires, study finds/news/2026/2025-costliest-year-record-wildfires-study-finds2026-06-01 00:00:00In The News“Deadly human-caused wildfires in California, Europe and South Korea in the same year as extensive consumption of carbon stocks in Canada highlights how rapidly climate change is producing conditions for extreme wildfires to thrive across a range of biomes and seasons," said Prof Crystal Kolden of the University of California, Merced, a co-author of the study.<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/default_images/news-default-hero.jpg" alt="" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/wildfires-2025-cost-la-us-afri…https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/wildfires-2025-cost-la-us-africa-aid-b2987115.html- Elephant Dung Piles are Crucial to Biodiversity, Study Shows/news/2026/elephant-dung-piles-are-crucial-biodiversity-study-shows2026-06-01 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Research Excellence, Staff & Faculty News, Environment, Faculty, Research, School of Natural Sciences, Life and Environmental Sciences, Science, Biological Sciences, Earth Systems ScienceBy Lorena Anderson, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-research-elephants-biodiversity-keystone-species-hero3.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="A group of African elephants" />https://news.ucmerced.edu/African elephants have an outsized impact on their ecosystem, an innovative study shows.<p><strong>Key Points:</strong></p>
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<p>Elephants function as a keystone species, producing large amounts of nutrient-rich dung that sustain diverse dung beetle populations and support wider ecosystem health.</p>
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<p>A 15-year field experiment showed that removing elephants leads to sharp declines in dung beetle abundance, biomass, and species diversity, and other herbivores cannot replace their role.</p>
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<p>The findings provide rare real-world evidence that losing a single, highly connected species can trigger cascading effects across ecosystems, reinforcing the importance of protecting key ecological “hubs.”</p>
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<p>For decades, ecologists have relied on mathematical models to predict what happens when a species disappears. Those models consistently suggest a troubling possibility: Removing a single species from an ecosystem can trigger a cascade of additional extinctions.</p>
<p>But proving that idea in the real world has been far more difficult, said <a href="https://les.ucmerced.edu/">Department of Life and Environmental Sciences</a> Professor <a href="https://les.ucmerced.edu/content/matt-hutchinson">Matthew Hutchinson</a>, who collaborated on an innovative study led by researchers at Princeton University.</p>
<p>“Those predictions … rang true in computer simulations but had been really hard to prove in the real world,” he said.</p>
<p>The study, <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aeb7062">published in Science</a>, offers rare, concrete evidence for this phenomenon — and it centers on one of Earth’s largest animals. The research shows that elephants act as a keystone species, an organism that has a disproportionately large impact on its natural environment relative to its population size, serving as the ecological “glue” that holds an ecosystem together. The enormous amount of waste elephants produce supports dung beetle abundance and diversity in East African savannas, which safeguards the ecological services dung beetles provide.</p>
<p>The findings suggest that losing even a single, well-connected species can ripple through an ecosystem in ways scientists have long expected but seldom demonstrated.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/<p><strong>Clear Effects on Biodiversity</strong></p>
<p>The study draws on a 15-year field experiment in Kenya, where researchers constructed large, fenced plots to exclude animals based on their size. By keeping elephants and other large herbivores out of some areas while allowing them into others, scientists could track what happens when those animals disappear — without actually removing them from the landscape.</p>
<p>The results were striking. When elephants were excluded, dung beetle abundance, biomass and species richness all plummeted.</p>
<p>Crucially, the presence of more numerous, smaller herbivores did not compensate for the absence of elephants.</p>
<p><img alt="African dung beetle doing its thing for biodiversity" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/documents/uc-merced-research-elephants-biodiversity-keystone-species-dung-beetles.jpg" style="margin-right: 10px; float: left; width: 350px;" title="African dung beetles go about their business." />Dung beetles depend on feces for food and reproduction. Elephants provide a particularly valuable resource: large quantities of nutrient-rich dung (up to 150 kg per adult per day) that many beetle species prefer.</p>
<p>Even when dung quantity was controlled, beetles were drawn disproportionately to elephant dung, which supported far more individuals and species than other herbivores.</p>
<p>That makes elephants central nodes in what scientists call an ecological network — a depiction of how species are connected to and dependent upon one another in an ecosystem.</p>
<p>But unlike classic examples of keystone species, such as sea otters controlling urchin populations and maintaining kelp forest ecosystems, elephants play a different role.</p>
<p>“In our case, the elephants are not controlling anything; they’re providing a critical resource,” Hutchinson said. “Without all that dung, the dung beetle biodiversity isn’t maintained at the same level.”</p>
<p>That resource fuels not just beetles but the broader ecosystem. By breaking down and burying dung, beetles recycle nutrients, improve soil health and reduce pest populations.</p>
<p>“Dung beetles provide this really important ecosystem service, clearing away all of the dung that these large animals put on the landscape,” Hutchinson said.</p>
<p>"The idea of a keystone species in ecology has echoes of Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm:’ All species contribute to an ecosystem, but some contribute more. Losing those keystones risks unraveling the entire system."</p>
Matthew Hutchinsonhttps://news.ucmerced.edu/<p>He said the experiments used in the study are particularly insightful and innovative.</p>
<p>“These really large animals are disproportionately at risk of extinction from several different factors. Yet, by virtue of their size, they have huge impacts on ecosystems. Those two factors together make it crucial to study how ecosystems respond to their loss,” Hutchinson said. “But because of their size, they're really hard to study, especially when you want to answer that question: What happens when they’re gone?”</p>
<p><strong>Scaling up the Experiments</strong></p>
<p>One common criticism of enclosure experiments, even the 1-hectare plots used in this study, is scale. Experimental plots, it is argued, may capture animal behavior — such as dung beetles making their rare long-distance flights into or out of the plot — rather than true ecosystem change, Hutchinson explained.</p>
<p>To address this, the researchers expanded their analysis, comparing sites with different levels of wildlife abundance. At one location, wildlife populations — including elephants — remained high. At two nearby sites, livestock dominated and elephants were largely absent.</p>
<p>The pattern held. Dung beetle abundance and biomass were significantly lower in livestock-dominated areas, even though more dung piles were present on those landscapes compared to the site with the highest wildlife abundance.</p>
<p>That suggests the experimental results reflect real-world dynamics and strengthens the case that elephants underpin dung beetle communities at both small and large scales.</p>
<p>“Elephants are the big ecosystem engineers, uprooting trees and throwing them around, which keeps the landscape open, whereas dung beetles are the little ecosystem engineers, moving and burying the nutrient-rich dung piles elephants produce, which reduces pest and parasite abundance while dispersing seeds and nutrients into the soil,” Hutchinson said.</p>
<p>“I think the key takeaway is that the loss — or even just the decline — of a single species can ripple through an ecosystem and cause the loss of other species that depend on it,” he said.</p>
<p>“Elephants are the big ecosystem engineers, uprooting trees and throwing them around, which keeps the landscape open, whereas dung beetles are the little ecosystem engineers, moving and burying the nutrient-rich dung piles elephants produce, which reduces pest and parasite abundance while dispersing seeds and nutrients into the soil.”</p>
Matthew HutchinsonLorena Anderson - Sociology Ph.D. Student Receives Prestigious Dissertation Fellowship/news/2026/uc-merced-phd-student-receives-prestigious-dissertation-fellowship2026-06-03 00:00:00In BriefStudent & Alumni Success, Campus Community, Graduate Division, Faculty, Financial Aid, Fellowships, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, Sociology, Sociology, Graduate StudentsBy Brenda Ortiz, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/jarrod_brown_2026.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="Headshot Jarrod L Brown Jr." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Sociology Ph.D. candidate Jarrod L. Brown Jr. received the National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation fellowship.<p>Jarrod L. Brown Jr. is the first UC Merced graduate student to be awarded the <a href="https://naeducation.org/current-naed-spencer-dissertation-fellows/">National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation</a> fellowship, supporting his doctoral research in structural inequality in higher education.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://sociology.ucmerced.edu/">sociology</a> Ph.D. candidate, who is one of 35 recipients selected from nearly 500 applicants, received the fellowship funding from NAEd and the Spencer Foundation for his dissertation, titled “Pathways to Reentry and Transformation in California Higher Education.”</p>
<p>“The NAEd/Spencer Dissertation and Postdoctoral Fellowships represent significant investments in the fellows and the future of education research,” said Okhee Lee, chair of the NAEd Professional Development Committee. “These fellowships are more crucial than ever given the recent dramatic declines in education research funding.”</p>
<p>Brown, who was formerly incarcerated, is combining personal experience with rigorous research to focus on how reentry for formerly incarcerated and system-impacted students is shaped in higher education.</p>
<p>“The National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation are highly recognized organizations and to be selected by them and have their support to complete my dissertation is a testament to my work and dedication as an emerging sociologist,” Brown said. “Also, the state of higher education right now is constrained and is creating an atmosphere where a lot of us graduate students feel rushed and not sure where we will land; this fellowship affords me the time and space to focus solely on my research and my path forward to my future academic career.”</p>
<p>After graduating in spring 2027, Brown plans to build a career at an institution that values high-quality teaching and impactful research.</p>
<p>“I love research but have a greater passion for teaching sociology,” he said.</p>
<p>A native of San Francisco, Brown moved to the Merced area more than a decade ago and considers it his second home. He earned an associate’s degree in psychology from Merced College, a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University, Stanislaus, and a master’s degree in sociology from UC Merced.</p>
<p>Brown acknowledged the invaluable guidance of his advisor Professor <a href="https://sociology.ucmerced.edu/content/laura-hamilton">Laura Hamilton</a> and dissertation committee members professors <a href="https://sociology.ucmerced.edu/content/edward-flores">Edward Flores</a> and <a href="https://sociology.ucmerced.edu/content/daisy-reyes">Daisy Reyes</a> for encouraging him “to aim high and letting me have the freedom to pursue research I felt would be impactful to the field of sociology and education.”</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Brenda Ortiz - Bobcats Outbuild Bears in Timber Strong Competition/news/2026/bobcats-outbuild-bears-timber-strong-competition2026-05-28 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Campus Life, Student & Alumni Success, First. Further. Forward, Engineering, School of Engineering, Civil and Environmental EngineeringBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_timber_strong_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="Depicted are students in yellow vests and hard hats standing around and in a two-story Snoopy doghouse." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/This marked UC Merced's second time participating in the competition.<div>
<p>A doghouse built by Bobcats for a famous beagle beat out a fairytale structure hammered together by Bears.</p>
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<p>UC Merced's student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers took part in the annual Timber-Strong Design Build competition in April, going up against UC Berkeley in a day-long contest at nearby Lake Yosemite.</p>
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<p>Working in teams, students were challenged to design, construct and evaluate a two-story light wood-framed structure that balances sustainability, architectural appeal and structural performance.</p>
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<p>And there were more challenges, said Eduardo Savala Alvarez, one of the project managers. He and fellow student Estheyci Gutierrez Hernandez taught their team how to use a computer-aided design program, conducted safety trainings, and provided lessons in using construction tools and 3-D modeling as well as budgeting and construction drawings. They met weekly to learn and prepare.</p>
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<p>That led to the April 25 showdown with Berkeley.</p>
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<p>"The team was only allowed to be within an 18-by-18-foot square, which made this build even more difficult, as one step outside that space would result in a pointdeduction," Savala Alvarez said.</p>
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<p>The UC Merced team split into groups of five for each floor. Cesar Ruiz, Jazlyn Alejandrino, Abigail Garguilo, Cristina Guevara and Evelin Becerra worked on the first floor. The second-story team was Aseem Anwar, Daniel Rodriguez, Nicholas Zhen, Yazmin Hernandez and Ezequiel Castellanos. And Cesar Yepez, De'Jon Session, Ricardo Ornelas, Cesar Ruiz and Savala Alvarez handled the roof.</p>
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<p>Each of the sub teams had two designated drillers while the rest of the team members helped support the walls or ran around getting materials.</p>
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<p>"Our UC Merced Bobcats went with a Snoopy house design while UC Berkeley went with Jack and the Beanstalk," Savala Alvarez said.</p>
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<p>The Merced Irrigation District provided the venue and logistical assistance, said civil and environmental Professor <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/siddaiah-yarra" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Siddaiah Yarra</a>, the chapter's adviser.</p>
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<p>"This competition marks the start of many Timber Strong projects to come for the ASCE Student Chapter," Savala Alvarez said.</p>
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<p>This marked UC Merced's second time participating in the competition. However, during its first appearance in 2025, the event was organized under the Civil Engineering Student Association (CESA), with teams formed internally within the Civil Engineering program at UC Merced.</p>
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<p>"Beyond the outcome, the event provided a valuable opportunity for students to strengthen their teamwork, problem-solving and practical skills," Yarra said. TheAssociated Students of UC Merced and civil and environmental engineering faculty supported the competition, and Yarra said department Chair Professor <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/marc-beutel" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Marc Beutel</a> contributed financial support and encouragement.</p>
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<p>"One of the most rewarding aspects of the event was seeing strong community support, including families in attendance," Yarra said. "Parents cheering for their teams created an encouraging and vibrant atmosphere, making the experience even more meaningful for our students."<br />
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - Projects to Make the World Better Promoted at Merced 2 Market/news/2026/projects-make-world-better-promoted-merced-2-market2026-05-27 00:00:00Faculty And Staff NewsResearch Excellence, Staff & Faculty News, Management & Technology, First. Further. Forward, Engineering, Computer Science, Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Environmental Research, School of Engineering, Computer Science Engineering, Mechanical EngineeringBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_merced_2_market_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="Depicted are groups of people sitting at tabled and talking at UC Merced's Merced 2 Market event." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/The event highlighted projects aimed at helping people and communities solve problems.<div>
<p>An artificial intelligence-powered system to ensure the safety of the elderly while still providing privacy. Wearable muscle monitoring to speed recovery from injury. A chemical-free method of putting out fires. A more effective way to detect methane leaks.</p>
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<p>These were just some of the projects highlighted during the innovators showcase at Merced 2 Market, an event on campus where products resulting from research are highlighted for the community and potential investors.</p>
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<p>Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said this work is exactly why the regents selected Merced for the 10th campus of the University of California.</p>
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<p>"UC Merced has become a hub for innovation, workforce development and public good," he said. "The reason we develop young people is to make the public experience in the world better. Learning is, on the one hand, very personal. On the other hand, learning when deployed improves the lives of others."</p>
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<p>The event also featured panel discussions of industry leaders discussing their needs and local resources available for partnerships, startups and commercialization.</p>
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<p>Among the innovations highlighted:</p>
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<p>• Computer science and engineering Professor <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/shijia-pan" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Shijia Pan</a> described "AI Care," "a plug-and-play, privacy-preserving home monitoring system that detects daily activities using ambient vibration and AI and translates them into actionable caregiver insights."</p>
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<p>Pan said her team has deployed AI Care in multiple homes and is looking for investment to accelerate product implementation.</p>
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<p>• Ph.D. candidate Shubhan Rohal demonstrated PosTrue, wearable muscle monitoring for effective athlete recovery.</p>
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<p>"Sports injuries cost more than $11 billion annually," Rohal said. "Trainers rely on subjective feeling and guesswork." PosTrue provides a clinical solution that uses bone conduction actuators to predict muscle stiffness.</p>
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<p>His team is seeking investment to validate dashboard design and begin real-world testing.</p>
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<p>• Graduate researcher Shuye Shang, working with a team led by electrical engineering <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/eric-cheng" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Professor Eric Cheng</a>, shared a video showing their fire extinguisher putting out a line of tealight flames by using frequency.</p>
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<p>"Traditional extinguishers leave water, foam or chemical residue," Shang said. "Sensitive environments such as electronics may suffer damage … We can disturb the combustion triangle, isolate oxygen and disturb the airflow."</p>
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<p>• Sachin Giri, a graduate student working with postdoctoral researcher Derek Hollenbeck, described <a href="https://phantomch4.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> their project</a> that uses AI to detect methane leaks and analyze how the gas reacts with the atmosphere and land.</p>
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<p>Using current systems, Giri said, "Leaks can go unnoticed for weeks." He cited problems with low area drone coverage and false positive tests with satellites.</p>
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<p>Their system is adaptable to other gasses, and the researchers believe it will break even financially within three years."Methane today. Any target tomorrow," Giri said. "Let's build the platform together."</p>
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<p>Giri and Hollenbeck worked on the project with <a href="https://t.e2ma.net/webview/yite7g/ecd54eb9e2b9356c38b815d100b847d0" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> the late YangQuan Chen</a>, a professor of aerospace engineering.</p>
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<p>• Materials engineering Professor <a href="https://mbse.ucmerced.edu/content/james-palko" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> James Palko</a> introduced a new way to produce steam.</p>
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<p>"We tend to think of steam as a 19th century technology, but it's still really relevant as an exceptional way to move heat," he said. But large tanks are costly and raise concerns over potential explosions. His team's solution is to introduce a separate energy storage system that can provide much higher energy density and reduce cost.</p>
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<p>Under a climate action grant from the University of California, the team developed a prototype and has a utility patent pending.</p>
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<p>• Director of Innovation <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/stefano-foresti" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Stefano Foresti</a> presented "almondry," a stockpile aeration technology for drying almonds he and Inovate to Grow capstone students developed. Traditionally, he explained, almonds are dried on the ground and left for some time, causing dust when picked up. Off-ground systems would provide several benefits, andeliminate the necessary drying step.</p>
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<p>"The solution we came up with is conceptually simple, though the devil is in the details," he said. Their system dries the nuts in a stockpile, not by pushing in hot air but by pulling ambient air from the surface.</p>
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<p>"We devised a method to create negative pressure on the stockpile that is very inexpensive to build and operate" Foresti said. While drying almonds with heat costs 25 cents per pound, the almondry system, using ambient air and stockpiles, costs as little as a tenth of a cent per pound.</p>
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<p>"The vision is to make almond production healthy and sustainable to the ecosystem, the communities and the growers," Foresti said.</p>
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<p>• Mechanical engineering Professor <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/reza-ehsani" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Reza Ehsani</a> explained a sensor that can monitor water status on trees so irrigation can be more efficient, a vital challenge in an area often exposed to drought.</p>
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<p>"Our Sensor Clip technology has been extensively tested in lab and field settings, and we have had major improvements in accuracy and reliability. This system can be a low-cost alternative compared to traditional methods," Ehsani said. The clip can be used manually or integrated into a robotic system that traverses a field and collects data, making it suitable for both large and small growers.</p>
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<p>"If you have a limited amount of water, best way to use it is to maximize efficiency," he said.</p>
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<p>His team is looking for seed funding to finalize the development and create a partnership arrangement in a startup company.</p>
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<p>All of these projects are examples of solving real-world problems through research and discovery, said <a href="https://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/people/gillian-wilson" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Gillian Wilson</a>, vice chancellor of research and economic development at UC Merced.</p>
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<p>"You may have identified a problem and have an idea about how to solve it or be interested in translating that idea into effective solutions for societal benefits," she told the audience. "You may have licensed your product. You may be here from industry looking for new partnerships.</p>
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<p>"This is a place where everyone can share their knowledge, success and struggles in a supportive environment. "</p>
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<p><a href="https://directory.ucmerced.edu/person/cfollett2" target="_blank">Charity Follett</a>, assistant vice chancellor in the Office of Technology, Innovation and Industry Relations, said the event brings into greater focus the importance of the work being done at the university.</p>
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<p>"Merced 2Market is where UC Merced research meets real‑world momentum, bringing our innovators, companies and community partners together to shape the next generation of solutions."</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra - From Wild Mushrooms to Punchlines, Bobcats Learn in Out-of-the-Box Ways/news/2026/wild-mushrooms-punchlines-bobcats-learn-out-box-ways2026-05-26 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Academic Distinction, Staff & Faculty News, Student & Alumni Success, Academics, Faculty, School of Engineering, School of Natural Sciences, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, Students, Graduate Students, Undergraduate StudentsBy Sam Yniguez<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/uc-merced-magazine-unusual-classes.jpg" width="870" height="450" alt="A student hones communication skills by learning how to use comedy to deliver messages." />https://news.ucmerced.edu/A student hones communication skills by learning how to use comedy to deliver messages.<p><em><strong>Editor's note: This story is republished from the </strong><a href="https://online.flippingbook.com/view/444926382/"><strong>Spring/Summer 2026 issue</strong></a><strong> of UC Merced Magazine.</strong></em></p>
<p>Walk across UC Merced’s campus on any weekday, and you might hear laughter spilling from a classroom, feel the thrum of a wind tunnel or spot students crouched in a field searching for mushrooms.</p>
<p>Not every college course follows a familiar script, and at UC Merced, some of the most talked-about classes are the ones that don’t.</p>
<p>These courses — Aerodynamics, Standup Comedy and Mushrooms — move far beyond passive lectures. They invite students to learn by doing, to take creative risks and to immerse themselves in unexpected experiences.</p>
<p><strong>Engineering Excitement for a New Generation</strong></p>
<p>In Professor <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/venkattraman-venkatt-ayyaswamy">Venkattraman Ayyaswamy</a>’s aerodynamics class, airflow isn’t just something students calculate — it’s something they watch, test and measure. Ayyaswamy has leaned into the growing cultural interest in his field, driven in part by the rise of drones and the development of flying cars, to make the material more engaging and relevant.</p>
<p>“There is historically high interest in the field, and there is a lot of excitement about what’s in store over the next 10 to 20 years,” he said. “It’s a very exciting time, and I’m eager to see what’s to come and how our students will contribute.”</p>
<p>What began as an elective is now required for students in UC Merced’s fast-growing aerospace engineering program. Over the semester, students progress from low-speed aircraft concepts to higher-speed design, comparing predictions with live data collected from large wind tunnel experiments.</p>
<p>Ayyaswamy brings props — foam airplanes, sports equipment and other real-world objects — to make the physics come alive.</p>
<p>“The class is like a movie we are directing, and so we want the audience to be engaged,” he said. “We want them to keep having ‘Aha!’ moments rather than asking, ‘When is this movie going to end?’”</p>
<p><strong>A Classroom and a Stage</strong></p>
<p>While aerodynamics students learn to navigate airflow, those enrolled in Teaching Professor <a href="https://ssha.ucmerced.edu/content/eileen-camfield-0">Eileen Camfield</a>’s rhetoric‑through‑standup‑comedy course learn to navigate something just as unpredictable: an audience.</p>
<p>Performing comedy in a college class may seem surprising, but Camfield’s course uses standup as a vehicle for teaching communication.</p>
<p>“This is not about becoming a comedian,” she said. “It’s about learning to communicate effectively with real people.” Students analyze professional comedians, then develop, workshop and perform original routines for a live audience. The classroom becomes both a laboratory and a stage.</p>
<p>Comedy, as it turns out, is precise work. A joke fails if the setup is unclear. Timing collapses if the structure is weak. Delivery matters as much as content. When something flops, students must pivot instantly. Camfield said this pressure fosters confidence, adaptability and an ability to read a room — skills that are indispensable far beyond the stage.</p>
<p>And sometimes, some demons are exorcised.</p>
<p>“There is no rule about what students incorporate in their performances, but sometimes they get very personal,” Camfield said, noting that she receives thank‑you letters from students who say the class helped them transform difficult experiences into something empowering.</p>
<p><strong>The Hidden World at their Feet</strong></p>
<p>Then there’s Mushrooms, graduate student Christopher Bivins’ mycology‑based course that sends students outdoors with their eyes on the ground. Bivins reminds students that mycology is a largely uncharted field — less than 1% of fungi species worldwide have been scientifically categorized — a fact that initially drew him into the discipline.</p>
<p>“Fungi are definitely having a moment,” Bivins said, noting their prominence in TV shows, videogames and cuisine. While mushrooms represent only a small fraction of the fungi kingdom, he jokes that students likely wouldn’t enroll in a course called “Mycology,” making the “Mushrooms” name far more approachable.</p>
<p>Enrollment numbers prove the point: His fall course drew 90 students, and spring enrollment is nearly as high. For Bivins, the interest validates years of work in a field that has historically been underfunded and overlooked.</p>
<p><strong>Turning Curiosity into Confidence</strong></p>
<p>Aerodynamics, Standup Comedy and Mushrooms sit in opposite directions on the academic spectrum. Still, together they exemplify a shared UC Merced philosophy: Students learn best when they are active participants, not passive observers.</p>
<p>These classes ask students to do the learning — to experiment, to perform, to explore — and to discover knowledge in unexpected ways. By pushing past the boundaries of a traditional classroom, they create experiences that resonate long after finals are done, turning curiosity into confidence and theory into lived understanding.</p>
https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Samuel Yniquez - Can AI Help Predict and Manage Drought? UC Merced Researchers Explain in New Book/news/2026/can-ai-help-predict-and-manage-drought-uc-merced-researchers-explain-new-book2026-05-26 00:00:00Featured News (gateway)Research Excellence, Staff & Faculty News, Management & Technology, First. Further. Forward, Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Research, School of Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Management of Complex SystemsBy Patty Guerra, UC Merced<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://news.ucmerced.edu/sites/g/files/ufvvjh1306/f/news/image/ucm_drought_and_ai_hero.jpeg" width="870" height="450" alt="Photo depicts dry, cracked land among weeds. " />https://news.ucmerced.edu/Researchers are working on ways to better identify, predict and manage drought.<div>
<p>After a couple of years of sufficient water, much of California is showing "abnormally dry" conditions in spring 2026, according to the state drought monitor.</p>
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<p>And as climate change adds more swings between wet and dry conditions, researchers are working on ways to better identify, predict and manage drought.</p>
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<p>Toward that end, a UC Merced team contributed a chapter on "Artificial Intelligence for Multiscale Drought Modeling and Decision Making," in the new book "Global Drought and Sustainability."</p>
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<p>The book was published by Elsevier, a global academic publishing company, and brings together leading researchers from around the world to examine drought as an increasingly urgent global challenge. "Global Drought and Sustainability" explores the connection between drought and climate change and outlines science-based solutions to improve water resource management, agricultural sustainability and ecosystem resilience.</p>
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<p>The 14-chapter book features contributions from more than 40 authors representing over 15 institutions across at least 10 countries. It highlights emerging approaches such as advanced drought forecasting and the use of artificial intelligence to better predict and respond to changing environmental conditions.</p>
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<p>UC Merced's contribution, written by project scientist <a href="https://vista.ucmerced.edu/person/abid-sarwar/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Abid Sarwar</a>, postdoctoral scholar Rui Gao and professors <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/safeeq-khan" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Safeeq Khan</a>, <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/john-abatzoglou" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> John Abatzoglou</a>, <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/josue-medellin-azuara" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Josué Medellín-Azuara</a> and <a href="https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/joshua-viers" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Joshua Viers</a>, explains how AI and machine learning tools can combine historical climate records, current observations, satellite imagery and sensor data to assess and forecast drought.</p>
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<p>"Drought is becoming harder to manage because conditions can change quickly across farms, watersheds and regions," Sarwar said. "Our chapter shows how artificial intelligence can help connect satellite observations, field sensors, climate data and physical water processes so decision-makers have earlier and more reliable information. The goal is not to replace human expertise, but to strengthen it with tools that are better suited for a changing climate."</p>
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<p>These tools are becoming increasingly important as climate change brings sharper swings between heavy storms and severe drought. Those shifts affect public health,local economies, agriculture, ecosystems and water supplies.</p>
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<p>This year, for example, California had a fairly healthy snowpack, which supplies the state with water as it melts in the warmer months. But a March heat wave melted much of it weeks earlier than usual.</p>
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<p>According to the Public Policy Institute of California, more than 5 million acre-feet of water stored as snow was lost in one month. And most of that water was not captured as runoff in reservoirs. Some went into groundwater, some into soil and much simply evaporated.</p>
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<p>Multiple storms that moved through the state in April improved the outlook slightly, but the paltry remaining snowpack is now melting away and won't add much to summer supplies, the PPIC said.</p>
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<p>Forecasting drought is more difficult in areas of the world that don't have the same level of monitoring California does. The UC Merced team pointed out that using AI can be a more scalable way to complement existing drought monitoring, especially in regions with limited ground observations, when used with physics-based understanding of water systems.</p>
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<p>Advances in physical modeling, data science and sensing technologies have already transformed agricultural drought modeling and decision-making, the researchers wrote. Networks of soil-moisture sensors and weather stations now provide data to machine learning algorithms that optimize irrigation schedules and identify early signs of crop stress. Satellite and remote sensors monitor temperatures, soil conditions and vegetation health across large areas of land.</p>
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<p>Earlier and more reliable drought information can help those living in affected areas to protect farms, save water and prepare communities before problems worsen.</p>
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https://news.ucmerced.edu/
https://news.ucmerced.edu/Patty Guerra