Research

First, UC Merced senior Julio Flores wanted to be a cardiothoracic surgeon. Then, neurobiology called his name.

Now, after research experience in diabetes, he thinks that’s the field for him. In the end, it doesn’t matter. Flores just wants to help people.

UC Merced has a unique opportunity to help the San Joaquin Valley as the university forges the newest branch of the Blum Center for Developing Economies.

The $400,000, two-year seed grant through the University of California allows the university to launch its center, themed “Global California: The World at Home.” The UC Merced initiative is affiliated with the Blum Center at UC Berkeley, which was founded by a gift from investment banker and UC Regent Richard C. Blum.

People routinely encounter familiar components from everyday life in new combinations, such as when a co-worker takes on a new role or a sentence uses a word in a new way.

We typically excel at interpreting these new experiences, but researchers do not yet understand the neurological basis of this phenomenon. How does the brain assemble new ideas from familiar parts?

Chances are, sometime in your life, you’ll need an antibiotic.

But did you know that bacteria are evolving antibiotic resistance so quickly – and pharmaceutical companies are not inventing new antibiotics – that soon, there will not be any that are effective?

An exhibit coordinated by a UC Merced professor weaves together music, literature, photography, video and oral history to tell stories of the workers who keep the region’s economy moving.

With UC Merced in her hometown, Hillary Brown had an easy commute to her college campus.

As the Rim Fire continues to burn in and around Yosemite National Park, a former UC Merced student’s work related to the fire burned up the Internet this week.

Paul Doherty, the first Yosemite park ranger to complete a doctoral degree at UC Merced, graduated in the spring and now works as a public safety technology specialist for Esri, a company that provides GIS mapping for a variety of applications.

The youngest University of California campus is now the steward of some ancient remains.

It has been four years since Mike Oliveira earned his bachelor’s degree in bioengineering at UC Merced, but the campus still feels like home to him.