Spring has Sprung at UC Merced
Quite a few changes have occurred on campus in the weeks between the fall and spring semesters.
New Faculty
Returning students and faculty will notice some new faces on campus. The School of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities has grown by one with the addition of archaeology professor Maurizio Forte. Ariel Escobar joins the School of Engineering as an associate professor specializing in biophysics and bioelectronics.
Two married couples have joined the faculty of the School of Natural Sciences. David Ardell and his wife, Carolin Frank, join the faculty as assistant professors. Ardell studies the computational biology of gene expression systems, and Frank studies the patterns of genome evolution in prokaryotes and yeast. Andy and Patricia LiWang are both experts in biochemistry. Andy LiWang is an associate professor studying biochemistry and bioinformatics applied to biological clocks. His wife joins the faculty as a professor specializing in biochemistry and biophysics related to HIV and inflammatory diseases.
Newly Certified Green Buildings
As a testament to its ongoing commitment to being a good steward of the environment, UC Merced added another notch to its green-building belt. The Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library is the second campus building to be awarded a “LEED Gold” certification for environmental achievement. The U.S. Green Building Council bestows LEED awards for buildings that meet its highest standards for sustainable development.
The Central Plant facility was the first LEED-certified building at UC Merced, receiving its Gold award last year. The project including Valley Terraces Housing complex and the Yablokoff-Wallace Dining Center was awarded Silver certification last year, too. The Classroom and Office Building and the Science and Engineering Building are in the process of undergoing LEED review.
Growing Dining Options
Probably the most noticeable change to greet the campus community this week is the expansion of the Lantern Café and Yablokoff-Wallace Dining Center.
The working area of the Lantern Café has been expanded to allow for more storage and more room for employees to move. The café is now brewing its own coffee – rather than depending on the dining center’s deliveries – and offers an express line for coffee drinkers with exact change that operates on the honor system. New on-the-go menu items, such as the Asian chicken salad, will also be offered.
The Lantern Café isn’t the only on-campus eatery with an expanded menu. The dining center is now offering panini. The Italian-style grilled sandwiches will be offered and come in four tempting varieties, such as vegetarian on focaccia and turkey-cranberry on ciabatta.
The dining expansion project will add 8,500 square feet to the building and create a new dining room that seats 250 people in addition to an outdoor patio. The project is on target for completion by fall 2008 and on budget.
New Views of Campus Construction
For those interested in the construction project, four new CatCams have been installed to offer a bird’s eye view on the action. The images refresh every 45 seconds and are on display 24/7.
