San Joaquin Valley

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Community and Labor Center Accurately Forecasts Voter Preferences in Fresno Within 1 Percentage Point

A partnership among UC Merced's Community and Labor Center and several Fresno area community groups was able to predict accurately the Fresno results for the gubernatorial recall election held Sept. 14.

Fresno Speaks 2021 is a partnership of the center and the Fresno County Civic Engagement Table, which includes Communities for a New California, Jakara Movement, Hmong Innovating Politics, Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, and Faith in the Valley.

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

UC Merced’s largest research grant in its 16-year history aims to improve agricultural and environmental water resilience. The new $10 million collaborative focuses on water banking, trading and improvements in data-driven management practices to arrive at a climate-resilient future in water-scarce regions of the United States.

Research Shows Sleep and Social Support Are Vital to Latina Teen Mothers' Mental Health

It's no surprise that a good night's rest is one of the most important factors for a person's well-being, but not everyone can say they have the luxury of being able to sleep for eight hours a night. New research from UC Merced is shedding light on the problems this can cause, specifically for the mental health of Latina teen mothers.

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

With a new $20 million federal grant, UC Merced becomes part of a multi-institutional research collaborative to develop artificial intelligence — or AI — solutions to tackle some of agriculture’s biggest challenges related to water management, climate change and integration of new technology into farming.

Report Addresses Barriers to COVID-19 Vaccination in California

As news headlines continue to focus on seeing the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe. As of May 18, California has recorded more than 3.6 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, resulting in over 61,500 deaths, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Analysis Shows Pandemic's Toll on California Workers in High-Risk Industries

California is getting a closer look at exactly how workers in high-risk industries across the state have borne the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. For the first time, UC Merced's Community and Labor Center (CLC) has analyzed the increase in the number of pandemic-era deaths of working-age people.

Students Contribute to Castle Air Museum Improvement Proposal 

A team of UC Merced students partnered with Castle Air Museum to complete a proposal in the hopes of making the park more accessible to the diverse community it serves.

First-Year and Transfer Students Can Dig into Research this Summer with Paid USDA Internships

Many students don’t think about internships until later in college, but at UC Merced undergraduate students can take advantage of hands-on training with faculty before even starting regular classes. Through the FACTS Bridge Program, first-year and transfer students get a head start on research and much more.

UC Merced, MUHSD Announce Merced Automatic Admission Program

UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz, Ph.D., and Merced Union High School District Superintendent Alan Peterson formally signed the first Merced Automatic Admission Program (MAAP) for students at MUHSD who complete specific requirements at the time of graduation.

Mercury Control and Mitigation Research Earns Professor and Student Honors

Professor Marc Beutel and his graduate student Mark Seelos have been recognized for papers and a presentation on toxic mercury mitigation by the North American Lake Management Society.

Beutel, an environmental engineer, co-wrote two of a group of three papers named Best Paper of the Year at the 2020 North American Lake Management Society annual conference.