Graduating Doctoral Student Pursues Research in Language, Behavior

shernandez-jason — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:13:24 +0000

May 20, 2013

Graduate student Stephanie Huette will start in the fall at the University of Memphis, where she will teach and continue her research in a tenure-track position.

Graduate student Stephanie Huette knew she would face challenges at UC Merced.

Media Contact

Scott Hernandez-Jason, Director of News and Social Media

Computer Major Looks Forward to Job at Microsoft

bortiz — Wed, 15 May 2013 22:29:08 +0000

May 15, 2013

Computer science and engineering major Andy Luhrs has landed a job working for Microsoft beginning in July.

On his ﬁrst tour of UC Merced almost five years ago, Andy Luhrs decided the campus was the right place for him.

“The tour guide made an impression,” said Luhrs, who is from Danville. “Everyone I met had a good vibe — open and passionate about the school.”

Media Contact

Brenda Ortiz, Senior Public Information Representative

Development Plan's Amendment Endorsed by UC Board of Regents

shernandez-jason — Wed, 15 May 2013 22:40:01 +0000

May 15, 2013

The amendment is a vital component in UC Merced's plan to build enough facilities to serve 10,000 students within the next eight to 10 years

Quick Facts

The long-range plan's amendment will allow more rapid and cost-efficient construction of facilities through 2020.

Adding physical capacity quickly will ensure as many qualified students as possible can be admitted.

Buildings will be designed as mixed-use facilities and built in clusters, rather than single-use facilities built one at a time.

The University of California, Merced, today received approval from the UC Board of Regents’ Committee on Grounds and Buildings of an amendment to its development plan that will allow more rapid and cost-efficient construction of campus facilities through 2020. (Full board approval is anticipated on May 16.)

Media Contact

Patti Waid, Assistant Vice Chancellor

UC Merced Sends Off Class of 2013 with Twin Ceremonies

bortiz — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:43:05 +0000

May 15, 2013

More than 1,000 students will turn their tassels at commencement this weekend; most graduates in the campus’s history

Quick Facts

UC Merced will hold two commencement ceremonies on May 18 and 19, honoring more than 1,000 candidates.

The campus is expected to confer 957 bachelor’s degrees, 10 master’s degrees and 41 doctorate degrees.

Retired astronaut José M. Hernández and acclaimed author David Mas Masumoto will deliver keynote addresses to the Class of 2013.

This year isn’t the first time Maxine Umeh-Garcia has walked across the commencement stage at the University of California, Merced. She was part of the campus's graduating class in 2010.

But this time will be markedly different. Umeh-Garcia is receiving a master’s degree in quantitative and systems biology, and she will represent the Class of 2013 at one of two commencement ceremonies scheduled for May 18 and 19.

Media Contact

Brenda Ortiz, Senior Public Information Representative

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Seals Attracted Grad Student to California

bortiz — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:34:33 +0000

May 13, 2013

Jose Pablo Vazquez-Medina, who earned his doctorate in Quantitative Systems Biology, landed a position as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania.

Born in central Mexico, the sea has long fascinated graduate student Jose Pablo Vazquez-Medina.

Now, he's hoping to figure out some of its secrets.

Media Contact

Scott Hernandez-Jason, Director of News and Social Media

Graduating Student Builds Confidence, Leadership Skills

bortiz — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:04:19 +0000

May 8, 2013

Senior sociology major Stephanie Toledo will be pursuing a master’s degree in public health at UC Davis.

Stephanie Toledo didn't want anything to get in the way of her academic success when she arrived at UC Merced.

The shy freshman wasn’t ready to consider clubs, social activities or other campus opportunities. But Toledo soon realized that she needed more than classwork to get the most from her college experience.

Media Contact

Brenda Ortiz, Senior Public Information Representative

Generous Gift to Support College Dreams for Generations

landerson4 — Mon, 06 May 2013 17:47:15 +0000

May 7, 2013

Donors Fred and Mitzie Ruiz creating endowment to honor the legacy of matriarch Rose Ruiz that will help students for years to come

Quick Facts

The Rose R. Ruiz Endowed Scholarship will help undergraduate and graduate students.

The funds are primarily for students who face specific obstacles in attaining higher education.

The endowed fund will last for generations.

Longtime UC Merced supporters Frederick R. and Mitzie Ruiz have made a generous gift to help generations of students through an endowed scholarship, named in honor of the woman who had a major impact on their lives.

The Rose R. Ruiz Endowed Scholarship and Fellowship Fund will support highly motivated undergraduate and graduate students who face obstacles such as financial difficulties, being first-generation college students and meeting California Dream Act standards.

Media Contact

Lorena Anderson, Senior Public Information Representative

Senior’s Post-Graduation Plans Include Developing Web Business

landerson4 — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:37:05 +0000

May 6, 2013

Tyler Shaddix’s house looks like most of the other houses on his block in a subdivision not far from the UC Merced campus.

It’s what’s inside that’s different – the home office of a startup company offering a web service that has, in less than a year, become very popular with government agencies, large companies and universities across the country and around the world.

Media Contact

Lorena Anderson, Senior Public Information Representative

Researchers Studying Valley Fever to Help Region

shernandez-jason — Wed, 01 May 2013 17:19:37 +0000

May 1, 2013

Professor David Ojcius

In an effort to combat a debilitating disease commonly found in the region, UC Merced researchers are collaborating with area medical leaders to better understand valley fever.

Media Contact

Scott Hernandez-Jason, Director of News and Social Media

Researcher Brings Billions of Years of Information to UC Merced

landerson4 — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:12:14 +0000

April 29, 2013

From the microbes in the guts of living things to the idea of life elsewhere in the universe, Professor Marilyn Fogel is pondering some of life’s deepest questions.

When and how did life originate on Earth? What does the future hold for our planet? Are we alone in the universe?

“When you go back through time, there are bits and scraps of life everywhere,” Fogel said. “It’s ubiquitous.”

Media Contact

Lorena Anderson, Senior Public Information Representative

Research Explains Why Electric Fields Puncture Biological Cells

shernandez-jason — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:58:43 +0000

April 26, 2013

Researchers discovered that the electric charge causes water molecules (oxygen is red and hydrogen is gray) to rearrange themselves to create a water bridge across the cell’s wall connecting the inside and the outside of a cell.

An exacting nanosecond jolt of electricity can briefly open a cell’s wall, allowing for the delivery of drugs or DNA.

Media Contact

Scott Hernandez-Jason, Director of News and Social Media

Mobile App Challenge Reproduces the Entrepreneurial Experience

bortiz — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:40:18 +0000

April 24, 2013

Corporate sponsors take competition to the next level by helping students turn their entrepreneurial ideas into viable businesses

Quick Facts

The winning team in UC Merced’s Mobile App Challenge will be announced April 26.

This year, 35 students on eight teams are competing for scholarship funding.

Corporate and foundation sponsors include AT&T, IBM and its Students for a Smarter Planet initiative, Womble Carlyle, Go Big and the Yadav-Ranjan Foundation.

After six months of intense planning and programming, the winning team of the Mobile App Challenge at the University of California, Merced, will be announced during a showcase finale April 26.

Media Contact

Brenda Ortiz, Senior Public Information Representative

130423mobileappchallengereleasefinal.pdf

Summer Research Program for Undergrads Aims for the Experience of a Lifetime

landerson4 — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:34:14 +0000

April 22, 2013

REU students get a unique experience in Yosemite.

Many universities offer the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, but they don’t have what UC Merced has to offer.

“Yosemite really draws people in,” said Professor Stephen Hart, one of the REU program leaders. “Other REUs might take students into the field, but not into a national park.”

Media Contact

Lorena Anderson, Senior Public Information Representative

Local Businesswoman Donates to Shape Student Leaders

bortiz — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:42:30 +0000

April 18, 2013

Margo Souza makes $1 million gift to campus to motivate students to take initiative and become civic-minded leaders

Quick Facts

A $1 million gift will help UC Merced produce ethical civic leaders of tomorrow.

The Margo F. Souza Leadership Center offers a wide-range of leadership initiatives, including conferences and guest-speaker events.

Margo Souza owned a 304-acre dairy ranch with more than 1,000 cows.

Spurred by a gift from a prominent dairy woman, the University of California, Merced, announced plans today for a center to promote leadership qualities among its diverse student population.

Margo Souza, former president and CEO of Turlock’s Circle H Dairy Ranch Inc., has pledged $1 million to establish The Margo F. Souza Leadership Center — a multi-faceted leadership program — housed within UC Merced’s Office of Student Life.

Media Contact

Brenda Ortiz, Senior Public Information Representative

130418margosouzagiftreleasefinal.pdf

Two Students Win Slots in Prestigious Assembly Internship Program

bortiz — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:47:09 +0000

April 17, 2013

Management major Leanne McKenzie and economics major Mustafa Nawabzada are interning at the California State Assembly chief clerk’s office.

Students Leanne McKenzie and Mustafa Nawabzada are getting an up-close look at the legislative process as the first-ever UC Merced interns in the California State Assembly chief clerk’s office.

Media Contact

Brenda Ortiz, Senior Public Information Representative

Campus Marks Earth Day with Festival of Fun and Education

landerson4 — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:29:38 +0000

April 15, 2013

Students play games and participate in Earth Day activities.

Sustainability being a campus hallmark, it’s no surprise the UC Merced campus takes Earth Day very seriously, even though the events planned are fun.

Each April 22, people around the country mark Earth Day, which began in 1970 and is seen by many as the start of the modern environmental movement.

Media Contact

Lorena Anderson, Senior Public Information Representative

Emotional Flexibility of Infant Sounds Proves Critical to Language Development

shernandez-jason — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:55:54 +0000

April 11, 2013

The appearance of functional flexibility early in the first year of human life may have been a critical step in the evolution of human language

Quick Facts

A paper published recently shows infants at 3 to 4 months old are able to use sounds to express how they feel about something, whether it’s positive, neutral or negative.

The appearance of functional flexibility early in the first year of human life is not only a critical step in developing vocal language, but it may have been a critical step in the evolution of human language.

Researchers studied nearly 7,000 sounds and faces the infants made to judge whether the expressions were positive, neutral or negative.

The squeals, vowel-like sounds and growls made by infants are critical to the development of human language, according a recent paper coauthored by a cognitive scientist at the University of California, Merced.

Media Contact

Scott Hernandez-Jason, Director of News and Social Media

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Book Reveals Sobering Consequences of the Party Pathway

shernandez-jason — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:38:51 +0000

April 9, 2013

"Paying for the Party" shows how a Midwest university accommodated the interests of socially oriented and out-of-state students to the detriment of students from less privileged backgrounds.

Quick Facts

"Paying for the Party: How College Maintains Inequality," a new book from Harvard University Press, was coauthored by a UC Merced professor.

The two authors spent one year living in a residence hall, witnessing firsthand the ways in which women’s outcomes were, in part, organizationally produced.

To dismantle the party pathway, the coauthors offer several proposals, including eliminating the Greek system or reducing its impact by empowering other student groups, and offering more social options on campus.

Many large state universities fail in their mission to create social mobility, instead perpetuating inequality by catering to privileged students rather than focusing on student success, according to a new book coauthored by a professor at the University of California, Merced.

Media Contact

Scott Hernandez-Jason, Director of News and Social Media

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Engineering a Garden Takes a Campus Community

landerson4 — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:44:57 +0000

April 8, 2013

As everyone knows, space is limited on the UC Merced campus.

But with a little money and a lot of persistence, Engineers for a Sustainable World has found a way to carve out a little room for a community garden.

Media Contact

Lorena Anderson, Senior Public Information Representative

Applied Math Professors Expanding Knowledge About Biology

landerson4 — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:23:55 +0000

April 3, 2013

Karin Leiderman, left, and Suzanne Sindi, use mathematics to answer biological questions.

Professor Suzanne Sindi found her calling in seventh grade, while reading “Jurassic Park.”

“I liked the idea that math is a tool for understanding the whole world,” she said.

Media Contact

Lorena Anderson, Senior Public Information Representative