Campus

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San Diego County Student Trading Beaches for UC Merced's Intimate Feel

UC Merced is highlighting incoming students for fall 2022 — a dynamic, diverse and accomplished cohort of new Bobcats.

Robert St. Martin is proud of having been able to balance his studies, extracurricular activities and social life during his four years at Rancho Buena Vista High School in San Diego County. Several Advanced Placement courses and the marching and concert bands kept him busy.

As he prepares to start his journey at UC Merced this month, he knows the juggling act as a Bobcat will help mold him to go even further.

Hratchian Takes the Helm as Graduate Dean, Shares Vision for Division

July was a transition month for UC Merced’s Graduate Division as interim Vice Provost and Graduate Dean Chris Kello passed the baton to Professor Hrant P. Hratchian — an Armenian name pronounced Her-ahnt Heratch-yahn — who now leads the division.

“Dr. Hratchian’s appointment is another signifier of our momentum in research excellence,” said Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz. “He will be an essential leader and contributor as we accelerate our drive toward R1 status.”

Professor's New Film Featuring Campesino Artist to Premiere in Merced

The new film by filmmaker Yehuda Sharim, "El Ojo Comienza En La Mano" ("The Eye Begins in the Hand"), features the life work of Central Valley artist and muralist Rubén A. Sánchez.

Sharim, a professor in the Global Arts Studies Program, will be in conversation with Sánchez in the coming months as a way to premiere the work where it originated and needs to be shown first: Merced and other nearby locations.

UC Merced Hosts College Track Retreat

College Track recently held a retreat at UC Merced that brought almost 200 staff members from all over the country to the site to "reflect, renew and rise together."

New Bioinformatics Training Opportunity Opening for Undergraduates

Starting this fall, undergraduates interested in the biomedical sciences will have an opportunity to take part in a new and innovative training program that will give them strong foundations in computational biology, systems biology and big data analytics.

Incoming Atwater Student Drawing on Discipline and Training for College Success

UC Merced is highlighting incoming first-year students for fall 2022 — a dynamic, diverse and accomplished cohort of new Bobcats.

Lizet Martin-Martinez might not have had any family role models for her college career, but she has no problem kicking obstacles out of her way to reach her bright future.

Her father trained in martial arts when he was young and encouraged her to do the same so she could take care of herself. She has been studying martial arts for the past four years and is now a first-degree black belt.

Campus Names New Dean for the School of Engineering

After a nationwide search, Rakesh Goel was selected as UC Merced’s next dean of the School of Engineering.

Goel is a seasoned academic leader who currently serves as executive associate dean in the College of Engineering at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly).

Martini Named to Excellence in Engineering Chair

Mechanical engineering Professor Ashlie Martini has been awarded the Monya Lane and Robert Bryant Presidential Chair in Excellence in Engineering. She is one of two women to be appointed to endowed chairs in the School of Engineering this year.

Lane and Bryant, retired engineers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, established the endowment in 2019. Martini will serve as the inaugural chair holder.

Atwater Valedictorian Ready to Grow with UC Merced

UC Merced is highlighting incoming students for fall 2022 — a dynamic, diverse and accomplished cohort of new Bobcats.

Narciso Martinez Solorio applied to 31 colleges and universities, including UCs and Ivy League schools. After being accepted to most of them and thinking about his future, the Merced resident decided UC Merced is the perfect fit for him to continue his education in the fall.

"I want to experience something different. I want to be part of a growing university, and the moment I first visited the campus I knew I would fit in easily," he said.

Kurtz Appointed to Endowed Chair; Establishing New Electrical Engineering Major

Engineering Professor Sarah Kurtz has been awarded the Reno Ferrero Family Chair in Electrical Engineering, making her the second woman to hold an endowed chair in the School of Engineering.

"I am truly honored to have been chosen for this chair, not only because of the donor and his achievements, that because this is going to greatly further the electrical engineering program at UC Merced," Kurtz said.