Professor’s Himalayan Archaeological Finds Documented on ‘NOVA’

Join UC Merced Professor Mark Aldenderfer as he and his colleagues explore the world’s highest cave tombs, revealing new details about the lives of the people who settled the Himalaya, in the season premiere of “NOVA” on PBS.

In “Secrets of the Sky Tombs,” archaeologist Aldenderfer and fellow researchers from around the globe step back in time to learn more about the people who buried their dead in these hard-to-reach rock-cut caves.

Congratulations to #UCM2016, UC Merced's 11th Graduating Class

The campus posted 122 updates to social media over the weekend. Here is a curated collection of those and ones shared by members of our community.

Biologist Earns Prestigious Guest Professorship in Germany

David ArdellComputational biologist David Ardell has been awarded the 2016 Julius Kuehn Professorship by the academic senate of Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany.

Relax: Benefits of Leisure Go Beyond the Moment

Doing the things you enjoy can be good for your health, according to a new study by Professor Matthew Zawadzki, a health psychologist with the University of California, Merced. 
 

Discover Magazine Features Archaeologist’s Cave Research

Most archaeologists have to dig in the field, but Professor Holley Moyes digs deeper than most. Her research takes her more than 400 feet into the Belize underground, where ancient Maya caves hold evidence of rituals to appease gods of fertility and rain.

Ph.D. Student Beats Odds to Put Science and Community First

Ruben Rodriguez (left) with fellow grad student Jackie MinasThe odds were stacked against Ruben Rodriguez. When the 27-year-old UC Merced student was still in high school, he was confronted with a sobering statistic that Hispanics receive only 5 percent of all doctorates awarded.