Students

Jefferson Kuoch-Seng is now the official voice for the University of California’s roughly 240,000 students — the first UC Merced student ever to serve in that role.

Most UC Merced students have the desire to help shape the university — whether it’s the culture or the curriculum. Rocco Bowman was no different.

Professor Masashi Kitazawa wants to figure out if any environmental factors increase the risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease – specifically, whether elevated levels of copper in drinking water play a role.

A new $2.6 million, five-year grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences will fund his research, making what was a side project into a full-blown exploration.

With psychiatrists in short supply throughout the community, UC Merced is leveraging modern technology to expand that service to students.

How patients perceive and talk about their illnesses can have an impact on how they recover and heal, according to a growing area of health research being furthered by UC Merced health psychology Professor Jitske Tiemensma.

"It should be a team effort to treat a patient. Medical doctors often have no idea about the psychological consequences of disease," she said. "It's really important for them to have close ties to health psychologists."

UC Merced is recruiting three students to be part of the UC Global Food Initiative, which aims to address how to sustainably and nutritiously feed a world population expected to reach 8 billion by 2025.

The campus has three $2,500 food fellowships open to undergraduate and graduate students, and applications are being accepted through Sept. 30 on Chancellor Dorothy Leland's website. The recipients will be announced in mid-October. The proposal will be evaluated on how they can advance the UC Global Food Initiative.

The University of California, Merced, marks a major milestone today with the start of the 2014-15 academic year – its 10th since opening its doors in 2005 as the first new UC campus in 40 years.

“We begin the year with our strongest class of incoming freshmen and the largest and most diverse student body in our history,” said UC Merced Chancellor Dorothy Leland. “The hopes and aspirations of these talented young scholars serve as a poignant reminder of why UC Merced was established and the promise it holds for many generations to come.”

UC Merced researchers will develop a virtual center to support parents and caregivers, as well as health and other professionals in detecting and treating Merced County children with developmental disorders, work made possible by a grant from First 5 Merced County.