All Stories

UC Merced Aerial Picture
Incoming Grad Students Get a Jump Start
August 19, 2021
While the campus remained quieter than usual this summer, a group of new graduate students began their UC Merced journey earlier than the rest of their cohort. On July 6, 19 incoming grad students began the six-week Competitive Edge Summer... Read More
Antibiotic Resistance Found in Insecticides Commonly Used in California
August 18, 2021
The over the counter, “safe,” organic-compliant insecticides people purchase at home-improvement stores could be causing a problem that goes far beyond the vegetable garden or farm field — antibiotic resistance. A new study from... Read More
Edwards Eager to Expand Father of Evolution’s Work
August 16, 2021
It has been 186 years since Charles Darwin collected the samples of the Galapagos Islands species that led to his explanation of how the diversity of life on Earth has evolved and forever changed the way we understand the world. During his... Read More
After 18-Month Closure Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, UC Merced Library Reopening Its Doors
August 12, 2021
Since opening its doors in August 2005, the UC Merced Library has served as the hub of the campus. That all changed when the coronavirus pandemic hit and the building was forced to close in March 2020. Now, the library is gearing up to... Read More
Trevor and Katherine Albertson Create New Fellowship to Support History Graduate Students
August 11, 2021
Trevor Albertson Ph.D. (’09) had a history of “firsts” during his time at UC Merced. Albertson was among the university’s earliest doctoral students, entering the then-World Cultures and History program in 2006 and earning his Ph.D. in... Read More
UC Merced Faculty Land Three UC-HBCU Grants, Most in System
August 10, 2021
The University of California Office of the President awarded three out of only seven UC-Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Initiative grants to UC Merced faculty members. The initiative has fostered faculty partnerships... Read More
Recent Ph.D. Grads Receive NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship
August 2, 2021
Quantitative Systems Biology Graduate Program alumni Kinsey Brock and Robert Boria were awarded Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Boria and Brock — both former members of... Read More
New AI Institute Expands UC Merced’s Smart, Sustainable Agriculture Effort
July 29, 2021
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... Read More
Computer Science and Engineering Professor, Students Improve Database Query Results with NSF Grant
July 28, 2021
Every time you surf the web, check your credit card balance, or even sign up for a class at UC Merced, you’re using a relational database. Relational databases are basically the back end of operating software, aggregating information and... Read More
Incoming Grad Students Awarded Inaugural Inclusive Excellence Fellowship
July 26, 2021
As part of its commitment to inclusive excellence in graduate research and education, UC Merced has awarded its new Chancellor’s Fellowship for Inclusive Excellence to four incoming Ph.D. students from the School of Social Sciences,... Read More
Students Conduct Ag Tech Research on Campus for USDA Internships
July 21, 2021
While many are preparing to head off to college after an unprecedented year, a handful of students are already on UC Merced’s campus and working away in research labs. They’re part of the inaugural FACTS Bridge Program, a way for first-... Read More
Engineering Professor Awarded NASA Grant to Study Impacts of Wildfires on California’s Coastline
July 20, 2021
California is known for its beautiful coastline, where the Pacific Ocean meets sandy beaches and rugged cliffs. While many scientists have studied the land or the ocean independently, less is known about the nexus of the two. Now with the... Read More
¡Vamos!: First Cohort to Begin New Bilingual Authorized Teacher Prep Program
July 19, 2021
Nearly 1.2 million students in California are not native English speakers, many coming from Spanish-speaking households. Transitioning to an English-speaking classroom can be difficult for these students, but UC Merced’s Teacher... Read More
Q&A: Alumnus Sang Hoang Founds Nonprofit to Fight Asian Hate and Injustice
July 14, 2021
Sang Hoang ('20) says he has had enough. The University of California, Merced alumnus is tired of seeing countless attacks on Asian Americans, which have only increased amid the coronavirus pandemic. To help bring light to these crimes,... Read More
Cows are Udderly Useful for Healthy Vegetation Management on Nature Reserve
July 13, 2021
Today is National Cow Appreciation Day, a “holiday” invented by a fast-food chain that sells a lot of "chikn." But it’s still a good opportunity to celebrate our neighbors to the northeast — even if being surrounded by cows wasn’t... Read More
Campus Wastewater Testing Offers COVID-19 Early Warning System, Establishes Protocols for the Future
July 8, 2021
COVID-19 upended life as we know it, especially among the science community. While some scientists rushed to develop a vaccine, others sought a better understanding of the virus, hoping to predict where the next outbreak might be in order... Read More
Strauss Foundation Winner, Recent Grad Works to Improve Wheelchair Accessibility
June 29, 2021
In July, Joseph Bello will present his findings for the prestigious Donald A. Strauss Foundation scholarship to United Spinal, the longstanding nonprofit dedicated to overcoming the stigma of disability and increasing inclusivity for... Read More
UC Merced Moves Up Eight Spots on International Young University Rankings
June 23, 2021
UC Merced continues to demonstrate academic success, as it was announced today (June 23) that the university ascended to No. 57 on the international 2021 Times Higher Education Young University Rankings, moving up eight places from last... Read More
From Earth to Space and Back Again: Solar Samples Show Surprising Results
June 17, 2021
When physics graduate student William Delmas made samples of solar energy harvesting perovskite films two years ago, he had no idea that this summer, he’d be analyzing those same samples after they made a round trip to the International... Read More
Engineering Professor Awarded $1 Million NSF Award to Study Protein Folding
June 16, 2021
Proteins operate like biological machines, regulating nearly every major function and organ in our bodies through a still-mysterious shape-shifting process. Bioengineering graduate group chair Professor Victor Muñoz has a new $1,082,356... Read More