All Stories

UC Merced Aerial Picture
Lip-reading Software Helps Users of All Abilities to Send Secure Messages
March 18, 2021
A computer science lab focused on making human-computer interaction easier for people of all abilities has developed a digital lip-reader complete with its own repair system so the software can continue learning from its user. LipType, a... Read More
Solar Panels Over Canals Can Save Money, Energy and Water, Study Shows
March 18, 2021
Covering the 4,000 miles of California’s water canals could save billions of gallons of water and generate renewable power for the state every year, according to a new study. The study was published in the journal Nature Sustainability.... Read More
With Kleckner’s Award, Physics Department Nabs its Third CAREER Grant This Year
March 16, 2021
Physics Professor Dustin Kleckner has received a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER award for his research — the third in his department this year. He studies how optical and acoustic binding controls interactions between/... Read More
UC Merced, MUHSD Announce Merced Automatic Admission Program
March 15, 2021
UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz, Ph.D., and Merced Union High School District Superintendent Alan Peterson formally signed the first Merced Automatic Admission Program (MAAP) for students at MUHSD who complete specific requirements... Read More
UC Merced Services Clear the Path for Incoming Students
March 15, 2021
A student can swing between confidence and uncertainty in the months between signing a university’s acceptance letter and the first day of classes. The people at UC Merced entrusted with helping smooth the path for Bobcats-to-be are... Read More
Mechanical Engineering Student Named the Campus’s First Rhodes Scholar
March 10, 2021
UC Merced master’s student Selina Brinkmann has been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship for study at Oxford University — a first for the campus. “A Rhodes Scholarship being awarded to one of our UC Merced engineering students is an amazing first... Read More
Active Matter Organization Earns Beller a CAREER Award
March 9, 2021
Physics Professor Daniel Beller has received a CAREER award for his research into how complex organization arises from simple physical interactions for biological cells or polymers assembled in large numbers. He is the 26th researcher... Read More
Mercury Control and Mitigation Research Earns Professor and Student Honors
March 8, 2021
Professor Marc Beutel and his graduate student Mark Seelos have been recognized for papers and a presentation on toxic mercury mitigation by the North American Lake Management Society. Beutel, an environmental engineer, co-wrote two of a... Read More
Female Faculty to Know on International Women’s Day
March 8, 2021
International Women’s Day is more than a day to celebrate the fantastic females around us. It is a day to reflect on the contributions women have made both socially and politically around the world. Women across the globe have used their... Read More
Q&A: Latinx Community Impacted by Food Insecurity During COVID-19
March 3, 2021
COVID-19 has left the food insecure population especially vulnerable. The pandemic has upset food supply chains and in turn, access to healthy and nutritious food has become even more difficult. A cadre of public health professors are... Read More
Bilingual Shakespeare Sets the Stage for Future Productions 
March 1, 2021
Shakespeare can feel stuffy and difficult to understand. Native English speakers often struggle with decoding the Bard’s works, so imagine how difficult it would be to appreciate Shakespeare if you spoke another language. This is the... Read More
New Researcher Revealing Important Processes Within Cells
February 23, 2021
A brand-new faculty member is shaking up the way researchers understand cellular systems. Computational biology Professor Bercem Dutagaci, who started at UC Merced in January, developed simulations of bacterial cells as a new way of... Read More
UC Merced Reaches Out with an All-Virtual Research Week
February 22, 2021
The question: What happens when UC Merced holds Research Week in the middle of a pandemic? The hypothesis: An annual, weeklong presentation of ground-breaking work reaches a big, new virtual audience. With the Research Week’s usual in-... Read More
Climate Change and Suppression Tactics are Critical Factors in Increasing Fires, Study Shows
February 18, 2021
The millions of people affected by 2020’s record-breaking and deadly fire season can attest to the fact that wildfire hazards are increasing across western North America. Both climate change and forest management have been blamed, but the... Read More
Inaugural Free Speech Week Kicks Off During Needed Time
February 17, 2021
When the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) began planning its first Free Speech Week a year ago, staff members couldn’t anticipate just how timely the event would be in 2021. Planning began in spring 2020 but the observation... Read More
Asthma Intervention Project Gets Green Light from Genentech Foundation
February 16, 2021
A new community health project addressing asthma issues in the San Joaquin Valley is underway thanks to a collaboration between UC Merced, UCSF and Camarena Health, supported by a grant from biotechnology giant Genentech’s foundation. The... Read More
Asthma Intervention Project Gets Green Light from Genentech
February 16, 2021
A new community health project addressing asthma issues in the San Joaquin Valley is underway thanks to a collaboration between UC Merced, UCSF and Camarena Health, supported by a grant from biotechnology giant Genentech. The project “... Read More
Q&A: Sociologist with Specialty in Right-Wing Movements on Free Speech and the First Amendment
February 10, 2021
Social justice movements and conspiracy theories have become a hallmark of our time, but how do we know which inflammatory statements are legally protected and which are not? Sociology Professor Nella Van Dyke sheds light on the legal and... Read More
Eight Stories to Read for Black History Month
February 8, 2021
Black History Month may feel different this February, after a year of the coronavirus and historic protests for social justice. While coming together couldn’t be more important, under current conditions few are able to gather to celebrate... Read More
Campus Health Experts Answer Pressing Questions About COVID-19 Vaccinations
February 5, 2021
The United States is implementing COVID-19 vaccine programs across the nation bringing hope for brighter days ahead. However, it also brings many questions. UC Merced’s Director of Medical Education Dr. Thelma Hurd and staff physician Dr.... Read More