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UC Merced Achieves R1: Highest Tier of Research Classification
February 13, 2025
UC Merced has assumed its place in the top echelon of research institutions in the nation by earning R1 status from Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The announcement was made Thursday morning by the American... Read More
Student-driven Center Offers Safe Space for Community, Resources and Programs
February 13, 2025
This story is part of a series for Black History Month. Read more stories highlighting Black excellence at UC Merced. The Black Scholars Resource Center might be one of UC Merced’s best-kept secrets, although its leaders hope that... Read More
5 Questions for Indigenous Author of Acclaimed Memoir Coming to UC Merced
February 11, 2025
Deborah Taffa, an Indigenous author and educator whose book about growing up in a mixed-race home and struggling with social acceptance was hailed as one the best memoirs of 2024, will make a special visit to Merced this month. Taffa will... Read More
Nicotine and Cannabis Policy Center Enlists Wastewater Tests in Fight Against Smoking
February 10, 2025
UC Merced's Nicotine and Cannabis Policy Center has embarked on an innovative partnership with university researchers who can track an entire community’s health and habits with samples of human sewage. The project aims to determine... Read More
UC Awards Support Tackling Big Questions in Health, Physics, Agriculture and Climate
February 5, 2025
Faculty members at UC Merced are taking the lead on four Multicampus Research Program Initiatives (MRPI), working with colleagues around the University of California system to address challenges around labor and agriculture, active matter... Read More
Multinational Research Project Shows How Life on Earth can be Measured from Space
February 3, 2025
Measurements and data collected from space can be used to better understand life on Earth. An ambitious, multinational research project funded by NASA and co-led by UC Merced civil and environmental engineering Professor Erin Hestir ... Read More
Projects That Solve Problems Win Awards at I2G
January 31, 2025
Helping diplomats navigate new cultures, removing mircroplastics from stormwater and automating raisin processing: These are some of the projects awarded winning scores at UC Merced's fall Innovate to Grow event. Innovate to Grow, or I2G... Read More
World-spanning Art for Earth Kicks Off UC Merced Arts Spring Season
January 30, 2025
An exhibition that collects artistic visions from five continents and weaves them into a compelling plea to protect our planet has found the perfect home for the first few months of 2025. At least that’s how Grace Garnica, manager of UC... Read More
COVID Lockdown Disrupted Preschoolers’ Social Skills, Trailblazing Research Shows
January 29, 2025
Lockdowns. Social distancing. Shuttered schools and businesses. The COVID-19 pandemic and its sweeping disruptions set off a stampede of “what it’s doing to us” research, focused largely on schoolchildren. How were students’ academics... Read More
Give to UC Merced Campaign Tops $1.4 Million, Breaking Record for Third Year
January 26, 2025
Give to UC Merced, the university’s annual year-end fundraising campaign, was the most successful of its 11-year history, garnering nearly $1.43 million from 647 donors. The tremendous show of generosity far exceeded the original goal of $... Read More
Why the Battle Against Cancer Needs Awesome Video Games
January 23, 2025
Cancer is vicious. In 2025, it is expected to cause more than 618,000 U.S. deaths — nearly twice the combined populations of Merced and Modesto. Each year, almost half of this nation, young and old, is touched by the disease through... Read More
Program Helped Her Finish a Degree After 14 Years. Now She's Helping Others
January 22, 2025
It took Lilly Uvalle a few tries to complete her education at UC Merced. Uvalle started her collegiate career in the fall of 2010 after graduating from Buhach Colony High School in Atwater. "I did two years, my freshman and sophomore years... Read More
Novel Research Reveals Costs, Rewards for Youth Who Serve as Emotion Interpreters
January 13, 2025
Young people whose parents or caregivers aren’t acclimated to their community’s dominant language and culture play a valuable role in bridging communication gaps, including unspoken misunderstandings triggered by a gesture or facial... Read More
Former President Carter Inspired Many During Visit to UC Merced
January 9, 2025
In 2010, former President Jimmy Carter made his way to a young University of California, Merced campus to accept the Spendlove Prize in social justice, diplomacy and tolerance and to speak to the National Parks Institute. "This is an honor... Read More
2024: The Year in Photos
December 20, 2024
A lot happened in 2024. Thankfully, we have some very talented photographers to document it all! Enjoy this look back at some of the images of the past year.     
2024 Year in Review
December 19, 2024
2024 was a remarkable year for UC Merced. From groundbreaking research and academic excellence to inspiring student achievements and impactful community engagement, it has been a year of growth, innovation, and resilience. All of this was... Read More
Josiah Beharry Offers Unique Perspective as 50th Student Regent
December 18, 2024
First-generation doctoral student Josiah Beharry made history in 2023 when he was chosen as the first student regent from UC Merced. In addition to being the 50th student to serve on the Board of Regents that governs the University of... Read More
UC Merced to Celebrate Hundreds of Graduates at Fall Commencement
December 17, 2024
UC Merced will celebrate hundreds of graduates alongside their friends and families in the Art Kamangar Center at the Merced Theatre this weekend. There are 402 Bobcats set to participate in the fall commencement ceremonies in downtown... Read More
Chef’s Film Highlights Regional Farmers, Collaboration with Campus Dining
December 16, 2024
Recognizing food as both sustenance and a cultural experience that can evoke memories, cross boundaries and bring people together, seasoned chef and media personality Ed Porter recently brought his latest short film to UC Merced for an... Read More
Innovate to Grow Highlights Engineering, Software Capstone Projects
December 12, 2024
Innovate to Grow, or I2G as it’s known on campus, is a twice-a-year showcase for UC Merced engineering and computer science students demonstrating projects they have been developing. Students compete on teams that are judged by experts... Read More