All Stories

UC Merced Aerial Picture
UC Merced's First Emergency Manager Laura Rodriguez-Mascorro Comes Prepared
December 4, 2019
Emergencies can come in many forms, from a burst pipe that causes a flood, to a major earthquake, to a threat of violence. No matter its character, Laura Rodriguez-Mascorro will make sure the campus is ready. Rodriguez-Mascorro joined UC... Read More
UC Merced Aims to Draw 1,000 Donors in a Day with ‘Give Tue UC Merced’ Campaign
December 2, 2019
Jose Nava-Mejia hopes to work in renewable energy after he graduates from UC Merced. That means every moment spent on his environmental energy courses is a moment invested in the planet’s future. Kelsey Duggin hopes to use her microbiology... Read More
New Director of Medical Education Ready to Unleash Valley’s Untapped Potential
December 2, 2019
Dr. Thelma Hurd’s journey in medicine has taken her from New Jersey to Nigeria, with stops in Texas and Buffalo. Along the way, she gathered experience as a clinician, public health researcher and translational scientist. Her proficiency... Read More
New Chief Human Resources Officer Nicole Pollack returns to her Valley roots
November 19, 2019
Nicole Pollack is happy to be home. After a few years in the Bay Area, the longtime Turlock resident is back in the San Joaquin Valley and diving into her new role as UC Merced’s chief human resources officer and assistant vice chancellor... Read More
Researchers Aim to Solve the Unsolvable to Predict the Unseeable
November 18, 2019
A pair of UC Merced researchers are combining computational chemistry and machine learning principles to solve what seems to be an intractable problem at the heart of quantum mechanics: predicting the movement of electrons, also known as... Read More
Star Student and NASA Standout Preparing for a Stellar Future
November 12, 2019
Like many young women, Calista Lum absorbed the message that she was not as capable as her male peers when it came to science, technology, engineering and math. Teachers in her Fairfield high school engineering classes often asked if male... Read More
Men's Soccer Wins Cal Pac Title
November 12, 2019
The UC Merced men's soccer team won their second straight California Pacific Conference title and earned an automatic berth to the 2019 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Opening Round. The team will be the top seed in the California... Read More
Chancellor Brostrom Welcomes Maria Echaveste for Conversation on Democracy
November 6, 2019
At a time of dramatic political division in our society, the role of universities — as places where people can connect with others and explore ideas — is more important than ever, according to Maria Echaveste, the featured guest for a... Read More
Physicist Found His Path to the Future at UC Merced
November 4, 2019
When Denzal Martin started his undergraduate work at UC Merced, he wasn’t thinking about a career in physics, interning with NASA or attending graduate school. The Los Angeles native was studying computer science and engineering. One day,... Read More
Lab Works to Understand Molecular Motors and Cholesterol’s Relation to Alzheimer’s
November 4, 2019
Professor Jing Xu and her students study extremely tiny motor proteins, but their work could make a huge contribution to the growing body of knowledge about Alzheimer’s and other diseases that progressively destroy brain tissue. Alzheimer'... Read More
Researchers Look to Wetlands to Increase Delta Water Quality
November 4, 2019
UC Merced Professor Peggy O’Day hopes to improve water quality in the California Delta by studying local wetlands. O’Day is leading a new three-year study of Merced County wetlands that drain into the San Joaquin River and eventually the... Read More
Maria Echaveste, Former Senior White House Official, Set to Visit UC Merced
November 1, 2019
American democracy is an evolving force, one on the edge of peril, and the future of our government depends on how — and whether — individual Americans choose to be part of it, says Maria Echaveste, a distinguished public policy advocate... Read More
Brostrom Delivers Annual University Address, Welcomes New Trustees
November 1, 2019
The UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees welcomed six new members, and an alumni representative, on Wednesday during their fall meeting on campus. The Foundation welcomed: Sally Bednar, Managing Director, Wells Fargo Securities, New York... Read More
Water Yield from Forest Thinning Depends on How, Where and How Much
October 30, 2019
Even a little forest management significantly increases water runoff in the Central Sierra Nevada and other semi-arid regions, while drier forests need more extensive treatments, according to a new study published recently in the journal... Read More
Political Scientist Trounstine Appointed Inaugural Endowed Presidential Chair
October 29, 2019
Political science Professor Jessica Trounstine has been awarded the inaugural UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees Presidential Chair. This chair was created to recognize the excellent contributions of a faculty member in a field of... Read More
UC Merced Named a Top “Green College” by Princeton Review
October 28, 2019
UC Merced has been named one of the best schools for environmental sustainability and quality of campus life, placing 20th on The Princeton Review’s list of top 50 “green colleges.” Nearly 700 schools with strong commitments to green... Read More
Open Enrollment Period Offers New Options for Staff, Faculty
October 28, 2019
A new supplemental health insurance option and a realignment of prescription medications covered under PPOs are among the featured changes in benefits for UC Merced staff and faculty members as the one-month period of Open Enrollment... Read More
Dawson Wins Harriet Tubman Prize for Book on Aquatic Culture of African Diaspora
October 24, 2019
As a child, Kevin Dawson traveled from California to visit his grandmother in Harlem, where he recalls playing in Jackie Robinson Park. Dawson, an avid swimmer and surfer, would peer through a fence with his cousins to check out the park’s... Read More
UC Merced Celebrates Bobcat Pride During Homecoming Weekend
October 24, 2019
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UC Merced hosted its annual Homecoming celebration last weekend. Current and prospective students and their families, as well as members of the community, took part in the Campus and Community Showcase, including face painting, inflatables... Read More
Students Bring Death to Life in Annual Downtown Dia de los Muertos Celebration
October 23, 2019
Death is a part of life, a loss surrounded typically by mourning and grief. But what if the passing of a loved one were also a transition to be celebrated? That is the sentiment behind Dia de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead,” in Mexican... Read More