Energy & Environment

UC Merced Aerial Picture
National Academy of Engineers Elects Kurtz Into Its Ranks
February 13, 2020
Professor Sarah Kurtz has become the first UC Merced faculty member to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in recognition of her contributions to the development of gallium indium phosphide/gallium arsenide... Read More
Potential of Electric Vehicles Tied to Solar Research
January 6, 2020
Not spending money on gas, oil changes, and tune-ups and not producing harmful greenhouse gas emissions is enough to sell many people on plug-in electric cars. But many consumers won’t bite until they’re assured that electric cars can go... Read More
Research Partnership Uses Compost to Tackle Climate Change
December 17, 2019
A thin layer of compost applied to grasslands could help fight climate change by capturing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in the soil, recent research shows. UC Merced Professor Rebecca Ryals and a team of researchers,... 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
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
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
Berhe Named to Endowed Chair in Recognition of Her Work in Soil Sciences
October 21, 2019
Soil biogeochemistry Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe has been named the Ted and Jan Falasco Chair in Earth Sciences and Geology. “The Falasco family is engaged in construction and development, so they have an intimate connection with and... Read More
RadioBio Breaks Down Science Through the Airwaves
October 15, 2019
Audio has become a top form of entertainment over the past several years, in large part due to the rising popularity of podcasts. UC Merced graduate students are seizing the opportunity to help improve science literacy. A group of... Read More
Valley Fever the Focus of Public Event
October 7, 2019
UC Merced is offering the opportunity for Valley residents to learn what clinicians and researchers know about Valley fever, an airborne fungal infection that can have serious, even fatal, consequences for people across California and the... Read More
Alumna Tackles Eco-Evolutionary Research on the California Coast
September 26, 2019
Lauren Schiebelhut credits the support and opportunities afforded to her at UC Merced with opening the door to her research career. Schiebelhut — a first-generation transfer student from Fresno — earned a bachelor’s degree in biological... Read More