Energy & Environment

UC Merced Aerial Picture
Campus Launches New Framework for Sustainable Practices
February 14, 2018
UC Merced has a new Sustainability Strategic Plan to help the campus further advance its sustainability goals. In 2016, the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability (CACS), and the Department of Sustainability (DOS) initiated a... Read More
Chancellor Touts Sustainability Efforts at Climate Leadership Summit
February 9, 2018
Chancellor Dorothy Leland joined fellow higher education leaders this week to discuss new climate action at the Second Nature 2018 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit in Tempe, Ariz. On Monday, Leland spoke as part of a four-member... Read More
Scientists Explain Mechanisms Affecting Runoff Levels During Drought
January 12, 2018
Scientists at UC Merced’s Sierra Nevada Research Institute (SNRI), UC Irvine, UC Davis and the USDA Forest Service have enumerated the mechanisms that serve as master regulators of streamflow and drought intensity by studying California’s... Read More
Study: Climate Change, Drought Threaten Giant Sequoias
November 9, 2017
A new study published online in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences finds that the giant sequoia, a fixture of California’s Sierra Nevada forests for the past 2.6 million years, might be in jeopardy from the effects of... Read More
Princeton Review Lists UC Merced Among Top Green Colleges
September 26, 2017
UC Merced is among the nation’s top schools for sustainability for the third straight year, according to the Princeton Review’s Guide to 375 Green Colleges, and achieved its highest score to date with 95 out of a possible 99 points. The... Read More
New Initiative Helps Students Explore Green Careers
September 18, 2017
When Chigoziri Ibechem attended her first planning commission meeting in downtown Merced last November, she had no idea where it might lead. After the meeting, the psychology major from Los Angeles was greeted by the city of Merced’s... Read More
Water Documentary Featuring SNRI Researchers to Premiere in Merced
September 11, 2017
A full-length documentary highlighting the relationship between water, food security and, ultimately, global security, features UC Merced researchers and is scheduled to premiere Sept. 14 in downtown Merced. “Beyond the Brink,” a new film... Read More
PG&E Funds Critical SNRI Work on Sierra Forest Resiliency
September 6, 2017
A team of UC Merced researchers was recently awarded $100,000 from Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to identify ways to improve drought resilience and reduce the risk of wildfire in Sierra Nevada forests. Professor Roger Bales,... Read More
Earth Scientist Targets Sexual Harassment With NSF Grant
August 29, 2017
Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe is a biogeochemist who studies the impact of climate change on Sierra Nevada soils. She’s also active in efforts to recruit and retain women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Those efforts... Read More
Massive Sensor Network Helps Scientists Monitor Mountain Water Resources
August 28, 2017
Scientists from the Sierra Nevada Research Institute, UC Merced, UC Berkeley and the USDA Agricultural Research Service have designed the first ever wireless sensor network (WSN) capable of accurately monitoring the hydrology of large... Read More