Energy & Environment

UC Merced Aerial Picture
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
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
A Major Step Forward for UC Merced's Agricultural Experiment Station
November 25, 2024
The first four faculty members named to UC Merced's Agricultural Experiment Station look to make a big impact on farming in the San Joaquin Valley and beyond. Mechanical engineering Professor Reza Ehsani, civil and environmental... Read More
Study of Sugar Pines Reveals Urgent Issue in Protecting Forests from Climate Change
November 20, 2024
Sugar pines are the tallest pine species in the world, and they only grow along the West Coast of North America. They are a valued source of timber with cones as large as an adult’s forearm. But they face several problems that a new paper... Read More
Alice Waters Institute Challenges Student Chefs to Get Creative
October 28, 2024
Student employees in UC Merced’s dining centers got an up-close look at the sustainable techniques at a family almond farm and were challenged to create locally sourced dishes as part of a workshop inspired by an internationally famous... Read More
Global CO2 emissions from forest fires increase by 60%
October 17, 2024
A major study publishing Friday in Science reveals that carbon dioxide emissions from forest fires have surged by 60% globally since 2001, and almost tripled in some of the most climate-sensitive northern boreal forests. UC Merced faculty... Read More
Study: Climate Change Extends Drought Recovery by at Least Three Months
October 17, 2024
A group of researchers at UC Merced has found that climate change means it takes about three months longer for California to recover from drought, and probably longer. “Climate change has fundamentally changed the odds of getting out of... Read More
Valley Air Quality, Public Health the Focus of UC Merced Conference
October 15, 2024
Scientists, policymakers and concerned community members will gather at UC Merced this week to compare notes and chart new directions to improve air quality and public health in the San Joaquin Valley. The Conference on Air Quality and... Read More
As California Develops More Clean Energy, Researchers Delve Into How to Store it
September 4, 2024
As California lawmakers consider a package of bills aimed at increasing the production of clean energy, a major question arises: How would we store all this new power? Storage is a vital issue because while the state can create plenty of... Read More
Researchers Accurately Model Animals’ Hunting, Scavenging Behavior
August 14, 2024
A group of UC Merced researchers modeled predation behaviors, as well as changes in those behaviors, among large carnivores, developing a new theory that will help biologists assess the health of various ecosystems. Department of Life and... Read More