Energy & Environment

UC Merced Aerial Picture
¿Field Curious? Smashes Barriers to Outdoor Science
January 8, 2024
When Carlos Martinez was growing up in Southern California, his experience outdoors largely consisted of the irrigated lawns and tidy trees of his local park. Camping and hiking were not in his family’s recreational repertoire. Meanwhile,... Read More
Researcher Among the World's Most Highly Cited for the Fourth Straight Year
December 19, 2023
Distinguished Professor Martin Hagger from the Department of Psychological Sciences has been awarded one of this year’s Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher awards. He is one of four researchers from UC Merced to receive the award, and... Read More
New Partnership Offers Ph.D. Students a Path to Pedagogical Excellence
December 4, 2023
Graduate student Samuel Leventini comes from a long line of educators, and the tribology researcher thinks he might want to follow in those footsteps. Thanks to a new supplemental grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Leventini... Read More
Climate Change to Drive Surge in Insects that Attack Almonds, Peaches, Walnuts
November 29, 2023
As a result of climate change, the Golden State's farms are expected to face a surge in agricultural pests, which poses a threat to California's specialty crops industry. Populations of three major insect pests – codling moth, peach twig... Read More
Grant Funds Research into Wildfire Behavior and Ecological Effects of Fuel Treatments
November 22, 2023
A grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) will fund a project led by a UC Merced researcher looking into predicting behavior of wildfires. Jeanette Cobian-Iñiguez is leading a team from UCs Merced and Irvine awarded $1,179,479 to... Read More
Research Team Explores the Effects of Climate Catastrophes on Different Species
November 15, 2023
How different species of animals respond to extreme weather events — which are increasing because of climate change — appears to be related to body size and habitat preference, a new study shows. When extreme weather causes widespread... Read More
ARCS Scholars Work to Advance STEM Research
November 13, 2023
Four UC Merced graduate students can focus fully on their research and academic studies this year thanks to a generous gift from the Northern California Chapter of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation. ARCS, a... Read More
UC Merced Team Picked for Federal EV Battery Competition
November 8, 2023
A team from UC Merced has been selected to participate in the Department of Energy (DOE) "BattChallenge," a three-year competition to develop a battery for an electric vehicle. Mechanical engineering Professor Ricardo Pinto de Castro is... Read More
Labor, Community-based Groups Key to Addressing Climate Challenge, Study Shows
November 2, 2023
One of the major challenges of this century is democratically engaging institutions and large numbers of people with strategies to mitigate global warming by minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. A new study by sociology Professor Paul... Read More
NASA-funded Biodiversity Research Project Launches in South Africa
October 18, 2023
Understanding and conserving biodiversity, or the variety of life in ecosystems, is key to sustaining life on Earth. A research project funded by NASA that is launching this week in South Africa, co-led by UC Merced environmental... Read More