Research

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New AI Institute Expands UC Merced’s Smart, Sustainable Agriculture Effort
July 29, 2021
With a new $20 million federal grant, UC Merced becomes part of a multi-institutional research collaborative to develop artificial intelligence — or AI — solutions to tackle some of agriculture’s biggest challenges related to water... Read More
Computer Science and Engineering Professor, Students Improve Database Query Results with NSF Grant
July 28, 2021
Every time you surf the web, check your credit card balance, or even sign up for a class at UC Merced, you’re using a relational database. Relational databases are basically the back end of operating software, aggregating information and... Read More
Students Conduct Ag Tech Research on Campus for USDA Internships
July 21, 2021
While many are preparing to head off to college after an unprecedented year, a handful of students are already on UC Merced’s campus and working away in research labs. They’re part of the inaugural FACTS Bridge Program, a way for first-... Read More
Campus Wastewater Testing Offers COVID-19 Early Warning System, Establishes Protocols for the Future
July 8, 2021
COVID-19 upended life as we know it, especially among the science community. While some scientists rushed to develop a vaccine, others sought a better understanding of the virus, hoping to predict where the next outbreak might be in order... Read More
Strauss Foundation Winner, Recent Grad Works to Improve Wheelchair Accessibility
June 29, 2021
In July, Joseph Bello will present his findings for the prestigious Donald A. Strauss Foundation scholarship to United Spinal, the longstanding nonprofit dedicated to overcoming the stigma of disability and increasing inclusivity for... Read More
From Earth to Space and Back Again: Solar Samples Show Surprising Results
June 17, 2021
When physics graduate student William Delmas made samples of solar energy harvesting perovskite films two years ago, he had no idea that this summer, he’d be analyzing those same samples after they made a round trip to the International... Read More
Engineering Professor Awarded $1 Million NSF Award to Study Protein Folding
June 16, 2021
Proteins operate like biological machines, regulating nearly every major function and organ in our bodies through a still-mysterious shape-shifting process. Bioengineering graduate group chair Professor Victor Muñoz has a new $1,082,356... Read More
Rotary District Scholar to Conduct Sanitation Research in Haiti
June 9, 2021
With COVID-19 protections lifting, many people are eager to travel again. Among them is graduate student Elena Bischak, who is planning multiple trips to Haiti in the coming months to study improving sanitation and human waste processing... Read More
UC Merced Professor Studies How Best to Speed COVID-19 Recovery at Home
June 3, 2021
A UC Merced professor is collaborating with faculty from UCLA and the University of Illinois in a study that aims to find how people might best deal with COVID-19 at home. Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook, a professor of health psychology and the... Read More
Professor Hestir Turns NASA Technology Toward Earth’s Biodiversity
June 1, 2021
Half a world away from California’s Central Valley is a place with similar climate but an unparalleled diversity of plants, marine animals and ecosystems. From deserts to shrubland to montane forests, the diversity of life in South Africa’... Read More