Research

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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
Smokers Light Up More Cigarettes Following California COVID-19 Lockdown Order, Study Finds
May 27, 2021
The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has been felt around the world. COVID-19's grip has affected people's mental health and sense of what was once normal, prompting them to turn to new and familiar behaviors to help cope. According... Read More
Improved Molecular Tool Deepens Study of Gene-Cell Interaction
May 26, 2021
A group of researchers harnessing the power of light to control gene expression has dramatically improved its method, optimizing speed and precision, and opening new research avenues for scientists who employ optogenetics — the use of... Read More
Report Addresses Barriers to COVID-19 Vaccination in California
May 18, 2021
As news headlines continue to focus on seeing the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe. As of May 18, California has recorded more than 3.6 million confirmed cases of COVID-19,... Read More
Science Must Dig Deeper to Understand Climate Change’s Full Impact, Study Shows
May 17, 2021
Scientists often study the relationship of global warming and topsoil because soil is an important mediator of climate change. A newly released study indicates it’s critical to consider subsoil in climate-change research, too. A new paper... Read More