Research

UC Merced Aerial Picture
Relax: Benefits of Leisure Go Beyond the Moment
March 19, 2015
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Doing the things you enjoy can be good for your health, according to a new study by Professor Matthew Zawadzki, a health psychologist with the University of California, Merced.    The study, published in the Annals of... Read More
Six UC Merced Students Awarded UC Food Initiative Fellowships
December 9, 2014
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As part of the University of California Global Food Initiative, 54 students — including six from UC Merced—have been awarded fellowships to fund projects that will address issues ranging from community gardens and food pantries... Read More
Ph.D. Student Beats Odds to Put Science and Community First
December 1, 2014
Ruben Rodriguez (left) with fellow grad student Jackie Minas
The odds were stacked against Ruben Rodriguez. When the 27-year-old UC Merced student was still in high school, he was confronted with a sobering statistic that Hispanics receive only 5 percent of all doctorates awarded. “That... Read More
Diverse Physics Group Achieves Milestones with Focus on Innovation
November 26, 2014
The new physics graduate group offers a variety of research possibilities.
From understanding how groups of atoms behave at ultra-low temperatures to modeling how flocks of birds organize, UC Merced's Physics group is helping solve many of the world's mysteries and using the knowledge to improve... Read More
Researchers Delve into Valley Fever from All Angles
November 24, 2014
One of the ways people contract valley fever is by breathing in agricultural dust from soil where the fungus is present.
Note: This story originally appeared in the Fall 2014 issue of UC Merced Magazine. Before it infects humans who breathe it in, the fungus that causes valley fever changes shapes in the environment. Once infected, some people fight it off... Read More
NIH Supports Professor’s Work in Inhibiting HIV Infection
November 19, 2014
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Biochemistry Professor Patricia LiWang calls it a stroke of luck that she has become enmeshed in HIV research, but her developments are no accident. The National Institute for Health (NIH) apparently agrees, awarding her more than $2.3... Read More
Professor’s Soil Research Digs Up Many More Questions
November 5, 2014
Professor Hart measures soil emissions in the Sierra.
When people get near California’s giant sequoias, they usually look up.   But Professor Steve Hart looks down, and what he finds beneath the trees has intrigued him.   The trees, some of which could be more than 3,000... Read More
Campus, Community Programs Join to Prevent Obesity in Families
November 3, 2014
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In an effort to combat the increasing rates of obesity among Latino residents, the University of California, Merced and the Merced County Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program will join forces. Funded by a three-year, $90... Read More
Professor’s Research to Examine Whether Copper Plays Role in Alzheimer’s Disease
October 29, 2014
Professor Masashi Kitazawa and the students in his lab are researching the links between copper and Alzheimer's disease.
Professor Masashi Kitazawa wants to figure out if any environmental factors increase the risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease – specifically, whether elevated levels of copper in drinking water play a role. A new $2.6... Read More
Nobel Laureate Offers Chemistry Seminar
October 29, 2014
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Professor K. Barry Sharpless of Scripps Research Institute and the 2001 winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry, will offer a chemistry seminar at UC Merced at 3 p.m. Friday in COB 120. His pioneering work on asymmetric catalysis, which... Read More