Key points: • Researchers found that heat waves are a critical enabler and driver of wildfire-burned areas across the western U.S. • The findings suggest that heat waves contribute not only to increased flammability, but to longer burn periods and increased lightning. • Burned area in forests during

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine calls for the U.S. Department of Energy to develop innovative technology and infrastructure at the intersection of the nation's water and energy systems. The country's energy and water systems are profoundly

Electrical engineering Professor Qian Wang has received a CAREER award for her research into quantum computing. She is the 42nd researcher from UC Merced to earn a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). CAREER awards are among the NSF's most prestigious awards. They are given

UC Merced prides itself on its high social mobility ranking (No. 3 among public schools in the country, according to the Wall Street Journal). Social mobility is defined as the ability to move between socioeconomic tiers. But what does that mean, really? Well, you might look to Eduardo Savala

A doghouse built by Bobcats for a famous beagle beat out a fairytale structure hammered together by Bears. UC Merced's student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers took part in the annual Timber-Strong Design Build competition in April, going up against UC Berkeley in a day-long

After a couple of years of sufficient water, much of California is showing "abnormally dry" conditions in spring 2026, according to the state drought monitor. And as climate change adds more swings between wet and dry conditions, researchers are working on ways to better identify, predict and manage

Editor's note: This story is republished from the Spring/Summer 2026 issue of UC Merced Magazine. Walk across UC Merced’s campus on any weekday, and you might hear laughter spilling from a classroom, feel the thrum of a wind tunnel or spot students crouched in a field searching for mushrooms. Not

A recent celebration marked important anniversaries for two partners in research and innovation, but both emphasized that the most exciting events still lie ahead. The commemoration at UC Merced on Main marked 25 years of the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society

Services are set Sunday afternoon for Professor YangQuan Chen, whose contibutions to UC Merced's School of Engineering and to the university as a whole will endure through programs he helped build, the research he advanced, and the many students and colleagues he inspired. Chen, a professor of

UC Merced is abuzz with celebration as students, families, friends, staff and faculty finish last-minute preparations for the largest commencement in university history. Across three outdoor ceremonies, 1,649 undergraduates and 112 graduate students will walk the stage at Spring Commencement 2026