Patty Guerra

UC Merced campus photo of sign

Just Taking Classes She Liked Points UC Merced Student to Graduate at 19

Areesha Tariq didn't intend to fly through college in two years.

As a student at El Capitan High School in Merced, Tariq enjoyed taking math and science classes. When she ran out of options there, she took courses through dual enrollment at Merced College. She earned associate's degrees in chemistry and biology.

She enrolled at UC Merced as a freshman, but the university had news for her: she would enter as a third-year student.

UC Merced Among First Campuses to Earn Carnegie Classification for Sustainability

Key Points

  • UC Merced is one of the first 14 institutions nationwide to earn the new Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability, recognizing its comprehensive commitment to sustainability and climate action.

  • The university is the only four-year California institution and the only UC campus to receive the classification, adding a fourth Carnegie recognition to its distinctions for research, student opportunity and community engagement.

Tour Highlights How UC Merced is a 'Sustainability Beacon'

Many organizations claim sustainability is baked into their DNA. Nowhere is that truer than at UC Merced, where the approach to sustainability, climate action and ecological conservation is part of everything from the buildings on campus to the research in its labs to the way it conducts business.

Recently, the university and the U.S. Green Building Council Central California hosted a tour showcasing the university's leadership in sustainable design and green business practices throughout the Central Valley.

Hispanic Heritage Month Kicks off at UC Merced

UC Merced's Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations got off to a lively, colorful start on Tuesday, with a performance by Mariachi Los Bobcats, food and tabling in the university's Conference Center.

Attendees received a Loteria-themed T-shirt and were entered into a raffle drawing for a special deck and player cards of the Mexican bingo-like game.

Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated nationally from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, recognizes the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to history, culture and advancement.

Technology Revolution in Agriculture Needs Investment in Humans as Well as Machines

 Key Findings:

  • Interest in agricultural technology is here. Among 10,856 respondents from Central Valley agricultural communities, 16.5% expressed interest in agtech training, more than three times those interested in general agriculture programs.

  • The challenge is not motivation; it is access. The study says childcare, internet connectivity and flexible scheduling as core constraints on participation in technical education..

NASA Administrator Offers UC Merced Students a Glimpse of Their Future

It might seem that an airfield filled with old planes is a strange place to talk about the future of space flight. But Jared Isaacman, the administrator of NASA, said the Castle Air Museum was the perfect setting to talk about what's ahead.

Isaacman visited the former Air Force base last week to tour the planes and talk with students, including a contingent of more than 30 from UC Merced. The group included undergraduate and graduate students, members of the university's first nanosatellite team, and faculty conducting NASA-supported research.

COSMOS Completes First Summer Session at UC Merced

Dozens of California high school students recently finished four weeks on the UC Merced campus, where they delved into topics including nanoparticles, digital twins, bioluminescent squids, and quantum physics.

UC Merced Team Wins International EV Design Competition

Imagine driving down a road in an electric vehicle with no charging stations in sight. Do you want only an estimate of how many more miles your car can go before the battery dies?

As electric vehicles proliferate throughout much of the world, it's never been more important to know precisely how much charge is left in their batteries.

Early Ambition, Hard Work Lead to Graduating UC Merced at 19

A few months ago, Adesh Johal wanted to join Patti LiWang's research group.

"At the time, he was loaded up on credits so it didn't seem like he would have enough time to get much done in lab," said LiWang, a professor of molecular biology at UC Merced.

How Much Does Wildfire Reduce Forest Water Use and Increase Runoff?

Wildfire is reshaping the forests of California's Sierra Nevada and affecting the water those forests supply to downstream users.

A paper published in Hydrology and Earth System Science reports that the effect of wildfire on potential runoff from the state's main water-supply watersheds has increased in the period 1985-2023, most markedly since 2019.