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UC Merced Experts in Soil, Agriculture Join UC ANR

Mugshots of Mohammad Maharlooei and Lauren Hale are imposed over a photo of the Beginnings statue on the UC Merced campus.

Two UC Merced-affiliated scientists have joined University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Lauren Hale, a soil microbiologist in UC Merced's Department Life and Environmental Sciences, and Mohammad Maharlooei, an assistant professor of UC Cooperative Extension in agricultural waste management and bioenergy production, are among a number of recent hires by UC ANR as the organization works to address the pressing needs of people across California.

A landscape of burned-out trees near Lake Almanor in October 2025.

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...

Dublin High Grad Drawn to UC Merced’s Growth and Potential

This is part of a series of profiles of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2026 semester. Incoming UC Merced student Shrihan Lakinana is bringing a growth mindset, a passion for engineering and a deep appreciation for community to the Bobcat experience. Lakinana says his proudest...

California fire season has been quiet. A heat wave could change that fast

Editor's note: This story is republished from the Spring/Summer 2026 issue of UC Merced Magazine. Dr. Garima Handa's journey from an undergraduate at UC Merced to a physician specializing in interventional cardiology at Dignity Health in the Central Valley was a full circle one.  "Leaving ...

UC Merced graduate student Shariful Islam and Sean Dunfield of Tandem PV install a solar panel atop the SE2 building on campus.

Solar Company Partners with UC Merced to Test New Panels

UC Merced is no stranger to solar panels. The campus, built to be sustainable from the beginning, is home to thousands of them, and they provide a good chunk of the electricity that powers the university. But one very special panel was recently installed on the top of the Science and Engineering...

As North America grapples with destructive wildfires, ‘super’ El Niño may offer hope

Summer Program Helps First-Gen Student Take Flight Into Drone Research

When first-generation mechanical engineering student David Miguel arrived at UC Merced, he had no research experience, but a passion for engineering and a desire to learn. A former foster care youth from Los Angeles, Miguel had limited resources to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (...

Wildfire Smoke Chokes Eastern and Midwestern Cities as Air Pollution Soars to Dangerously High Levels

Students and Professor Ross Greer are pictured in his lab, holding a small car with a processor affixed to the top of it.

What Do Driverless Cars and Building Evacuation Routes Have in Common? A Lab at UC Merced

Step into Ross Greer’s lab — gingerly, because there’s a makeshift racetrack on the floor — and you will see multiple projects aimed at making autonomous vehicles smarter and safer. And these projects are getting global recognition. A team from the lab earned the top prize at the National...

Depicted is student Anthony Savala Alvarez, in a red cap and gown at his high school graduation, with a blue and gold graphic reading

Student from Modesto Ready to Make an Impact at UC Merced

This is part of a series of profiles of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2026 semester. Anthony Savala Alvarez comes to UC Merced this fall with several accomplishments under his belt: He graduated high school with a grade point average of 4.1, earned the California Seal of Biliteracy...

UC Merced researchers extract sewage samples from university system

UC Merced Scientists Use Sewage to Track Nicotine Use in Central Valley

Key points: Researchers successfully tested a technique that uses human sewage to measure the use of nicotine products such as cigarettes and vaping pens in a selected community. The project, led by scientists at UC Merced, can strengthen public health efforts by supplementing surveys about...

UC Merced faculty band G Street Revolution performing

All-faculty Rock Band Cuts Album at UC Merced Recording Studio

An all-faculty rock band formed in a professor’s garage a decade ago has released the first album produced at UC Merced’s digitally advanced recording studio. The album showcases the eight members of G Street Revolution. Their day jobs cross a spectrum of academics: engineering, sociology,...

Depicted is the UC Merced campus in the foreground, with smoke from a distant wildfire seen behind it on a blue sky.

Heat Waves Making Wildfires Worse in the Western United States

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...

Depicted is Project Nexus, a structure that holds solar panels over an irrigation canal in Hickman.

Regional Answers Best Option to Address Global Water, Energy Problems

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...

UC Merced Graduate Student Secures Fellowship in Climate Equity Work

When Isabelle Haddad, a Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Systems, looks ahead to the next chapter, her future is already coming into focus. The New York native participated in commencement in May and will defend her dissertation in August. She will then begin a one-year, full-time position on Aug....

Depicted is UC Merced graduate Eduardo Savala Alvarez, in a cowboy hat and stole on campus.

A Brand-New Degree and a Stellar Job Offer to Accompany it

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...

2025 costliest year on record for wildfires, study finds

Depicted are students in yellow vests and hard hats standing around and in a two-story Snoopy doghouse.

Bobcats Outbuild Bears in Timber Strong Competition

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...

Depicted are groups of people sitting at tabled and talking at UC Merced's Merced 2 Market event.

Projects to Make the World Better Promoted at Merced 2 Market

An artificial intelligence-powered system to ensure the safety of the elderly while still providing privacy. Wearable muscle monitoring to speed recovery from injury. A chemical-free method of putting out fires. A more effective way to detect methane leaks. These were just some of the projects...

Photo depicts dry, cracked land among weeds.

Can AI Help Predict and Manage Drought? UC Merced Researchers Explain in New Book

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...

A student hones communication skills by learning how to use comedy to deliver messages.

From Wild Mushrooms to Punchlines, Bobcats Learn in Out-of-the-Box Ways

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...