News

Elementary school students get a lesson in engineering and physics from undergraduates in the CalTeach program.

Students who arrive at UC Merced planning on specific careers often discover along the way that their interests — and strengths — are broader than they first imagined.

A new initiative called Education Tracks, or EdTracks, is designed to give students a flexible, low‑risk way to explore careers in education without delaying graduation or adding significant cost.

Depicted is a poster describing solar-over-canal Project Nexus in front of the actual structure.
What started as a premise in a UC Merced lab culminated with a commemoration of Project Nexus, California's first solar canal project. On Wednesday, state leaders gathered at the Project Nexus sites in Hickman and Keyes to celebrate the completion of the construction pilot, which demonstrates how...
Pictured are Professor Eva de Alba and members of her lab standing outside the Biomedical Sciences & Physics building at UC Merced.
Inflammation can be a good thing. When the human body is exposed to injury or infection, inflammation - which can result in redness, heat, swelling and pain as white blood cells fight threats - is the first line of defense. Inflammation helps fight bacteria, viruses and other pathogens and repair...
Depicted are postdoctoral researcher Sourabh Kumar and Professor Ashlie Martini in their lab.
Mechanical force can do more than just push things around - it can also trigger chemical reactions. A new review by researchers at UC Merced and Penn State brings together decades of work to explain how these reactions occur and why they matter for technologies ranging from pharmaceuticals to the...
At Bobcat Day 2026, a group of current students and mascot Rufus
A throng of people came to UC Merced on a crisp, blue-sky Saturday for Bobcat Day. More than 7,000 were registered to attend the April 18 event for admitted and prospective first-year and transfer students, along with their families. The day was an opportunity for people to meet professors,...
Depicted is César Armando Puente Garza of Tecnológico de Monterrey, speaking at a podium at UC Merced on Main.
As crops go, agave holds a lot of promise for the northern San Joaquin Valley. The succulents thrive in hot sun, don't require much water and can be grown in the region's sandy soils. And though agave, mainly grown in Mexico, is best known as the source of tequila and mezcal, it has other uses that...
Alumnus Rahim Moulanazada works on the state capitol annex reconstruction.
Rahim Moulanazada’s path from Modesto to major construction projects across California has been shaped by persistence, family and a deep appreciation for collaboration. Moulanazada, 24, graduated from UC Merced in spring 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He now works as an...
Photo depicts Elizabeth Nowadnick, center, surrounded by members of her lab on campus at UC Merced.
It's no secret that artificial intelligence uses a lot of electricity. A standard ChatGPT query consumes approximately 0.34 watt-hours - roughly 10 times more than a Google search. According to the Pew Research Center, U.S. data centers consumed 183 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024 - more than...
Top 100 Best Graduate Schools ranking, two students in a lab
UC Merced saw broad gains in the U.S. News and World Report 2026 Best Graduate Schools rankings with graduate programs rising in national standing, reflecting the campus’s growing academic and research profile. UC Merced’s School of Engineering broke into the top 100 in the rankings, securing No....
Headshot Jacqueline Garcia
Most weekdays, civil engineering major Jacqueline Garcia travels 45 minutes each way from her hometown of Hughson to attend classes at UC Merced. “The perk is being able to pursue my undergraduate degree while still having a tie to home. It's been great having the campus here in the Valley,” she...
Depicted are Sen. Anna Caballero and the women recognized as
State Sen. Anna Caballero recently honored UC Merced bioengineering Professor Sushma Shrinivasan among the “Women Who Inspire” in 2026 for District 14. According to the senator’s office, Shrinivasan was honored for her continued contributions to education and for serving as an inspiration to girls...
The sign reads University of California, Merced
Professors Asmeret Asefaw Berhe and Ming-Hsuan Yang have been named 2025 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. They are among the nearly 500 scientists, engineers and...
Depicted is the sun in an orange sky framed by palm leaves.
Temperatures in the 90s are nothing new to the northern San Joaquin Valley. But having them in March, as expected this week, is unusual and potentially dangerous. An exceptionally strong ridge of high pressure will bring record-breaking heat to the entire region, the National Weather Service said....
Depicted are students holding an oversized check against a blue UC Merced background.
A company UC Merced has invested in to help build out its campus in turn is investing in the university's students. The foundation run by Turner Construction this week gave a $5,000 donation to the university's American Society of Civil Engineers student chapter. Clint Williams, business manager...
Group of individuals attending event with grads student presenting on stage
Ten UC Merced graduate researchers are gearing up to deliver the most intense three minutes of their academic careers. Each spring, master’s and Ph.D. students across the campus’s three schools are invited to participate in Grad Slam — a fast‑paced competition that challenges scholars to distill...
Depicted are the letters
Two UC Merced computer science and engineering professors will delve deep into artificial intelligence in projects with Amazon. Dong Li and Xiaoyi Lu earned Amazon Research Awards, the technology giant announced recently. Amazon Research Awards provide unrestricted funds and Amazon Web Services...

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