News

NASA-funded Biodiversity Research Project Launches in South Africa

October 18, 2023

Understanding and conserving biodiversity, or the variety of life in ecosystems, is key to sustaining life on Earth. A research project funded by NASA that is launching this week in South Africa, co-led by UC Merced environmental engineering Professor Erin Hestir, is aimed at better understanding...

New Project Focuses on Women of Color in the Geosciences Throughout the UC

October 17, 2023

Although there has been a lot of talk this summer about paleoecology Professor Sora Kim’s research on the now-extinct megalodon shark, there is another focus to her work: BAJEDI, or belonging, access, justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded...

Future of Water in California - Bleak or Promising? A Discussion

October 12, 2023

Water is the most valuable resource in the world. And it's a particularly important commodity in the Central Valley, historically a desert but also home to some of the richest agricultural soil on Earth. The UC Merced Library and Secure Water Future co-hosted an event to discuss water policy in...

Campus and Academic Growth Highlighted in UC Merced State of the University Address

October 12, 2023

Distinguished rankings, new academic offerings, world-class research and campus expansions were among the highlights of the UC Merced State of the University address delivered by Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz. "The state of this 20-year-old institution is unparalleled in the history of American...

Martín-Rodríguez Recognized for Eminent Scholarship

October 9, 2023

Founding faculty member and distinguished literature Professor Manuel M. Martín-Rodríguez is being honored for his contributions to Chicano/Latino studies with the Don Luis Leal award, considered the most important in the area of literary studies. Martín-Rodríguez is the youngest scholar to...

Aguirre-Muñoz Brings Biliteracy Education Resources to Livingston

October 5, 2023

Cognitive Science Professor Zenaida Aguirre-Muñoz has a passion for biliteracy that has driven her to improve the quality of learning in both English and Spanish at schools in Texas and Central California. A $3 million National Professional Development grant from the U.S. Department of Education...

UC Merced Launches First Writing Studies Major Cohort

October 2, 2023

Writing is still the most important, and most-used, form of communication in the world. "Writing is crucial in that it's both a product and a process. It's in the fabric of what we do," said Paul Gibbons, teaching professor of writing studies at UC Merced. "Writing is a way of doing things in the...

How to Tap Into Your Hispanic/Latinx Heritage at UC Merced

September 28, 2023

More than half of UC Merced's population is made up of Hispanic/Latinx students. There is no shortage of ways for Bobcats to get in touch with their roots on campus, in the community and even around the globe. Taste of Latinx Cultures UC Merced Dining Services is celebrating cultura with meals...

New Major Trains Students to Tell the Planet’s Urgent Stories

September 28, 2023

Compelling storytelling is vital to ensuring the action needed to secure a habitable planet for future generations, according to an increasing amount of research. UC Merced is recruiting students now to become the next environmental storytellers. Students who are interested in creatively conveying...

HACU Leadership Cohort an ‘Exciting Opportunity to Learn,’ Ortiz Says

September 26, 2023

Physiology Professor Rudy M.Ortiz has been named a Fellow in this year's cohort of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities’ Leadership Academy (La Academia de Liderazgo). The program is designed to increase diverse representation in executive and senior-level positions in higher...