News

More Than 1,300 Bobcats Will Cross the Stage During UC Merced Commencement Weekend

May 7, 2024

More than 1,300 students plan to participate in UC Merced's Spring 2024 Commencement, celebrated with three distinct ceremonies on the campus's Recreation Field. The first ceremony honors Graduate Division students and will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, May 10. There will be 27 master's candidates...

USDA UC Merced FARMERS Program Teams Up with Local FFA

May 6, 2024

In an exciting initiative to foster community collaboration and academic mentorship, the USDA UC Merced's FARMERS Facilitating Agriculture-Related Mentoring for Emerging Research Scholars Program partnered with El Capitan High School's Future Farmers of America chapter. This academic year, FARMERS...

My UC Merced Journey, Class of 2024

May 3, 2024

As senior Bobcats prepare to walk the stage this weekend, we asked them to reflect on their own personal journeys at UC Merced. In response, we received stories of growth, self-exploration and change. The next chapter in their lives will bring on a whole new slate of experiences, and whether they...

Happy Birthday to Undergrad Journals that Spark Students’ Aspirations

May 1, 2024

It’s a pair of special birthdays for UC Merced’s two student-run journals for undergraduates. The Vernal Pool , which publishes creative stories, poems and images, turned 10 this academic year. Meanwhile, it’s the sweet 16th for the Undergraduate Research Journal , which provides an early taste...

Author Jorge Cham Simplifies Science in an Entertaining Way

May 1, 2024

“Raise your hands if you want to know a secret,” acclaimed author and cartoonist Jorge Cham instructed a crowd of young children. Hundreds of tiny arms shot up in unison toward the cafeteria ceiling. “Butterflies drink with a straw,” he said. Bustling with excitement, the students expressed their...

UC Merced Adds Several New Engineering Majors

April 30, 2024

UC Merced's School of Engineering is expanding its offerings into some exciting areas. Most recently, the university added a major in aerospace engineering, one of the fastest-growing industries in California, with the number of jobs projected to grow 8.5 percent in the next decade, according to...

Campus Grad Slam Winner Examines ‘Gut Viruses: Friends or Foes?’

April 29, 2024

Earlier this month, Ambarish Varadan competed in UC Merced’s Grad Slam finals and seized the title of Campus Champion. This was the second time the Quantitative and Systems Biology (QSB) Ph.D. candidate from Fremont vied for the top prize. Last year, he placed second among the top 10 contenders. UC...

Preparing Ph.D. Students for the Qualifying Exam

April 29, 2024

Navigating Ph.D. programs is notoriously challenging, and the qualifying exam stands as a major milestone all students must achieve. To support Ph.D. students in this critical checkpoint, the Graduate Division recently hosted the Qualifying Exam Discourse (QED) workshop, focused on preparing for...

Researchers Find Unexpected Cellular Residence for Protein Vital in Neurodevelopment

April 25, 2024

In Professor Xuecai Ge ’s lab, where UC Merced researchers study how cells talk to each other to develop and differentiate, a recent surprise discovery is lending insight as to how erroneous cell signals lead to disease and birth defects. Ge and her colleagues zeroed in on a slice of the...

Students Create Games to Teach About Safe Water

April 23, 2024

Ensuring people have access to reliable, clean water is no game. Except when it is. UC Merced's Secure Water Future interns, administrative assistant and coordinator joined the university's Game Development Club to host the "Aqua Arcade Game Jam" in early April. Dozens of students from UC Merced...