News

Public Radio Highlights Natural Reserves, New Program for Undergraduates

February 20, 2024

The latest installment of North State Public Radio’s Blue Dot podcast focuses on the UC Natural Reserve System and the national parks and features a segment about the UC Merced ¿field curious? program. Sponsored by the UC Merced Natural Reserve System (NRS), ¿field curious? introduces...

Active-matter Researcher will Further Modeling, Education with NSF CAREER Award

February 12, 2024

Department of Physics Professor Kinjal Dasbiswas has received a CAREER award for his work on the theory and modeling of shape-changing active solids. He is the 38th researcher from UC Merced to earn this award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). CAREER awards are among the NSF’s most...

New Film Profiles Immediate Actions to Restore California's Wildfire-vulnerable Forests

February 9, 2024

The new film "California's Watershed Healing" documents the huge benefits that result from restoring forests to healthier densities. UC Merced's Sierra Nevada Research Institute partnered with the nonprofit Chronicles Group to tell the story of these efforts, the science behind them, and...

Journal Published UC Merced Public Health Professor's Study on Violence and Suicidal Behavior

February 6, 2024

A study conducted by a UC Merced researcher found that people injured through violent acts have a substantially higher risk to die by or attempt suicide. The study, conducted by public health Professor Sidra Goldman-Mellor and Ping Qin, professor at the National Center for Suicide Research and...

Warming Climate Pushes Rain to Higher Elevations, Raising Flooding Risks

February 5, 2024

A new study co-authored by UC Merced researchers assesses the effect of a warming climate in pushing the elevation of snow to rain higher during a storm, increasing runoff and the risk of flooding. The study also shows the importance of spatially representative ground measurements of hydrologic...

Can AI Increase Air Traffic Safety?

January 31, 2024

Air traffic controllers sort out three-dimensional space at 600 miles per hour while keeping your flights safe and on time. But as challenges in air traffic increase, the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society and the Banatao Institute (CITRIS) envisions that big data...

Give to UC Merced 2023 Raises Nearly $1.3 Million, Shattering Year-Old Record

January 26, 2024

Hundreds of UC Merced supporters made it crystal clear they believe in the university's mission, giving a record-breaking amount to support current Bobcats and other members of the campus community, through scholarships and fellowships, research projects and more. A total of 692 gifts were made...

Ph.D. Student Pushes for Better Education Benefits for Veterans’ Dependents

January 24, 2024

A new state law will make a difference in accessing education for the dependents of disabled veterans in California, thanks to the initiative of UC Merced Interdisciplinary Humanities graduate student Karla Seijas. Seijas proposed the idea for a bill that would expand the CalVet College Fee Waiver...

Having a Mix of Tree Heights Enhances Drought Resilience in Sierra Nevada Forests

January 19, 2024

In a paper published in Nature Communications, UC Merced Professor Roger Bales, collaborating with an international team, found that the height of neighboring trees strongly influenced whether a given tree survived California's record 2012-15 drought. Using high-resolution maps developed from...

Lukens’ Latest Research Tracks Sediment’s Journey in the Eastern Sierra

January 16, 2024

Rocks, from ponderous boulders to tiny grains of sand, are subject to the whims of moisture, weather and time as they tumble from surrounding slopes into rivers, pools and lakes. UC Merced Professor Claire Lukens is getting more detailed data about these natural processes by using a larger range...