News

With Fire Threatening, National Parks Turn to UC Merced for Help Preserving History

October 15, 2020

Ward Eldredge warily monitored the fire’s progress. As curator of the archives of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, he deliberated what would need to be done if the nearby Castle Fire continued its approach toward the parks’ headquarters. The air around Three Rivers grew thick with smoke...

Political Scientists Study Effects of Affluence in Newest Nature Publication

October 14, 2020

How does socioeconomic inequality affect people? Seeing expensive items such as cars, which function as signs of social class, can potentially influence people’s political behavior according to a new study by political science professors Melissa Sands and Daniel de Kadt in the journal Nature. The...

Second Docuseries Installment Examines COVID-19’s Impact on the Food Supply Chain

October 13, 2020

Imagine pouring farm-fresh milk down the drain or crushing perfectly good eggs that could feed families. This has been the reality for farmers during the COVID-19 epidemic. The COVID-19 epidemic has not only created a medical crisis across the country, but it has greatly crippled the food supply...

Restoring State's Forests to Reduce Fire Risks Will Take Time, Money and Broad Commitment

October 13, 2020

School of Engineering professors Roger Bales and Martha Conklin have written a new article for The Conversation discussing the changes that need to be undertaken in land-management practices in California's mountain forests: "As California contends with its worst wildfire season in history, it’s...

New Project Focuses on Life in Soil in the Earth’s Critical Zone

October 6, 2020

Since 2007, UC Merced researchers have been extremely productive in the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory (CZO), delving into investigations of hydrology, climate change, geology, biology and more. But the National Science Foundation, which funded the CZOs, is decommissioning the sites and...

AI is for the Birds in a New Computer Science Project

September 30, 2020

Bird species usually are counted twice a year by wildlife surveyors: once during the breeding season and again during the Christmas Bird Count . New technology, however, is increasing the accuracy of bird population studies. A team of UC Merced researchers is developing a model to recognize bird...

UC Merced Named Top 5 ‘Cool School’ by Sierra Club and Makes 'Green College Honor Roll'

September 29, 2020

UC Merced’s national reputation for sustainability continues to grow, with the Sierra Club naming the university No. 5 on its 2020 “Cool Schools” list and The Princeton Review placing it on its Green College Honor Roll. Sierra magazine, the national publication of the Sierra Club, released its 14th...

Gopinathan Named Fellow of Leading Physics Organization

September 28, 2020

Physics Professor Ajay Gopinathan has been elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS). This prestigious recognition is for physicists who have made exceptional contributions in physics research, important applications of physics, leadership in or service to physics or significant...

UC Merced Enrollment Passes 9,000 — a New High — Despite National Decline

September 25, 2020

UC Merced rose into the top 100 of the U.S. News & World Report rankings of National Universities earlier this month, and the university already has another milestone to celebrate. According to numbers released today (Sept. 24), UC Merced’s total student enrollment has surpassed 9,000 for the...

Scholarship and Community Partnerships Continue with Renewed Luce Foundation Grant

September 22, 2020

It has been two years since UC Merced received the $280,000 Henry Luce Foundation grant, but its community engaged research endeavors are far from over. This fall, UC Merced Interdisciplinary Humanities graduate students and faculty will have the benefit of two additional years of funding to find...