News

Stressed Out by the Election? Political Scientists Explain Why and Offer Tips

November 1, 2024

If it seems anxiety around elections is at an all-time high, then political groups have done their jobs. "It's very conscious, it's very calculated," said UC Merced political science Professor Anil Menon, displaying a pile of negative campaign mailers during a panel discussion on campus Wednesday...

Western US Fires Getting Faster, More Dangerous, Study Shows

October 28, 2024

Fast-growing fires were responsible for nearly 90% of fire-related damages despite being relatively rare in the United States between 2001-2020, according to a new study. "Fast fires," which thrust embers into the air ahead of rapidly advancing flames, can ignite homes before emergency responders...

Professor Brings Course-Based Research Experiences to Physics

October 25, 2024

Conducting research can be daunting. UC Merced, like its sister University of California campuses, prides itself on the opportunities it provides its students to conduct research as part of their educational experiences. But the idea of looking into a concept and producing new results can seem...

Public Health Grad Student Selected for Prestigious Award

October 24, 2024

Second-year public health Ph.D. student Sarina Rodriguez was named as a Health Policy Research Scholar by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The HPRS program supports doctoral students from underserved and underrepresented demographics and brings together students from various fields to apply...

Research Center Aimed at New Ways to Make Natural Rubber

October 23, 2024

Natural rubber is used in a wide range of products used throughout the globe. Lab-produced rubber works for many applications but is insufficient for vital items like airplane tires and specialty medical products. Natural rubber also is a precious resource; 90% of the plants that serve as its...

Grant Provides New Equipment with Diverse Applications

October 22, 2024

A new instrument that can fabricate extremely small features and devices could have a very big impact on several STEM programs at UC Merced. Parveen Kumar of the university's Office of Research and Economic Development leads a team that secured a grant from the Army Research Office, the Office of...

Zimbabwean Filmmaker, Activist Chosen for Spendlove Prize

October 21, 2024

Tsitsi Dangarembga, a renowned Zimbabwean filmmaker, novelist and cultural activist, was selected as the 16th recipient of the Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in Social Justice, Diplomacy and Tolerance. Tsitsi Dangarembga is best known for her critically acclaimed 1988 debut novel, “Nervous...

NSF Grant Opens Opportunities for Students in Materials Research

October 21, 2024

A group of faculty members at UC Merced has been awarded a $1 million seed grant from the National Science Foundation to form a research collaborative to expand participation and access to materials, research-focused facilities, education, training and careers. The Venture for Innovation in Self-...

Global CO2 emissions from forest fires increase by 60%

October 17, 2024

A major study publishing Friday in Science reveals that carbon dioxide emissions from forest fires have surged by 60% globally since 2001, and almost tripled in some of the most climate-sensitive northern boreal forests. UC Merced faculty John Abatzoglou and Crystal Kolden were part of a research...

Study: Climate Change Extends Drought Recovery by at Least Three Months

October 17, 2024

A group of researchers at UC Merced has found that climate change means it takes about three months longer for California to recover from drought, and probably longer. “Climate change has fundamentally changed the odds of getting out of drought. It has weighted the dice,” said Emily Williams, a...

About