News

After 18-Month Closure Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, UC Merced Library Reopening Its Doors

August 12, 2021

Since opening its doors in August 2005, the UC Merced Library has served as the hub of the campus. That all changed when the coronavirus pandemic hit and the building was forced to close in March 2020. Now, the library is gearing up to reopen its doors on Aug. 16 and welcome back members of the...

Falandays Wins Marr Prize for Phenomenon of Meaning Research

August 12, 2021

Cognitive and Information Sciences Ph.D. student Ben Falandays was recently awarded the Marr Prize for Best Student Paper at the Cognitive Science Society’s annual conference. The Cognitive Science Society is an international research association with thousands of members worldwide. The Marr Prize...

Trevor and Katherine Albertson Create New Fellowship to Support History Graduate Students

August 11, 2021

Trevor Albertson Ph.D. (’09) had a history of “firsts” during his time at UC Merced. Albertson was among the university’s earliest doctoral students, entering the then-World Cultures and History program in 2006 and earning his Ph.D. in political diplomatic history in 2009. He is also the first UC...

UC Merced Faculty Land Three UC-HBCU Grants, Most in System

August 10, 2021

The University of California Office of the President awarded three out of only seven UC-Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Initiative grants to UC Merced faculty members. The initiative has fostered faculty partnerships with HBCUs to support enhanced diversity and representation of...

'Saber Es Poder' Website Offers COVID-19 Resources, Including Vaccine Information

August 5, 2021

UC Merced and Cultiva La Salud have partnered to launch a new Spanish-language website aimed at providing the community with a wide range of information about the coronavirus. "Saber Es Poder," now officially online, offers educational materials on COVID-19, including answers to frequently asked...

Hands-on, Handmade Instruments Boost Engagement for Remote Physics Class

August 3, 2021

With her students spread to the four winds by COVID-19, a UC Merced professor discovered she could build engagement in a virtual classroom with cardboard, painter’s tape and a child’s toy. For the 2021 spring semester, Professor Jing Xu sent students in her Modern Physics Lab course kits with which...

Recent Ph.D. Grads Receive NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship

August 2, 2021

Quantitative Systems Biology Graduate Program alumni Kinsey Brock and Robert Boria were awarded Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Boria and Brock — both former members of paleoecology Professor Jessica Blois’ research group — graduated...

New AI Institute Expands UC Merced’s Smart, Sustainable Agriculture Effort

July 29, 2021

With a new $20 million federal grant, UC Merced becomes part of a multi-institutional research collaborative to develop artificial intelligence — or AI — solutions to tackle some of agriculture’s biggest challenges related to water management, climate change and integration of new technology into...

Computer Science and Engineering Professor, Students Improve Database Query Results with NSF Grant

July 28, 2021

Every time you surf the web, check your credit card balance, or even sign up for a class at UC Merced, you’re using a relational database. Relational databases are basically the back end of operating software, aggregating information and culling results based on your search or query. Improving the...

Primer Grupo Comenzará Nuevo Programa de Preparación Para Maestros Bilingües

July 27, 2021

Existen cerca de 1.2 millones de estudiantes en California cuyo el español es su primer idioma. La transición a un aula de habla inglesa podría ser difícil para estos estudiantes, pero el Programa de Preparación de Maestros en UC Merced tiene como objetivo el remediar estos obstáculos con su nueva...