News

UC Merced Climate Experts Explain Why March Heat Wave is Dangerous

March 17, 2026
Temperatures in the 90s are nothing new to the northern San Joaquin Valley. But having them in March, as expected this week, is unusual and potentially dangerous. An exceptionally strong ridge of high pressure will bring record-breaking heat to the entire region, the National Weather Service said....

Delhi Student Made the Leap to UC Merced and Hasn’t Looked Back

March 17, 2026
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. A few more taps and Nayelyi Salazar would be a community college student — a big step for the high-schooler from Delhi, a town of 10,000 that hugs California’s Highway 99. She hesitated. Days earlier, she received an acceptance letter from a University of...

UC Merced Launches California Government and Policy Certificate Program

March 16, 2026
The inner machinery of democracy in California – from bills and lobbying to courts and elections – is revealed in a professional certification program launched at the University of California, Merced. UC Merced’s Division of Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) offers the Professional...

Ocean Chemistry Now Substantially Shaped by Humans

March 16, 2026
Although the oceans are the least explored places on the planet, even their depths are not untouched by humans. Drawing on more than 2,300 seawater samples collected across the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, researchers found that hundreds of synthetic chemicals — many of them rarely...

Student Finds Community and Purpose Through Culture and Literature

March 12, 2026
Between classes at UC Merced, you will often find Padme James under the trees outside the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library. What she studies there isn’t directly correlated to her classwork, but it connects her roots to where she hopes her future is headed. Instead of reviewing notes for a lecture...

Student Philanthropy Month Returns to UC Merced with Focus on Service and Giving

March 11, 2026
Student Philanthropy Month, now in its fifth consecutive year, gives students opportunities throughout March to better understand philanthropy and its impact on the university, the community and beyond. UC Merced Alumni Relations, in partnership with the UC Merced Student Alumni Association, is...

UC Merced Receives $1 Million Award to Support Postdoctoral Fellows

March 11, 2026
UC Merced has received a $1 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to strengthen postdoctoral fellowships and expand research in the natural sciences. Awarded through the foundation’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Commitment, this distinction places UC Merced among just 30 leading...

Together We Will Summit Inspires, Empowers Girls in Sports

March 9, 2026
Victoria Garrick Browne, a nationwide advocate for mental health and self-care, had a simple message for a big room full of high school girls gathered for the Together We Will Sports Leadership Summit at UC Merced. “Be where your feet are,” said Browne, a former NCAA Division I volleyball player...

For Turlock High Grad, UC Merced is Just Far Enough from Home

March 6, 2026
Breyenne Pierce wasn't sure UC Merced was for her. The Turlock High graduate had followed her passion for water polo to Sierra College in Rocklin. As she was concluding her community college experience, she started looking for a four-year university to complete her degree. "Honestly, I didn't want...

Amazon Funds Research into Making AI More Efficient

March 1, 2026
Two UC Merced computer science and engineering professors will delve deep into artificial intelligence in projects with Amazon. Dong Li and Xiaoyi Lu earned Amazon Research Awards, the technology giant announced recently. Amazon Research Awards provide unrestricted funds and Amazon Web Services...

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