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From Earth to Space and Back Again: Solar Samples Show Surprising Results

June 17, 2021
When physics graduate student William Delmas made samples of solar energy harvesting perovskite films two years ago, he had no idea that this summer, he’d be analyzing those same samples after they made a round trip to the International Space Station (ISS). “It’s really cool to see this come full...
Victor Muñoz

Engineering Professor Awarded $1 Million NSF Award to Study Protein Folding

June 16, 2021
Proteins operate like biological machines, regulating nearly every major function and organ in our bodies through a still-mysterious shape-shifting process. Bioengineering graduate group chair Professor Victor Muñoz has a new $1,082,356 award from the National Science Foundation to unlock those...
With the support of Mayor Matthew Serratto and others, Adison Martinez's lemonade stand raised more than $1,000 to buy trees for Rahilly Park.

Staff Members’ Daughter Raises $1,000 to Plant New Trees

June 10, 2021
A core tenet of UC Merced’s mission is public service, something staffers Tom and Esmeralda Martinez know all about thanks to their daughter. On June 5, Merced natives the Martinezes and their 7-year-old daughter, Adison, worked alongside community members and city leaders to clean up Rahilly Park...
Elena Bischak

Rotary District Scholar to Conduct Sanitation Research in Haiti

June 9, 2021
With COVID-19 protections lifting, many people are eager to travel again. Among them is graduate student Elena Bischak, who is planning multiple trips to Haiti in the coming months to study improving sanitation and human waste processing in the Caribbean country. Bischak is a third-year...
Professor Erin Hestir (Photo by Veronica Adrover, UC Merced)

Professor Hestir Turns NASA Technology Toward Earth’s Biodiversity

June 1, 2021
Half a world away from California’s Central Valley is a place with similar climate but an unparalleled diversity of plants, marine animals and ecosystems. From deserts to shrubland to montane forests, the diversity of life in South Africa’s Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) is the subject of...
Professor John Abatzoglou coauthored a piece in The Conversation on the risk of high mountain areas subject to burning.

Western Fires Are Burning Higher in the Mountains at Unprecedented Rates, Professor Finds

May 25, 2021
The Western U.S. appears headed for another dangerous fire season, and a new study shows that even high mountain areas once considered too wet to burn are at increasing risk as the climate warms. Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. West is in severe to exceptional drought right now, including large parts...

Report Examines Methods to Monitor PFAS in Environment to Protect Public Health

May 19, 2021
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are human-made chemicals that for decades have been used in a variety of products, including food packaging materials, nonstick cookware, furniture, carpets and firefighting foams. However, research has shown that these substances can contaminate...

Science Must Dig Deeper to Understand Climate Change’s Full Impact, Study Shows

May 17, 2021
Scientists often study the relationship of global warming and topsoil because soil is an important mediator of climate change. A newly released study indicates it’s critical to consider subsoil in climate-change research, too. A new paper in the prestigious journal Nature Communications by...
Among the six scholarship recipients was second-year bioengineering major Gehad Elhanafy who received the highest scholarship, $3,500.

University Friends Circle Recognizes Six Students and Two Service Organizations with Awards

May 14, 2021
Since 2008, University Friends Circle (UFC) has shown its support to UC Merced students through programs that promote community interaction. One way UFC has been a critical advocate of the campus is by raising funds each year for UC Merced students and organizations through an endowed scholarship...

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