In The Community

After a three-year delay due to the pandemic, Bobcat Day is back at UC Merced. The day is dedicated to first-year students, transfer students and their families to explore all the campus has to offer.

On Saturday, April 23, incoming students can take campus tours, meet with faculty, attend presentations from each of the academic schools, talk to Financial Aid and Admissions staff, discover student clubs and organizations, and much more.

Yosemite National Park is once again serving as the backdrop for a loose adaptation of one of Shakespeare's comedies. Shakespeare in Yosemite's "Love's Labor's Lost" will finally hit the stage at the Curry Village Amphitheater later this month. The show was initially planned for 2020 but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A trip to the dentist isn't something most people look forward to. But computer science and engineering Professor Shijia Pan found inspiration and a new collaborator at her dentist’s office.

Pan, Merced dentist Dr. Jun Ho Lee, and Professor VP Nguyen from the University of Texas, Arlington, are working together to improve people’s health by devising a new kind of retainer that senses dental occlusion.

A team of UC Merced engineering students brought hands-on lessons on drones and robotics to hundreds of children and families at the recent Tri-Valley Innovation Fair.

“Drones and robots are a gateway, a spark for young people to explore STEM,” said Leigh Bernacchi, program director of the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) and the Banatao Institute at UC Merced, who led the students in the all-day demonstrations at the March 19 fair.

Tens of thousands of undocumented immigrant workers in California could receive aid from an unemployment benefit system if the state approves the program. UC Merced's Community and Labor Center (CLC) has published a report that examines the need for the system.

For the first time, a UC Merced alumnus will serve on the UC Board of Regents.

Keith Ellis, who received his bachelor’s degree from UC Merced in 2012, will serve a two-year term beginning in July and continuing through June 2024. In addition to his new role, Ellis will be recognized as an active officer of the Alumni Associations of UC (AAUC).

Research Week, the annual showcase of UC Merced’s important explorations into some of the world's most pressing challenges, kicks off Monday with the Sierra Nevada Research Institute’s symposium on climate.

SNRI researchers are at the forefront of innovative tools, technology and thinking about resilient and sustainable ecosystems, food systems and futures. Everyone is welcome to join the annual SNRI Research Symposium as members discuss new climate research and approaches for ag, energy, infrastructure and the environment.

Preparations are underway for this year's production of Shakespeare in Yosemite, and the show promises to be groovy.

UC Merced is committing to provide Los Angeles high school students the tools and guidance to attend college.

The university is embarking on a partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the federally funded Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) to increase the number of low-income students who graduate from high school prepared to succeed in postsecondary education and lifelong learning.

A research project conducted by a UC Merced graduate student is becoming a reality as the Turlock Irrigation District (TID) approved piloting the first-in-the-nation construction of solar panels over water canals.