News Archive
Peek-a-Boo More Than Child's Play for Researcher
Though not every child gets the same chance at a strong start in life, UC Merced psychologist Jan Wallander believes every effort should be made to ensure children have the tools necessary to be the best they can be...[read more]
Researchers to Develop Brain-Based Computer Chip
UC Merced is one of five universities working with IBM to design new computer circuitry that mimics the brain. IBM leads the "cognitive computing” project that was announced in late November...[read more]
Literature Major Immersed in Life of Central Valley Poet
When Kacy Marume first sat in a class on the Great Depression taught by literature professor Jan Goggans and history professor Sean Malloy, she never dreamed she'd end up immersed in a related research project...[read more]
Education, Entertainment on Tap for Spring
Spring has already sprung at UC Merced. The semester begins Jan. 20, and already, campus is abuzz with a bustling schedule...[read more]
Smaller Proves to be Better for Poli Sci Senior
Adam Kook is living proof of how the campus' size and atmosphere can benefit students. Where else could a college student cast his vote as a district-level delegate at the Democratic National Convention in Denver? Where else could a student-run political group travel to campaign for a presidential candidate in a swing state? For Kook, 22, that only describes the opportunities...[read more]
UC Merced 'Designing Woman' Honored in International Exhibit
After 30 years in the field of design, and still counting, award-winning UC Merced arts professor Dunya Ramicova is honored among 110 female designers in an international exhibit of the history of theatrical design. "Designing Women" is on display at the New York Public Library for Performing Arts through May 2...[read more]
Senior Writing Project Focuses on Campus History
Starting a university from scratch is no easy task – not even for an institution as venerable as the University of California. That’s what a group of UC Merced students have realized while undertaking one of the most exciting projects of their academic career: writing a book on the history of the UC system’s 10th campus. “The Fairy Shrimp Chronicles” will be published next semester...[read more]
Virtual Archaeologist Introduces Ancient Civilizations Online
As a "virtual archaeologist," UC Merced professor Maurizio Forte doesn’t limit himself to the present condition of historical landscapes. Traditional archaeologists study cultures through the recovery, documentation, analysis and interpretation of material remains and environmental data. Forte takes that science one step further with the use of digital technology. He combines both to reconstruct archaeological landscapes, which allows him to create an archive of what he calls "virtual heritage" ...[read more]
UC Merced’s Interdisciplinary Nature Pays Off for Alumna
UC Merced prides itself in allowing students opportunities to explore all fields of interest. It’s not uncommon here to find humanities majors working in scientific laboratories. That borderless culture leads many students to explore educational and professional areas in ways that would not be possible on other campuses. Annie Hsu is living proof of that fact. Although she was an economics major, an interest in computers led her...[read more]
Video - Mind, Technology and Society (MTS) Presentation by George Lakoff
George Lakoff, Professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics at UC Berkeley, was a recent speaker at UC Merced's Mind, Technology and Society talk series. Lakoff was honored with UC Merced's first-ever Distinguished Cognitive Scientist Award, made possible by a generous gift from the Glushko-Samuelson Foundation. His presentation focused on his new book, The Political Mind: Why You Can't Understand 21st-Century American Politics with an 18th-Century Brain...
[Video Part 1] [Video Part 2]
For more information on the MTS Talk Series, including upcoming speakers, visit the Cognitive Science website.
Political Science Student Relishes Summer in Yosemite
Marie Armstrong, a UC Merced senior from Elk Grove, spent her teenage summers working in the Sacramento Zoo’s summer camp programs, helping kids experience the zoo. So when she learned about the chance to help visitors experience Yosemite National Park in UC Merced’s Yosemite Leadership Program, she leaped at the chance...[read more]
Interdisciplinary Culture Attracts Anthropology Professor to UC Merced
UC Merced prides itself on being a collaborative learning environment for students, and a collaborative working environment for staffers and researchers. That aura of collaboration – and the thrill of spearheading a brand-new major -- is what drew anthropology professor Linda-Anne Rebhun from New England to the Central Valley. Rebhun’s most recent academic post was at Yale University, but she said she couldn’t pass up the opportunity...[read more]
Management Institute Combines Living with Learning for Freshmen
UC Merced will open its first major-specific living-learning community in the fall, with an entire section of the Valley Terraces set aside for freshmen management and economics majors. The Management Institute will allow students to explore the field of management in and out of the classroom. Management and economics students will share activities that explore their interests...[read more]SSHA Student Featured Commencement Speaker
If you had to sum up Sonia Salazar's advice to her fellow graduates, it would be simple: Pay it Forward. "We need to take what we've learned here at UC Merced and take it with us wherever we go," she said during a recent interview. "We are UC Merced's legacy." Salazar, who has earned her bachelor's degree in literature, has been at UC Merced since the beginning...[read more]
UC Merced Professors Sean Malloy and Evan Heit have become two of the most recently published authors in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts. Dr. Malloy's book, “Atomic Tragedy: Henry L. Stimson and the Decision to Use the Bomb against Japan,” and Dr. Heit's book, “Inductive Reasoning: Experimental, Developmental, and Computational Approaches," ...[read more] Art Historian Examines Japanese Artist's Role in WWII Propaganda
As an art historian, ShiPu Wang of the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts has spent years examining artworks and documents in museums and archives around the world. Going through this oft-exhausting research process enables him to unearth artists and visual materials that deserve further study... [read more]
CogSci Major Named Student Employee of the Year
If it were up to Information Technology Help Desk Supervisor Bobby Bliatout, William Ngo would be a full-time employee. That sentiment is merely one of many glowing remarks Bliatout made on Ngo’s behalf when nominating him as Student Employee of the Year. Ngo learned that he won the honor at the university’s Student Employee Appreciation Reception... [read more]
Econ Major to Spend Summer at Princeton
For many undergraduates, summer vacation means sleeping late, reconnecting with friends from high school and lazy afternoons by the pool. But seven weeks of statistics, economics and policy analysis? That’s what UC Merced junior Amanda Camelo has in store for herself this summer, and she couldn’t be happier... [read more]
Twins Make a Difference on Capitol Hill
Coell and Madison Simmons are two of a kind – literally. The 21-year-old twins are history majors in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts. Their grade-point averages only vary by a hair. They are also spending this semester together in Washington, D.C., as part of the UCDC program. For the Simmons twins, the program offers the best of both worlds...[read more]
“Bones” Professor Finds Clues to Lives, Deaths in Skeletal Remains
Vicki Wedel might have been an amazing doctor, except for one minor problem. “The only patients I wanted to be around were the dead ones,” she said. That’s why she spends her time examining bones: prehistoric bones, bones from Colonial America, and even more recent – but unidentified - skeletons as she works on police cases...[read more]