UC Merced once again broke a record for the number of first-year applications the university received, continuing to show impressive growth even as the national trend shows a decline in the number of students enrolling in higher education.
More than 26,000 prospective first-year, or freshmen, students applied for admission to the university. And nearly 4,000 students applied to transfer to UC Merced. Most of the applicants are from California.
The setting for the celebration marking 20 years since the groundbreaking for UC Merced was markedly different in many ways from the event it commemorated.
Wednesday's ceremony, attended by hundreds of faculty and staff - including dozens from when the university opened - took place in the Dr. Vikram and Priya Lakireddy Grand Ballroom. It was a scene far removed from the empty field where ground was broken for the 10th University of California campus in October 2002.
A company started by UC Merced founding faculty member Roland Winston - and staffed by alumni - is looking for partners for some exciting solar projects. And the government could cover the costs.
Winston Cone Optics seeks to develop pilot projects that use solar energy to heat water, evaporate waste and remove salt from wastewater.
Computer technology has exploded in recent years and is only going to keep growing, with ever more use of artificial intelligence and connected devices that communicate, or the Internet of Things.
A UC Merced researcher recently won a grant aimed at helping to learn how to reduce the amount of power required to do all that work. And she will work with colleagues at two other UC campuses.
Innovate to Grow is a twice-yearly celebration of student ingenuity hosted by the School of Engineering (SoE). In a way, it's a science fair for college students to help solve problems that businesses and nonprofit organizations face, and potentially gain partnerships to see their projects utilized in real-world applications.
Christina Georges didn't choose UC Merced because of the opportunities she would have to conduct research as an undergraduate.
"When doing my own research on UC Merced in high school, I learned that UC Merced was a younger university," said the fourth-year biological sciences major from La Mirada. "I believed that being part of this university would allow me to grow with the university, as well. I was also intrigued by all of the student-run organizations on campus. I knew these organizations would give me the chance to be involved."
