Alyssa Johansen

David Zwart hadn't even finished introducing himself as the keynote speaker for "The Dutch -American Story in the San Joaquin Valley" at the UC Merced event on July 14 before he'd found a connection in the audience. 

"Any connections?" the historian and associate professor at Grand Valley State University asked, rattling off the years he'd spent teaching in nearby Visalia in the late 1990s. An audience member called out a name he recognized. It's a parlor game Zwart calls "Dutch Bingo," a version of six degrees of separation that, among Dutch Americans, usually takes one or two. 

This is part of a series of profiles of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2026 semester.

After moving from Nigeria to the United States two years ago, Wonderful Ezieme built a new foundation in California, where he distinguished himself as a dedicated student and active member of his high school community. He balanced academics with athletics while nurturing a growing interest in neuroscience.

Where I come from: I went to University Preparatory School in Victorville.

Remnants of Pretty Good Burgers and golden fries lay on the table between four web wizards tucked into a booth in the downtown Merced restaurant.

After two days of keynote speakers, seminars, breakout sessions and a sponsor fair at UC Merced, attendees of the annual UC Tech conference picked up and moved to the city's vibrant Main Street core to walk the bricked sidewalks, inhale the small-town atmosphere and enjoy some food.

A new partnership between UC Merced's CalTeach program and the Bakersfield City School District gave middle-school children from migrant families a rare opportunity to live and learn on a college campus while exploring science in a hands-on, deeply engaging way.

The collaboration began when the Bakersfield program, called Migrant Education Program DFD21, contacted UC Merced to expand its efforts to expose students to higher education. Funding issues have shuttered similar programs elsewhere in California.

Four members of the UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees have created a $100,000 endowed scholarship designed to remove financial barriers for Las Positas College students on the path to earning a UC Merced degree. 

Four members of the UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees have created a $100,000 endowed scholarship designed to remove financial barriers for Las Positas College students on the path to earning a UC Merced degree. 

A $3 million grant from the Gates Foundation is advancing UC Merced’s efforts to expand educational pathways and improve college and career outcomes for thousands of high-school students across the San Joaquin Valley. 

The W.M. Keck Foundation has awarded UC Merced nearly $1.8 million in new grants that fuel ambitious research and give early-career scientists a crucial boost at a pivotal stage of their careers.

One of the nation’s most prominent private supporters of basic science, the Los Angeles–based foundation is directing $600,000 to a newly launched bridge funding initiative designed to protect faculty and doctoral researchers from disruptions in federal grant support. An additional $1.2 million will propel the laboratory research of chemistry and biochemistry Professor Andy LiWang.

Bruce Lee's favorite dish was oyster sauce beef, and on the evening of May 7 it was on the menu at UC Merced, alongside a conversation about who Lee really was, why he still matters and what his story says about America.

Jeff Chang, cultural historian and author of “Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America,” was on campus as  the featured guest of two events: UC Merced Dining’s Food for Thought Speaker Series and "Storytelling with Jeff Chang"  at the Leo & Dottie Kolligian Library.