Patty Guerra

UC Merced Commemorates Native American History Month

Sometimes, a hummingbird is more than a hummingbird.

Bill Leonard was at work in a cabinet shop several years ago when a hummingbird entered and paused directly in front of his forehead. A moment later, the bird turned and flew out of the shop.

"I knew he was trying to tell me something," Leonard, an elder of the Southern Sierra Miwuk tribe, told an audience in the UC Merced Conference Center. "I don't know what it was, but he took something from me and my life changed for the better."

Teams Challenged to Make Travel Easier for Wheelchair Users

An automatic vehicle delivered by tractor-trailer to UC Merced recently will be the focus of a two-year effort to improve travel options for people with disabilities.

The wheelchair-accessible, all-electric General Motors Cruise Origin is the focus of the Civic Progress Challenge, a student design competition developed by the car maker and SAE International, a nonprofit organization that develops and publishes standards used for the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries

Transferring from Community College to UC Merced Just Got Easier

A new agreement will provide a seamless transition for community college students across the state to continue their education at UC Merced - with money to help pay for it.

The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, in partnership with UC Merced, announced the university is now participating in the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) program.

UC Merced Among First Campuses to Earn Carnegie Classification for Sustainability

Key Points

  • UC Merced is one of the first 14 institutions nationwide to earn the new Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability, recognizing its comprehensive commitment to sustainability and climate action.

  • The university is the only four-year California institution and the only UC campus to receive the classification, adding a fourth Carnegie recognition to its distinctions for research, student opportunity and community engagement.

Tour Highlights How UC Merced is a 'Sustainability Beacon'

Many organizations claim sustainability is baked into their DNA. Nowhere is that truer than at UC Merced, where the approach to sustainability, climate action and ecological conservation is part of everything from the buildings on campus to the research in its labs to the way it conducts business.

Recently, the university and the U.S. Green Building Council Central California hosted a tour showcasing the university's leadership in sustainable design and green business practices throughout the Central Valley.

Hispanic Heritage Month Kicks off at UC Merced

UC Merced's Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations got off to a lively, colorful start on Tuesday, with a performance by Mariachi Los Bobcats, food and tabling in the university's Conference Center.

Attendees received a Loteria-themed T-shirt and were entered into a raffle drawing for a special deck and player cards of the Mexican bingo-like game.

Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated nationally from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, recognizes the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to history, culture and advancement.

Black Engineering Society Honored as Chapter of the Year, Again

UC Merced's chapter of the  National Society of Black Engineers was again honored as the Region VI Medium Chapter of the Year. It is the second consecutive year the organization received this recognition. The NSBE, established at UC Merced in 2007, provides support, guidance and advocacy for its members through their college journeys and beyond.

Commencement Celebrates UC Merced's History, Looks Ahead to Future

Smiling even as she cried, Nancy Rodas De Leon stood in UC Merced's University Plaza, accepting hugs, flowers, stuffed animals and cards from extended family.

"These are happy tears," said Rodas De Leon, who previously earned both her undergraduate and master's degrees at UC Merced. The eldest of five children, she said it was hard to believe she was now a doctor of psychological sciences.

"I'm incredibly grateful I got through," she said. "I can't imagine doing anything that would have led to more growth."

UC Merced's Study Abroad Program Among the Country's Best

Frida Quinto Ruiz went to Sweden with a curious mind. She came home with a plan.

"Studying abroad completely reshaped the direction of my college career in ways I never expected," she said. "I went to Sweden already curious about the world, but I came back with a much clearer sense of where I want to go."

During a tour of the European Union in Brussels, Quinto Ruiz learned about the Fulbright Binational Business Program. The fourth-year economics major applied to the program and recently interviewed to join it after she graduates in May.

UC Merced Alum, Now a Robotics Expert for Amazon, Advises Students to Get Their Hands Dirty

Kevin Arrieta got into robotics to avoid getting into trouble.

Arrieta said he joined the robotics club at Dominguez High School in Compton high school after Gloria Esiobu, the teacher who ran it, gave him an ultimatum.

"I had gotten in with the wrong crowd," he said. "I had a physics teacher who told me, 'Join my robotics club or I'm calling your mom.'"

In the club, Arrieta found he loved working with sensors and doing programming, and he was good at it.

"You have an engineering mind and you don't even know it," his teacher said.

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