Service-Learning Project Focuses on Wetlands

A group of UC Merced students aim to increase awareness and appreciation for Central California’s wetlands by developing online content that will educate everyone from kindergartners to senior citizens about the importance of preserving grasslands as a natural habitat. The students are participants in the School of Engineering's Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) program. The multidisciplinary program gives undergraduate students the opportunity to work with faculty mentors to solve engineering-related problems for nonprofit organizations. Students earn academic credit for their work and gain real-life engineering experience. The added bonus is that the students’ work benefits the community. Volkan Ceylan is one of 10 students on the EPICS Wetlands team. The group’s goal is to launch a Web site that will contain blog postings and information about the role wetlands play in supporting area wildlife. The group also plans to install a wireless, solar-powered Webcam in a wetlands area, which will capture images so that viewers can see the area “up close” via a computer.

UC Merced's Yosemite Field Station Now Part of UC Natural Reserve System

UC Merced now has its first natural reserve site. On Thursday, Nov. 19, the University of California Board of Regents approved a request to include the Yosemite Field Station as part of the UC Natural Reserve System (NRS). The station, which is part of UC Merced's Sierra Nevada Research Institute (SNRI), is located inside Yosemite National Park. “The addition of the Yosemite Field Station to the UC Natural Reserve signifies our strong commitment as a campus, and as part of the UC system, to develop a sustainable presence in the central Sierra Nevada,” said SNRI director Roger Bales. “Being a part of the NRS will strengthen UC research to this critically important region.” Read more. Contact: Donna Birch Trahan

UC Merced to Host Landscape Design Symposium

Members of UC Merced’s campus community and the public are invited to share their thoughts about the campus’ outdoor environments on Friday, Nov. 20, during “Our Sustainable Opportunity: UC Merced Landscape Design Symposium.” The symposium, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in UC Merced’s California Room, features a panel of nationally recognized landscape architects and arborists. Take advantage of this opportunity to influence the form, function and aesthetics of the UC Merced! RSVP by Thursday, Nov. 19, to rcummings@ucmerced.edu The event is sponsored by UC Merced Physical Planning, Design and Construction division and the Sierra Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

UC Merced Students Take to 'The Hill'

Being an exchange student doesn't mean you have to leave the country. In fact, the University of California offers a prestigious exchange program in Washington, D.C., that allows students to live and study in the nation's capital while working as interns for government agencies.

The UCDC program provides students the chance to observe public policy processes and gain an extensive range of cultural experiences as interns for agencies such as the Smithsonian, the National Institutes of Health, the White House and the Senate.

For economics major David Do, who is in his final semester at UC Merced, working in Sen. Barbara Boxer’s office has proved to be such a valuable experience, he is looking for a job so he can stay in Washington, D.C.

“I believe this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I need to do while I am young,” he said. “Being part of the process I understand better how everything fits together. It takes an exorbitant amount of work, and I have a better respect for Congress.”

Do says his experience hasn’t been all work and no play. He spends his free moments attending book discussions at Politics and Prose, a mom-and-pop bookstore. He has also visited all the free monuments and attractions that D.C. has to offer.

“The best advice I have received here is never sit around and do nothing, because there is so much to see and do,” he said.

Housing President Promotes Living on Campus

Lucia Perez, president of UC Merced's Resident Housing Government, makes it her mission to serve the needs of students living on campus. A junior, this is the third year the economics/political science double major has lived on campus, and she knows firsthand the conveniences available. She also knows the challenges. “We are here to serve the students who live here, to make their lives better.” Perez said. “Housing is very supportive; we go to them first to solve problems. They usually include easy fixes like installing a second printer or putting up more signs.” However, there is a limit to what RHG can do. “Complaints like ‘the laundry rooms are too small’ deal with infrastructure issues. We can’t really do anything about that except bring it to the attention of Housing and trust that they will take it into account when planning future resident buildings.”