UC Merced Senior Digs Deep into Poet’s Life

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.

But now the UC Merced senior, who is majoring in literature and American studies, spends much of her available time poring over the literary estate of Wilma McDaniel. One of the Central Valley’s most prolific poets, McDaniel’s poems depict life and events in the area from 1936 to 2006. The Leo & Dottie Kolligian Library recently acquired the collection from McDaniel’s relatives.

“It’s such a unique experience for an undergraduate,” said Marume, who hails from San Diego. “Where else could I get my hands on such a treasure of published works and notes?”

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International Programs Office Puts Campus on the Map

UC Merced is going global. Actually, the campus has been global almost since day one, with an impressive array of faculty, staff and students hailing from all over the map – and an equally impressive list of academic collaborations with foreign universities.

But the creation of the Office of International Programs, and its Educational Abroad Program, enables UC Merced to better serve its population.

“We’re here to connect students and faculty to the wider world of the international community,” Director Rebecca Sweeley says.

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Flexibility Entices Junior to Choose UC Merced

Jolie McLane didn’t plan to go to UC Merced. But after attending Bobcat Day in 2006, she submitted her statement of intent to register and never looked back.

UC Merced – unlike many universities – offered McLane the ability to register as an undeclared freshman in engineering. Having space to explore her academic interests, McLane worked as a research assistant for professor Raymond Chiao and in her sophomore year, declared bioengineering as her major.

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UC Merced’s ‘Designing Woman’ Honored in New York

UC Merced arts professor Dunya Ramicova is among 110 women honored 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, and features the works of an elite group of women from 1890 to present who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields of scenery, costume, lighting and projection design.

Ramicova primarily designs costumes for contemporary opera, theater and independent film.

"I do a lot of costume design for new opera works, which I like a lot," she said. "I have been privileged to work with the best and most brilliant artists and playwrights of the 20th century."

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Tonya Luiz

UC Merced Offers Tips for Applicants

Applying for college is an exciting time for students. There are many opportunities and details to consider. Staying on top of “things to do” is an important part of the process. The University of California, Merced, is here to help students progress from the application for admission through the enrollment process.

The Students First Center and Office of Admissions have helpful points for people considering attending the newest UC campus.

The first step, of course, is to apply. For tips on how to do that, click here.

Econ Senior Gains Worldly Perspective at UC Merced

Matt Siordia is not one to coast through his college career. The senior economics major has packed his academic career at UC Merced with a variety of activities. He works for the campus police department as a community services officer, for professor Alex Whalley as a research assistant and for the students of UC Merced as a senator for ASUCM.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Tonya Luiz

Paramount Farms Gives UC Merced $250,000 to Support Students from Kern, Kings, Tulare and Fresno Counties

Students from Kern, King, Fresno and Tulare counties are taking advantage of the opportunity to achieve their education goals at UC Merced in part to a $250,000 donation from Paramount Farms.

Paramount Farms representatives visited the campus today to formally announce the endowment, meet scholarship recipients and witness first-hand some of the programs and research taking place on campus.

Paramount Farms and its owners Lynda and Stewart Resnick have been longtime supporters of UC Merced.

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Media inquiries:
Brenda Ortiz
Office of Communications

UC Merced Virtual Archaeologist Saves Past for Future

As a "virtual archaeologist," UC Merced professor Maurizio Forte doesn't limit himself to the present condition of historical landscapes. Instead he uses digital technology to reconstruct landscapes.

The process of constructing virtual versions of ancient ruins is time-consuming and involved, but well worth the effort, says Forte, who will kick off International Education Week, Monday, Nov. 17, with a lecture, "Cyber-Heritage: Saving the Past for the Future." Monday's lecture begins at noon in the Chancellor's Conference Room (Kolligian Library Room 232) and is open to the public.

Attendees are welcome bring a lunch to enjoy during Forte's presentation.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Tonya Luiz

Accuracy of Global Warming Estimates Improved by UC Merced Professor's Research

Professor Elliott Campbell of the University of California, Merced, and colleagues, have found a way to improve existing estimates of the amount of carbon absorbed by plants from the air, thereby improving the accuracy of global warming and land cover change estimates.

A new study by Campbell and several colleagues in today’s issue of the journal Science outlines a method for measuring photosynthesis by quantifying the relationship between CO2 and another form of carbon, carbonyl sulfide, or COS, in the atmosphere. His results – obtained in collaboration with fifteen other scientists from around the United States and other countries – will allow accurate information about photosynthesis to be incorporated into major climate models, helping make climate change forecasts much more reliable.

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Media contact:

Patti Waid Istas

TIP! Childhelp Founders to Accept UC Merced Spendlove Prize

Childhelp founders Sara O’Meara and Yvonne Fedderson will be presented UC Merced's Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in Social Justice, Diplomacy and Tolerance Monday, Nov. 17.

O’Meara and Fedderson are being honored for their lifelong commitment to helping children in need. Following their lecture, they will receive the $10,000 prize.

Time/Place: 5:30 p.m., Classroom Building, Kris-Tangella Lecture Hall (COB 105)

Media inquiries:
Brenda Ortiz
Office of Communications

TIP! Paramount Farms Offers Gift of Future to UC Merced Students

On Monday, Nov. 17, representatives from Paramount Farms will be on campus to announce a $250,000 donation to establish a scholarship fund. The endowment will provide low-income students from Kern, Kings, Tulare, and Fresno Counties with the opportunity to achieve their education goals at UC Merced. Nine students are already benefiting from Paramount's gift.
Time/Place: 10 a.m., California Room

Media inquiries:
Brenda Ortiz
Office of Communications

Sierra Nevada Research Institute Names Hydrology and Water Resources Professor as New Director

UC Merced Professor of Engineering Roger Bales has been named director of the university’s signature research institute, the Sierra Nevada Research Institute (SNRI).

At UC Merced, Bales organized the Mountain Hydrology Research Group, which is deploying new research instrumentation at several Sierra Nevada sites, and has been involved in a number of ground-breaking research initiatives with colleagues at UC Merced and other leading universities.

Faculty, researchers and students in the Sierra Nevada Research Institute conduct basic and applied research, using the San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra Nevada as their "outdoor laboratory". The institute’s mission is to discover and disseminate new knowledge that contributes to sustaining natural resources and promoting social well being in the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada regions of California, and related regions worldwide, through integrated research in the natural, social and engineering sciences.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Patti Waid Istas

Lab Accident Reported at UC Merced

One graduate student injured; section of building evacuated and closed temporarily

MERCED – A minor chemical explosion occurred in a research laboratory in the Science & Engineering building on the UC Merced campus at about 2:45 p.m. today (Nov. 8).

The building was immediately evacuated and temporarily closed. One portion of the building will remain closed until at least tomorrow. Classrooms in the building were not affected.

Classes in the Science & Engineering building will resume as scheduled Monday, Nov. 10.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Tonya Luiz
Office of Communications

LEED Gold and Triple Net Zero Goals Define UC Merced Development Plans

Wondering what UC Merced will look like within the next 30 years with 25,000 students? The long-awaited planning documents are now available for public viewing and comment.

2009 Draft Long Range Development Plan (LRDP)

• The most detailed preview to date of the physical layout and character of the campus when completed
• Establishes LEED Gold as the baseline for all new construction. The first university in the country to do so.
• Important new “net zero” goals:
  

-- To consume no offsite or nonrenewable energy,
-- To produce no net carbon emissions,
-- And to produce no landfill waste by 2020.

Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report

• Describes the overall environmental impacts of full campus development based on the revised campus “footprint,” including a one-third reduction in impacts on wetlands.
• Required part of the process for obtaining a federal permit under the U.S. Clean Water Act.
  

A Look Into UC Merced's Future

We’re often asked what the first public American research university of the 21st century will look like within next 30 years with 25,000 students. As of tomorrow (Nov. 7), members of the public will have a chance to look into the crystal ball of UC Merced’s future by reviewing two long-awaited planning documents.

The 2009 Draft Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) provides the most detailed preview to date of the physical layout and character of the campus when completed. It also expands upon the university’s commitment to sustainable-building practices, establishing LEED Gold as the baseline for all new construction and setting important new “net zero” goals for energy consumption, carbon emissions and landfill waste.

The second document, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report, describes the overall environmental impacts of full campus development based on the revised campus “footprint,” including a one-third reduction in impacts on wetlands. This document is a required part of the process for obtaining a federal permit under the U.S. Clean Water Act.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Patti Waid Istas

'Senior Week' Helps Prepare Students for Graduation

To help the Class of 2009 -- UC Merced's first full senior class -- navigate its way from college to wherever the future may lead, just about every office on campus has joined forces. The end result is Senior Week.

All this week, students will have access to information and opportunities to help them prepare for life after UC Merced.

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Senior Writing Project Chronicles History of UC Merced

Under the advisement of history professor Gregg Herken, a group of seniors has undertaken an ambitious project: They are writing a book on the history of UC Merced.

When complete, “The Fairy Shrimp Chronicles” will address three facets of building UC Merced: The UC system and its decision to create a 10th campus, the community of Merced and the people who lobbied for that campus to be placed here, and the group of people – faculty, students and staff – who took on the challenge of building a research university from the ground up.

“It takes a special group of people to start something this big,” said Jeff Wheeler, one of about a dozen students working on the project, which they all hope benefits future generations.

Herken's idea for the book came from his alma mater, UC Santa Cruz, where pioneering seniors did the same thing 40 years ago.

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Cellular Signaling Expert Joins UC Merced Faculty

Bioengineering Professor Ariel Escobar is still settling into his lab here at UC Merced. He moved himself, his equipment and his entire research team -- all of whom hail from around the globe -- from Texas to the Central Valley of California this spring.

An expert in the field of cellular signaling, the Argentinian-born professor studies sudden cardiac arrest in mammals with specific focus on the role calcium plays in the process. It's a dream come true for Escobar, who came to academia later in life after a career as an electrical engineer.

“Ever since I was a little boy, I was interested in the body’s electricity. I still work with electrical impulses, just in a different way."

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UC Merced Freshman Makes Most of College Life

College is what you make of it, says Trinidad Flores, a freshman who enrolled in UC Merced this fall.

“Merced did surprise me,” the Pasadena native admits. “There is actually a lot to do in town. You just have to access it – whether that’s by Cat Tracks or through a friend who has a car."

One thing to remember, though, the 18-year-old chemistry major says, is that you can't make friends if you're not friendly.

"If you sit by yourself in the Lantern and don’t talk to anybody, you won’t make any friends.”

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