Beat the Heat, UC Merced's Summer Session is Cool

Whether you are looking to get ahead by taking general education courses, tackling an intensive course you’ve been putting off or enjoying an elective that didn’t fit in during the academic year, UC Merced's Summer Session is the best place for you to cool off this summer.

Students can pick from 129 courses from math to chemistry to anthropology to architecture making it the ideal summer education choice for high school and college students in addition to the general public.

For more information on summer session — including a course schedule and eligibility — visit summersession.ucmerced.edu, e-mail summersession@ucmerced.edu or call 209-228-2734.

UC Merced Professor Appointed to NIH Awards Panel

MERCED — University of California, Merced, cognitive science Professor Teenie Matlock has been appointed to a six-year term on the National Institutes of Health's Language and Communication Study Section.

Matlock joins a panel of leading experts in the scientific study of language from some of the world's most renowned universities, including Stanford, Purdue and Columbia. Her appointment is another example of the distinguished faculty members at UC Merced who not only contribute to society through their cutting-edge research, but also give back to the scientific community by ensuring only worthwhile proposals are being funded.

"I'm honored and excited to have been selected as a regular member of the Language and Communication Study Section because I'll have the opportunity to review world-class, cutting-edge research that will have a positive impact on society," Matlock said. "It will be a great learning experience."

The study section is part of the institute's Center for Scientific Review (CSR), which establishes peer review groups for grant and fellowship applications. The center evaluated 71,000 applications in 2009. Its mission is to make sure applications are reviewed fairly by experts so the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funds the most promising, viable research.

"NIH depends on highly regarded scientists, like Dr. Teenie Matlock, to help us identify the most promising grant applications," CSR Communication Director Don Luckett said. "The key input from these independent volunteers ensures that the federal funds appropriated to NIH support the best research for preventing and curing diseases and improving the health of the nation and the world."

Development plan honored for sustainability

One of UC Merced's founding principals is sustainability, and the university continues to receive praise for its success in that regard. Earlier this month, UC Merced's Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) was named the Outstanding Planning Document of 2009 by the Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP), a statewide organization focusing on environmental science, regulation and policy.

"From day one, UC Merced has been committed to becoming a leader in sustainability both in its curriculum and in its own physical development and operations ," said Thomas Lollini, FAIA, associate vice chancellor for physical planning, design and construction. "This award serves as further proof of what can be achieved when campus leaders make that kind of across-the-board commitment to excellence."

The news came on the heels of a California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE) report that shows UC Merced meeting or exceeding aggressive benchmarks for sustainable construction in its Classroom and Office Building (COB) and Science and Engineering Building (S&E).

Also, in January, the National Renewable Energy Lab listed UC Merced as a leading example of effective land use planning with respect to energy conservation and employment of renewable energy in long range and climate action planning.

UC Merced Poised for More Growth, Construction

University of California Board of Regents on Thursday accepted UC Merced's 10-year, $1.129 billion capital improvement plan, which will guide the university's physical expansion to serve more than 11,000 students by 2020.

The regents also authorized UC Merced to oversee and manage construction projects that cost less than $60 million, part of a pilot program to streamline the capital improvement process.

In the coming decade, UC Merced anticipates needing $519 million for instruction and research buildings, $144 million for infrastructure improvements and $131 million for student housing. More than half of the funding may come from the state, while external financing, campus funds and gifts will make up the balance.

"We need a significant infusion of funds in the next 10 years if we are to grow at projected rates," said Mary Miller, vice chancellor for administration.

The capital improvement plan was written to support the university's Strategic Academic Vision 2025 (SAV). The SAV outlines how the campus will grow its programs and course offerings over the next 15 years to continue with its mission to become a leading 21st-century research university with a distinguished reputation for academic excellence, cutting-edge research and community service.

UC Merced Archaeologist 'Digs' Caves

Holley Moyes has been fascinated by caves since childhood when family vacations included stops at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky and Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.

Moyes transformed her youthful interest in touring the natural wonders hidden underground into a career studying the archaeology of religion, a relatively new subdiscipline in the field.

Moyes, an archaeology professor, is researching how caves were used in Mesoamerica as sacred or religious spaces. The notion of early humans living in caves is a myth, Moyes said. Their homes were usually rock shelters. Dark zones of caves were almost always used as religious or sacred spaces, and sometimes as burial grounds.

Moyes joined the UC Merced faculty in January because she was drawn to its focus on interdisciplinary research.

Science, Math Students at UC Merced Look to Become Teachers

Nearly 70 Science and Math Initiative students from the University of California, Merced, are set to graduate in May as part of a system-wide effort to boost the quality of California’s science and math educators.

UC Merced recently partnered with Merced College to expand the program and offer scholarships to community college students planning to transfer to the university.

The College Access Foundation gave $161,000 to UC Merced in 2008 so it could offer scholarships to Merced College students interested in becoming part of the Science and Math Initiative (SMI). The first Merced College student has transferred to UC Merced and another one is on the way. Twelve students from Merced College have participated and the funding can support about 50 students.

The College Access Foundation scholarships are progressive, increasing every year the student remains in the program. The first year’s scholarship is $700. The next year is $900. The following year is $1,500.

UC Merced Cancer Survivor Driven to Give Back

When she was 14 years old, UC Merced student Cynthia Dumas recalls her oncologist telling her she wouldn't make it through college.

Dumas, now 22, is working toward a degree in molecular biology and is set to graduate from the newest UC campus in 2011. While she is happy to be proving her doctor wrong, she knows firsthand the challenges that cancer patients endure and she is dedicated to helping them as an American Cancer Society volunteer.

UC Merced Announces McNair Scholars

Five UC Merced students have been selected as scholars in the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, which helps them secure a summer internship and apply to graduate school.

Each student will get a stipend up to $2,800 that can go toward paying for travel to internships and conferences across the world. McNair scholars also get assistance in preparing for the GREs and have their fees waived when applying to graduate school.

The program was formed after McNair, a physicist and astronaut, was killed in the Challenger explosion in 1986. The program aims to increase the number of first-generation and low-income students who plan to become professors by helping them get into doctoral programs.

This year’s scholars include:

• Jonathan Vickrey, of Lodi, who is working toward a bachelor’s of science in cognitive science and minoring in philosophy and psychology
• Andrew Dayton, of Modesto, who is majoring in cognitive science and minoring in philosophy
• Alexis Valle, of Los Banos, who is majoring in psychology and minoring in Spanish
• Ikechukwu “Ike” Ollawa, of Los Angeles, who is studying human biology
• Raymond Gonzales, of Eagle Rock, who is majoring in history and minoring in psychology

President Carter to Visit UC Merced in May

President Jimmy Carter will visit UC Merced May 3 to speak at an intensive, 11-day leadership program for senior executives in the field of park and public land management from around the world. His talk will focus on critical federal legislation (the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act) that he signed into law during his presidency in 1980.

Read more.

Renewable Energy on a Tiny Scale

With a team of five students and a recent grant from the Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), UC Merced engineering Professor Jennifer Lu is working to create a three-dimensional piece of nanotechnology that will take mechanical and vibration energy and convert and store it to power small devices.

What does that mean? In the future, it could mean an iPod that replenishes its own energy while you walk, a pacemaker that powers itself by way of a patient’s own beating heart or a motion sensor that operates without a battery or external power source of any kind.

Those are just a few of the potential real-world applications that could come forth from Lu's research, which is taking the university’s core principle of sustainability and applying it on a tiny scale.

Using incomprehensibly small materials to generate energy is not a new concept, but Lu said existing technology does not convert energy at a high enough rate to be effective. Her three-dimensional device would feature an array of nanoscale cantilevers, rather than the single rod used in 1D devices. That will allow it to convert energy at a much higher percentage.

“If you can harvest the thermal and mechanical energy generated by household appliances, acoustics, environmental vibration and muscle movement, that energy can be used to power any number of small devices,” Lu said. “Then you don’t need to use electricity anymore.”

UC Merced's Pioneering Spirit Shines at National Competition

UC Merced's Cheer and Dance squads traveled to Anaheim in February to showcase their moves at the 2010 USA All Star Spirit, Dance and College Nationals.

Although the Cheer team competed last year, it was the first opportunity the Bobcat Dance Team had to compete at a collegiate level and they were delighted to make it to the finals.

“We competed in the Division II/III Open Dance Division, and did an excellent job,” said community volunteer Feliza Sanchez, who coaches the two-year-old dance team. “It was a great experience – and we know what to look out for next season.”

Stay up to Date on UC Merced’s New Calendar

UC Merced has launched an online events calendar to keep the campus and Valley community up to date on what’s happening. The Information Technology Department and Office of Communications developed the system on code donated by UC Berkeley. UC Merced then started a UC Community Source project and developed a new version which could be implemented easily at our sister campuses.

Students, faculty and staff can post events to the site by filling out a simple form. Users can also recommend the event be highlighted on UC Merced’s main page. Events must be submitted to the site 72 hours before the event’s start time. The calendar’s moderators will post the listing within 24 hours.

Events are sorted by different categories, including Academics, Sports and Student Life, so people can find events that they find interesting and may want to attend.

Peace Corps Signs First UC Merced Alumni

Two UC Merced alumni have signed up for "the hardest job you'll ever love" and they couldn't be happier.

Jackie Shay and Socorro Composanto (2009) are the first UC Merced graduates to sign up for the Peace Corps and they are headed to Morocco this month. Shay will work within the rural health community program, while Camposanto’s role will be centered on environmental issues within the area.

Their decision to help the world reflects the university’s commitment to instilling a sense of community service in its students.

UC Merced Professor Earns Prestigious National Science Foundation Award for Nanoscale Research

Funding to Support More Student Researchers in Effort to Build Quantum Computer

UC Merced physics Professor Lin Tian has been awarded the National Science Foundation's esteemed Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, the fourth professor here in four years to earn the honor.

The $450,000 award supports Tian's theoretical research into how quantum optics can be applied to understand the behavior of nanoscale devices with the ultimate goal of establishing a foundation to build a quantum computer. The research award is a testament to the world-class faculty members who have joined UC Merced to conduct research in a 21st century environment.

"The four CAREER awards given to UC Merced's junior faculty in the last four years reflect the university's growing reputation as a leading research institution and the talented faculty members it attracts," said Samuel J. Traina, vice chancellor for research. "The awards assist our professors in their cutting-edge research, which serves the San Joaquin Valley, state and nation."

The National Science Foundation notes on its Web site that the CAREER award is given to junior faculty who "exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations."