Brenda Ortiz

Center Engages Campus, Community with Africa and its Diaspora

February 27, 2025

Two female standing in front of a poster

This story is part of a series for Black History Month. Read more stories highlighting Black excellence at UC Merced. The brutal deaths of African Americans George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and others at the hands of police officers five years ago catalyzed for Black communities to unite globally and...

UC Merced graduate student Karla Seijas siting on concrete wall.

Ph.D. Student Pushes for Better Education Benefits for Veterans’ Dependents

A new state law will make a difference in accessing education for the dependents of disabled veterans in California, thanks to the initiative of UC Merced Interdisciplinary Humanities graduate...

Buhl Named to ASCE Committee

Environmental Systems Ph.D. candidate Marie Buhl has been invited to join the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Committee on Adaptation to a Changing Climate (CACC). Buhl, who is from...

Environmental Systems Student Named UCAR Next Generation Policy Fellow

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) has named environmental systems Ph.D. student Kate DeMarsh a recipient of the 2023 Next Generation Fellowship. The UCAR fellowship is...

Graduate students Alauna Wheeler, Arabi Seshappan, Zunaira Iqbal and Hope Hauptman received a prestigious fellowship from the Northern California Chapter of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation.

ARCS Scholars Work to Advance STEM Research

Four UC Merced graduate students can focus fully on their research and academic studies this year thanks to a generous gift from the Northern California Chapter of the Achievement Rewards for College...

UC Merced sociology graduate students and graduate alumni gave presentations, organized panels or acted as discussants.

UC Merced Well-Represented at California Sociological Association Conference

Nearly a dozen UC Merced graduate students and graduate alumni participated in the annual California Sociological Association (CSA) Conference in Sacramento on Nov. 3-4. The theme of this year...

Alumnus Edwin Shen designed a multi-material bioprinter with novel features that improve resolution and embed hydrogels with concentration gradients of small molecules.

UC Merced Alum Drives Innovation in Drug Manufacturing

You could almost say Edwin Shen was destined to become a bioengineer. His mother, a medical doctor, practices pathology in Northern California, and his father retired from a career as a mechanical...

Miguel Chacón-Terán was presented with his award at Merck’s headquarters in Rahway, NJ.

Chemistry Postdoc Awarded Merck Research Award

Miguel Chacón-Terán was selected as one of 16 scientists from across the country to receive the 2023 Merck Research Award for Underrepresented Chemists of Color, intended to support rising chemists...

Joslyn Conchas is one of 15 incoming students who were accepted into UC Merced’s inaugural San Joaquin Valley Prime+ B.S. to M.D. pathway that focuses on high school students who are committed to pursuing careers in medicine.

Fresno Native Takes Next Step to Becoming a Doctor

For Joslyn Conchas, becoming a physician wasn’t always the plan. “I wanted to be a veterinarian, but that was before I saw firsthand how impactful health disparities are within my...

Incoming first-year student Preston Nguyen knows how to balance academics and soccer.

Soccer Standout Heads to UC Merced this Fall

Since age 5, Preston Nguyen has been kicking around a soccer ball. “I have been consumed by the sport ever since,” the Turlock native said. “I can play any role in the midfield,...