Dear Colleagues,

I am honored to join this Fall as the new Dean of the School of Engineering and look forward to becoming a part of the highly dynamic and diverse institution that defines the University of California Merced.

As part of the first American research university founded in the 21st century and the newest in the premier University of California system, the hallmarks of UC Merced’s School of Engineering are innovation, diversity, sustainability and personal interaction. Together, world-class faculty, staff and students are paving the way for cutting-edge and impactful research, aided by interdisciplinary research institutes and centers. 

Among many notable firsts, UC Merced and the School of Engineering are part of a coalition, the Fresno-Merced Future of Food Innovation (F3) Coalition, which received the the largest federal grant ever awarded to the Central Valley ($65M), as part of the “Build Back Better” initiative to boost economic recovery after the pandemic. 

The School of Engineering also saw two women faculty appointed to endowed chairs this year: Professor Ashlie Martini was awarded the Monya Lane and Robert Bryant Presidential Chair in Excellence in Engineering and Professor Sarah Kurtz (who is also the first UC Merced faculty to be elected an NAE member) was awarded the Reno Ferrero Family Chair in Electrical Engineering.

Along with the appointment of the Reno Ferrero Family Chair in Electrical Engineering, the School of Engineering is excited to announce a new Electrical Engineering program in the Fall 2023, which will cover emerging topics such as clean energy, renewable energy, electric vehicles, high-capacity rechargeable batteries, etc.

I am particularly proud be a part of UC Merced and the School of Engineering's bright future. UC Merced has scored in the top 100 three years in a row, and ranks No. 42 for overall public universities and No. 15 in R2 universities. UC Merced’s undergraduate engineering program jumped eight spots in U.S. News and Word Reports' best undergraduate engineering program ranking, coming in at No. 123.

UC Merced is truly building the future in the heart of California, and the School of Engineering is proud to be a major part of the university’s success.

Members of the Fresno-Merced Future of Food Innovation (F3) Coalition celebrate the funding announcement on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022

Future of Food Innovation (F3) Coalition | "Build Back Better" Initiative

The White House announced a $65.1 million award - the largest federal grant ever awarded to the Central Valley - to the Fresno-Merced Future of Food Innovation (F3) Coalition as part of its "Build Back Better" initiative.

UC Merced School of Engineering Professor Joshua Viers, also the director of CITRIS and the Banatao Institute, a key research partner of the effort, has been working with the CVCF since the visioning and scoping period of the F3 coalition began back in 2019. As associate dean for research in the School of Engineering, he will be launching iCREATE as its first center director to spur collaboration among the project participants and help to integrate workforce development at local community colleges and local food producer activity supported by University of California Cooperative Extension offices.

UCs Merced and Santa Cruz are the Newest Campuses to be Named Agricultural Experiment Stations (AES)

President Michael Drake announced that UC Merced has been named an agricultural experiment station, joining sister campuses Santa Cruz, Berkeley, Davis and Riverside. This highlights the important agriculture-related research conducted at UC Merced and the School of Engineering.

Building a High-Resolution CT Imaging Scanner to Study How Oxygen Plays a Role in Cancer Therapy

Funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Professor Changqing Li (pictured above with his research lab) and fellow bioengineering Professor Joel Spencer are working with molecules that, when excited by the X-ray beam, emit light in the visible spectrum. The project, called Bio-tissue Oxygenation Nanophosphor Enabled Sensing (BONES), would be a brand-new medical imaging technique with an unprecedented combination of chemical sensitivity and high-spatial resolution imaging through deep tissue.

Noteworthy

Professor Eva De Alba Bastarrechea's research has earned her an invitation to serve as a member of the NIH Review Board.

'Molecular LEGO’ Study Analyzes Building Blocks of Partially Disordered Protein

Bioengineering Professor Victor Muñoz and his lab’s new technique to provide insights into an increasingly important class of proteins that, among other functions, help guide complex genetic processes that separate high-order organisms from single-cell bacteria

READ MORE

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Development at the Fore of Research

Mechanical engineering Professor Po-Ya Abel Chuang and his Thermal and Electrochemical Energy Laboratory (TEEL) are focused on developing hydrogen-based energy solutions, which can deliver energy on demand.

READ MORE

Researchers Take New Approach to Quantify Water Use

Civil and Environmental Engineering professors Erin Hestir and Joshua Viers are using NASA-based technology to quantify Valley water use.

READ MORE

Photo Courtesy of Ken James / California DWR

Four in a Row: California Drought Likely to Continue

Professor John Abatzoglou says the bigger question is did the last drought end? “We’re basically having droughts that are disrupted by wet periods.”

Read More at capradio.org

Photo Courtesy Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press

Ancient Sequoias Safe For Now as Crews Continue Battling 3,500-acre Washburn Fire in Yosemite

Sequoias have also evolved with wildfire and in fact rely on extreme heat to help release their seeds. Crystal Kolden, a fire scientist at UC Merced who has been tracking the blaze, said she was “not worried” about the trees in Mariposa Grove.

Read More at the LA Times

• Bioengineering
• Civil Engineering
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• Environmental Engineering
• Electrical Engineering (Fall 2023)
• Materials Science and Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering