UC Merced Viewbook

Research Opportunities

y An internet-based system to help students discover resources for research projects, saving time and enhancing student success. y Inexpensive biomaterials for neural engineering that provide a safe platform for stem cells to attach, thrive and multiply to regenerate damaged or lost tissues. y Highly potent HIV entry inhibitors and a potential topical solution component to prevent the spread of HIV. y An inexpensive nanoparticle-based expectorant, which may be an effective and economical alternative to current over-the-counter decongestants. y A solar-power system that simultaneously offers air conditioning, water heating and power generation. y Numerous low-cost, effective methods to collect solar energy and maximize the efficiency of solar cells. What is a research university? A research university is a place where some of the world’s foremost scholars team up with students to focus on creating new products and technologies that will improve our daily lives. They collaborate to solve some of society’s most pressing issues, from disease to global warming, and everything in between. In the eight years since opening, UC Merced has patented 85 inventions, some of which include:

A Research University Founded on the Principles of Academic Excellence

Headquartered at UC Merced, the University of California Advanced Solar Technologies Institute (UC Solar) creates technologies that make solar energy systems more efficient and more affordable. In addition, UC Solar helps educate and develop tomorrow’s solar energy leaders and entrepreneurs.

Research Institutes

land uses. UC Merced enables these stu- dents to use the San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra Nevada as their outdoor laboratory. UC Merced is also home to the Health Sciences Research Institute, the Merced Energy Research Institute and the Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, which forms the foundation for our planned medical school.

with Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and Delaware North Corporation, and supports multi-institutional, interdisci- plinary research. Faculty, researchers and students in the Sierra Nevada Research Institute conduct basic and applied research on issues such as rapid population growth, competition for natural resources, air, water and soil pollution, climate change and competing

UC Merced’s Sierra Nevada Research Institute operates three facilities that support research activities in the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada regions. The Environmental Analytical Laboratory (EAL) is a centralized facility for the analysis of a wide variety of environmental materials. The Wawona Field Station is the first curi- osity-driven research institute in Yosemite National Park. The Sequoia Field Station in Wolverton is developing in partnership

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