News

Professor Polonijo Leads Study on Mental Health Trends Among East Asian Adolescents

March 13, 2026
Dr. Andrea N. Polonijo, Assistant Professor of Sociology at UC Merced, has published a new peer-reviewed article examining long-term mental health and suicidality trends among East Asian adolescents in Canada, with a focus on disparities by sexual orientation. The article, “Trends and...

Spotlighting Black Trailblazers Whose Stories Deserve to be Told

February 12, 2026
Black History Month often honors familiar names, leaders whose courage and determination changed the course of a nation. But many others have made groundbreaking contributions that exposed injustice, advanced civil rights, reshaped American culture and revolutionized technology. Their achievements...

Professor Laura Hamilton's HERE Lab Publishes New Report on Wealth and Higher Education

December 8, 2025
UC Merced Professor Laura Hamilton and members of her Higher Education, Race, and the Economy (HERE) Lab recently published a policy report in collaboration with The Institute for College Access & Success and the Partnership for College Completion. The report considers the importance of...

Professor Golash-Boza's Global Reach: Three New Publications in Three Languages

December 8, 2025
UC Merced Sociology Professor Tanya Golash-Boza published three articles recently - one in Spanish, one in French, and one in English. One article is co-authored with a UCM undergraduate student and one with a recent UCM graduate student.  The details of the publications are: Golash-Boza...

Graduate Students Highlight Research and Campus Life to Encourage Transfers

December 5, 2025
Three Ph.D. students recently visited Madera Community College to share research findings and highlight opportunities available to transfer students at UC Merced.   Emily Rivera Mondragon, a second-year environmental systems Ph.D. student, joined sociology graduate students Justin Barnes and Eliana...

Conference of California Sociologists Engages UC Merced Undergrads

December 3, 2025
More than a dozen undergraduate students in UC Merced’s Sociology Club were immersed in the discipline’s breadth of research and professional possibilities during the California Sociological Association’s annual conference. The two-day gathering, held in Berkeley in early November, was a meaningful...

Younger, Latino and Moderate California Republicans Diverge from Party Line on Immigration Policies

November 24, 2025
While California Democrats are nearly unified in their views on current immigration enforcement strategies, Latino Republicans and party moderates, especially women, are most likely to diverge from the GOP majority, according to a study co-authored by a UC Merced researcher. The analysis of an...

Hellman Fellowships Welcome Three New Members from UC Merced

September 4, 2025
As the Hellman Fellowships celebrate their 30th year, three more researchers, one from each of UC Merced’s schools, have joined the prestigious ranks of recipients. Electrical engineering Professor Qian Wang, sociology Professor Meredith Van Natta and Earth systems Professor Adeyemi Adebiyi will...

Study: Mexican American Millennials Link Success to Providing for Parents

August 4, 2025
For many first-generation Mexican American college graduates, the definition of success includes paying their parents’ bills or even buying them a home. Lifting the social or financial status of their elders is a goal that often defines upward mobility for Latinx millennials, especially the...

Two Social Science Graduate Students Earn Fellowships

July 3, 2025
UC Merced Ph.D. candidates Eliana Fonsah and Nihan Karagul are recipients of the highly competitive dissertation fellowship from the UC Institute of Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC). They competed with doctoral candidates from across the UC system, resulting in about 10% of applicants...

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