Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Héctor Tobar and HP Inc. Chief Diversity Officer Lesley Slaton Brown are the keynote speakers for the University of California, Merced’s 12th commencement exercises, May 13 and 14.

The campus expects more than 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students to participate, bringing the number of UC Merced alumni to more than 7,000.

“We’re delighted to have two exceptional and successful individuals — Mr. Tobar and Ms. Slaton Brown — address our graduates this year,” Chancellor Dorothy Leland said. “Both have made their marks in their respective fields and will impart their experiences and words of wisdom to our graduating class of 2017.”

Slaton Brown will address candidates from the schools of Engineering and Natural Sciences and their families at 9 a.m. May 13.  

Slaton Brown has more than 20 years of experience in the technology industry, building and driving business strategies and outcomes for corporations, startups and nonprofits. Her passion for entrepreneurial and leadership development coupled with her global marketing, branding, communications, and diversity and inclusion experience has helped her lead efforts to address the digital divide by building sustainable enterprise solutions in Senegal, West Africa.

She was named the 2016 Woman of the Year in Technology by Silicon Valley’s Chapter of National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc. and the 2016 Multicultural Leadership Award by the National Diversity Council. She was recognized by Savoy Magazine as a Top Influential Woman in Corporate America, Diversity Journal’s Leaders publication, and Black Enterprise’s Top Executive in Marketing and Advertising.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Boise State University.

Tobar will address candidates from the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts at 9 a.m. May 14.

Tobar is the author of four books, including the novels “The Barbarian Nurseries,” which was a New York Times Notable Book and won the California Book Award Gold Medal for fiction, and “The Tattooed Soldier.”

His nonfiction book “Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of Thirty-Three Men Buried in a Chilean Mine and the Miracle that Set Them Free,” was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. It was also a New York Times bestseller and was adapted into the movie “The 33.”

He earned a bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies and sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a MFA in creative writing from the University of California, Irvine, and has taught writing and journalism at Pomona College and the University of Oregon.

Tobar was a foreign correspondent with the Los Angeles Times in Buenos Aires and Mexico City, and a part of the reporting team that earned a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. He has also been an op-ed writer for the New York Times and a contributor to the New Yorker.

Due to the campus’s expansion under the Merced 2020 Project, this year’s commencement ceremonies are returning to the Carol Tomlinson-Keasey Quad, where they were held in 2007 and 2008. Commencement is a ticketed event for invited guests. Media wishing to attend should contact Brenda Ortiz at bortiz@ucmerced.edu.

For information on commencement, visit commencement.ucmerced.edu.

Student success has always been a priority at UC Merced, and now students looking for support in math have an additional resource with the launch of The Math Center.

“We’re very excited to collaborate with the Applied Math faculty to enhance the substantial resources the campus offers through the Calvin E. Bright Success Center and the STEM Resource Center,” Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education Elizabeth Whitt said. “The Math Center is unique in that it focuses solely on mathematics, and its programs and activities are designed to enhance students’ math knowledge and skills.”

The center is staffed by lecturer Haik Stepanian with the Applied Math group, along with Applied Math graduate students and advanced undergraduates. Located in the Student Services Building, Room 320, The Math Center will be open four days a week to start — Monday through Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. — and expand as demand grows, perhaps including Sunday hours.

“The plan is to always have a graduate student or instructor as well as trained peer educators in the center, so the knowledge and skills needed to assist with any math question will be there,” said Alisha Kimble, assistant dean in the Office of Undergraduate Education.

The center is funded by a grant from the University of California Office of the President focused on student success, and is administered and coordinated by the Office of Undergraduate Education. The Math Center is guided by a steering committee that includes Applied Mathematics lecturer Yue Lei, and will maintain close relationships with math faculty members to make sure its resources are in line with curriculum.

“All of the Applied Math faculty members strongly support The Math Center,” Lei said. “Besides offering much-needed support for undergraduate mathematics curriculum, we would like to see it grow into the center of a campus math community.”

One critical component of the new center will be monitoring outcomes to measure success.

“We’re working with the other learning centers and math faculty members to finalize the assessments, but we know we’ll be looking at whether more students are passing their enrolled math courses,” Kimble said. “Beyond that, we’ll be investigating in what ways the center can empower students by developing knowledge, skills and strategies associated with success in math, and coursework in general. Longer term, we’re interested in how a support curriculum driven by discipline-specific pedagogy and staffed by math instructors and undergraduate assistants can affect the long-term success of students.”

The Math Center’s primary focus is on increasing student proficiency in lower-division math courses, including Math 5: Pre-calculus, which is now required for the campus’s most popular majors: psychology, biological sciences, and management and business economics. A majority of undergraduates enroll in the course as a foundation for calculus or statistics sequences, but many find they are not as prepared as they’d like to be, the Office of Undergraduate Education said.

However, the center’s staff members can help any students with any current math courses.

Kimble said the Center is going to be a great place for grad students trained as teachers, and undergraduate assistants learning the basics of teaching, to be innovative in how they help students who struggle with math.

“It’s the UC Merced spirit to say ‘let’s try this and see if it works.’ We want to be able to be responsive to student needs, and our structure allows us to innovate the ways in which we provide support,” she said. “We’re really optimistic about the new venture.”

Researchers at UC Solar have developed and tested an innovative solar thermal-powered process for turning the pomace, or byproduct, of vegetable and fruit processing into reusable products, potentially lowering food-processing plant costs and reducing their carbon footprints.

With collaborators at the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), UC Merced graduate student Jonathan Ferry and UC Solar Director Professor Roland Winston tested and optimized a solar-powered drum dryer for use in food-processing applications.

Drum dryers are widely used in paper and food production outside California. The dryers typically work by pumping steam to heat a rotating steel drum. A stream of pureed food is dripped onto the drum, creating an ultra-thin, dehydrated layer of the food that is scraped off for later use. Common products made this way, such as milk powder and instant mashed potatoes, are shelf-stable and lightweight.

But produce-processing plants create hundreds of gallons of pomace in the form of heavy purees each day as they juice and otherwise process fruits and vegetables. Food processors can sell or give away the raw pomace to local farms and dairies. That avoids the landfill but has some disadvantages of its own: The pomace is only available a few months each year during processing season; raw pomace can mold if it is stored for more than a few days; and it’s expensive and bad for the environment to haul the heavy, wet pomace by truck.

Solar-thermal drum drying addresses all these issues, collaborators said. 

UC Solar’s two-drum dryer — run on solar thermal power — presses the pomace into thin dehydrated sheets and at the very least, saves processing plants space and the cost of removing the heavy byproduct by turning it into a much lighter substance.

At best, the dryer can transform pomace into human-grade food.

“We had great success with a lot of the samples. Prune pomace came out looking like shaved chocolate, and the carrot pomace was still sweet,” Ferry said. “There is a lot of nutrition in pomaces. They are made up of the seeds, skins and other fibrous parts of the fruit or vegetable.”

The USDA-ARS collaborators bought a small-scale drum dryer for UC Solar and supplied samples of different industrially-produced pomaces and purees from prunes, tomatoes, carrots and strawberries to see what Ferry and Winston could do.

The researchers tested the pomaces on a flat plate first to optimize temperatures and drying times. They integrated the drum dryers with Winston’s XCPC solar collectors, which use a heat-transferring oil instead of steam and don’t require solar tracking to gather heat.

Part of adapting the drum to the solar collectors included testing surface temperatures, because the XCPC generates heat in excess of 200 Celsius, or nearly 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

“We had to cover part of the collector, because it was just too hot,” Ferry said.

Ferry and Winston gathered statistical data for all the samples, which are now being analyzed by the USDA-ARS.

“The technology developed in this project gives fruit and vegetable processors another option for upgrading their discard streams into revenue-producing streams. Even better, because all the heat needed for the drum dryer is supplied by the sun, the process can be implemented without generating any additional greenhouse gases,” said Project Director Dr. Rebecca Milczarek with the USDA-ARS. “I have enjoyed working with the UC Solar folks on this interdisciplinary team project. The technical expertise in the two labs is quite complementary. My lab is excited to see tried-and-true — but heat-intensive — food-processing technology being powered by cutting-edge green energy.”

While the research team will have to analyze costs and conduct many more tests before it can advocate for widespread industry use, UC Solar has achieved its goal.

“We wanted to show that solar thermal can be an effective way to power a drum drying system, and we did that,” Ferry said. “This could be a great inroad for solar into the food processing industry, and it’s also a great way to process the fruit and vegetable pomace that would otherwise have little value.”

Lambda Alliance, in collaboration with other campus units, offices and departments, will host UC Merced’s annual Pride Week program celebrating LGBTQ+ identity and culture.

From April 3-9, students and staff and faculty members are encouraged to participate in numerous activities taking place across campus that highlight the campus’s LGBTQ+ community and available resources.

This year’s theme, “Waves,” symbolizes characteristics of the LGBTQ+ community.

“The fluidity of an ocean wave illustrates the fluidity of sexuality and gender identity spectrums. The LGBTQ+ rights movement has acted as a wave of change that reclaims human rights for the community,” said student Andre Frise-Valdez, president for Lambda Alliance.  “Additionally, just as smaller waves congregate to form larger and more powerful waves, the LGBTQ+ community bands together in solidarity to embody one powerful and intersectional voice.”

Brandon Baldomero, a third-year cognitive science major, remembers the impact of his first Pride Week on campus.

“Pride Week was one of the first Lambda Alliance events I attended after coming out,” Baldomero said. “Seeing that there is a community of people who accept and support me has since catapulted me into a life of queer activism.

“Pride Week to me means being visible and unapologetically proud of your identity.”

The campus’s LGBTQ+ community and allies can participate through a variety of ways:

April 3

• Pride Parade, 12:45-1 p.m., Cat Quad near dining

Help kick off Pride Week by marching together with LGBTQ+ and ally community.

• Pride Carnival, 1-4 p.m., Scholars Lane

Enjoy carnival food and games while learning about the LGBTQ+ community at resource and activity booths at UC Merced’s annual Pride Carnival.

• “Moonlight” film screening, 6-9 p.m., California Room

A film screening of the Oscars 2017 Best Picture, “Moonlight,” examines queer black self-exploration and romance through an intersectional lens.

April 4

• Debunking Stereotypes, noon-1 p.m., in front of the Kolligian Library

Can you pick out who fits where in the LGBTQQIP2SAA+ acronym? This panel breaks the “gaydar” myth that people can tell someone’s sexual or gender identity simply by looking at them or speaking to them.

• Pride Expression Wall, 2:30-5:30 p.m., Carol Tomlinson-Keasey Quad

Show your artistic side and express encouragement, support and love for the LGBTQ+ community on the communal graffiti wall.

• Gender Inclusive Treasure Hunt, 2:30-5:30 p.m., Carol Tomlinson-Keasey Quad

Explore the campus to locate every gender-inclusive restroom. Take a selfie in front of each one to win a prize.

April 5

• Queer & Religious, 2-3:30 p.m., California Room

Professor Susan Shaw from Oregon State University answers the question “Can you be queer and religious?” followed by a discussion on how culture — not religion — perpetuates queerphobia and transphobia.

• Express Yourself: Art & Open Mic Night, 7-9 p.m., Wallace-Dutra Amphitheater

A night of self-expression through dance, spoken word, poetry, music and other art forms. Guest performers include some of UC Merced’s finest expression groups. 

April 6

• Building Community Awards, 3:30-5 p.m., Elizabeth’s Garden in the Yablokoff-Wallace Dining Center

These awards recognize the contributions of individuals on campus and in the larger Merced community who have shown outstanding service toward concerns affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer+ (LGBTQ+) community at UC Merced.

• Lambda Alliance general meeting: Sex Positivity & Healthy Relationships, 5-6:30 p.m., Bobcat Lair

Join Lambda Alliance’s weekly general meeting and share space with Good Vibrations and UC Merced’s CARE Office in an interactive workshop that explores healthy relationships and sex positivity within the queer and transgender community.

April 7

• Lavender Community Unite, noon-1:30 p.m., Science and Engineering Building 2 Breezeway

A conversational space for building community with LGBTQ+ and ally undergraduate, graduate, postdoc, and staff and faculty members.

April 8

• Queer Picnic, 2-5 p.m., Lake Yosemite

Join us for a day out at beautiful Lake Yosemite with fun games, activities and food.

April 9

• Lube Olympics, 2-5 p.m., Mariposa Hall lawn

Celebrate sex positivity and learn about queer culture via a game of Queer Jeopardy. Don’t get an answer wrong or you might get slimed with lube! If you’re not down with lubing up, try your fashion skills by racing in drag while learning about safe sex practices.

Campus friends and supporters were recognized for their charitable spirit at UC Merced’s third annual Celebration of Philanthropic Leaders event, held on campus March 25.

During a reception on the fourth floor of the east wing of the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library, guests witnessed the progress taking place as part of the Merced 2020 Project.

“This young campus has thrived — not just survived — during some very difficult times, and we couldn’t have done it without your support,” Chancellor Dorothy Leland said. “I am here to celebrate with you some of the accomplishments you’ve made possible.”

Benefactors who were honored for their lifetime generosity to UC Merced included:

• UC Merced Foundation Trustee Dr. Krishna Thondapu and the Thondapu family have supported UC Merced since its earliest days. The family established the Thondapu Family Endowed Chair in Bioengineering about 15 years ago. This gift supports a critical research area on campus and inspired additional support from other major donors even before the campus opened its doors. 
• Westamerica Bank was recognized for its contributions to establish an endowed chair in economics. The chair was one of the first established at UC Merced and has allowed distinguished faculty members the financial ability to excel in their scholarly field. Regional Vice President and Regional Marketing Manager Robert Baker and Assistant Vice President and Business Banking Officer Dauna Goza accepted on behalf of Westamerica.
• HP Inc. was honored as one of the campus’s first corporate sponsors. The organization has supported the campus since before it opened and continues to bolster campus initiatives including the Graduate Dean’s Advisory Council on Diversity and the National Science Foundation Initiative. Chief Diversity Officer for HP Inc. Lesley Slaton Brown accepted the award.

Leland also highlighted Giving Tuesday, a 24-hour fundraising effort that brought in more than $700,000, surpassing the $500,000 goal. Thirteen undergraduate scholarships and one graduate fellowship were supported through the initiative, now in its third year. The number of individual gifts doubled over the previous year and several donors gave multiple times.

“I am very proud of that fact that many of you in this room, despite the fact that you had stepped up in other ways, helped us with our Giving Tuesday campaign,” Leland said. “Our alums and our students also stepped up in a big way.”

She referred to the extraordinary generosity of alumni such as management and business economics major Christopher Bernal, the first student to establish an endowed scholarship to support other students, and Keith Ellis, ’12, Brandon Ruscoe, ’09, Chris Abrescy, ’09, and Daniel Lobato, ’13, who established endowed scholarships during Giving Tuesday.

A highlight of the evening was a tribute to longtime supporter and enthusiastic friend of the campus Elizabeth Wallace, who died in October.

The Yablokoff-Wallace Dining Center, Elizabeth’s Garden and the Wallace-Dutra Amphitheater all bear the Wallace name and have played significant roles in building a sense of community.

“Elizabeth Wallace was one of UC Merced’s greatest champions,” Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Relations Kyle Hoffman said. “Her involvement with our campus from the very beginning has made UC Merced a greater place for all.”

Wallace’s husband Bud, daughter Lillian, son-in-law Mark, and granddaughter Allison attended the event.

At last year’s event, the campus unveiled its official alma mater, “My Merced,” written by award-winning composer Jimmy Dunne. To carry on the tradition this year, UC Merced alumna Brooklyn Edwards, ’09, performed the song for guests.

April marks Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) on campus and across the nation. A series of events hosted by UC Merced’s Campus Advocacy, Resources and Education (CARE) Office. give campus community members opportunities to increase awareness and advocate for sexual assault prevention and intervention programing.

A highlight of this month’s initiatives is a stage production of “The Vagina Monologues,” a series of monologues and multi-voice pieces adapted from interviews with women that addresses issues of womanhood, sexuality and strength and ending violence against women. More than 25 UC Merced undergraduate and graduate students are the cast and crew. CARE Office Program Coordinator Taylor Fugere is lead of the production team, other members are UC Merced student Jovita Angel and Valley Crisis Center volunteer José Martínez.

“Sexual violence is not just a women’s issue; it is a community issue,” Director of the CARE Office Yesenia Curiel said. “Sexual violence does not discriminate based on gender, class or race.”

The production is hosted by the student group VOICES, and is sponsored by the CARE Office, Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on the Status of Women, the Center for the Humanities, Women’s Programs in the Office of Student Life and Arts UC Merced Presents.

Showings are at 7 p.m. April 28, 3 p.m. April 29, and 5 p.m. April 30 in the Lakireddy Auditorium. Tickets are $5 and proceeds benefit Valley Crisis Center.

Some other activities include:

• SAAM Day of Action — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 4 on Scholars Lane.

Learn that you don’t need super powers to be a super hero at the SAAM kick-off.

• Clothesline Project — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 4 and 5 on Scholars Lane.

Students and others can participate by painting, drawing or writing personal messages relating to sexual assault and prevention on T-shirts. The decorated tees will be displayed throughout the week.

• Pride Week Workshop — 5 p.m. April 6 in the Bobcat Lair.

Discuss healthy relationships and sex positivity in the queer and transgender community.

• Changing the Rules Tabling Fair — 2-4 p.m. April 11 on Scholars Lane.

Learn more about preventing sexual violence on campus. Free churros and T-shirts. Hosted by VOICES.

• Denim Day Art Competition — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 26 on Scholars Lane.

Help stop victim-blaming by wearing jeans in support of international Denim Day. Campus departments and student organizations are encouraged to decorate pairs of jeans with positive messages. Jeans will be collected April 19 and be on display for judging April 26.

“I invite you to participate in at least one SAAM activity this month,” Curiel said. “As a community, each of us can make a difference by being a part of the solution.”

Visit the CARE Office in the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library, Room 107, by using the new main entrance located on the side facing the Classroom and Office Building 2 courtyard. This will help ensure that survivors have two entrances and exits for more privacy and safety.

For information on SAAM events, email Taylor Fugere at tfugere@ucmerced.edu.

In partnership with the National Park Service and the University of Warwick (U.K.), the University of California, Merced, will produce “Shakespeare in Yosemite,” featuring local and student actors performing excerpts from classic works of William Shakespeare, as well as writings by naturalist John Muir, set against the dramatic backdrop of Yosemite National Park.

The free performances will take place April 22 and 23 in Yosemite’s Lower River and Half Dome Village amphitheaters in Yosemite Valley.

“Shakespeare in Yosemite” brings to life the imaginative worlds of two of the best nature writers in the English language, Shakespeare and Muir, using theatre and music to think about the natural world, and to convey the importance of art and storytelling in the battle to save the environment. The performances coincide with Earth Day on April 22 and Shakespeare’s Birthday on April 23. Admission to Yosemite National Park will be free on the weekend of the event, in honor of National Park Week.

The project is co-directed and produced by Shakespeare scholars Katherine Steele Brokaw of UC Merced and Paul Prescott of the University of Warwick (U.K.). The show features longtime John Muir portrayer and scholar Lee Stetson, National Park Service Ranger Shelton Johnson, and actors from UC Merced, Merced College, University of the Pacific, the University of Warwick, Merced Shakespearefest and other Central Valley theatre communities.

“‘Shakespeare in Yosemite’ reflects the ingenuity of UC Merced’s artistic community and the National Park Service,” UC Merced Chancellor Dorothy Leland said. “Our partnership with Yosemite National Park is unparalleled — we conduct research dedicated to natural resource management and environmental education, we have an impressive student Yosemite Leadership Program, and now we are able to showcase the incomparable beauty of Yosemite National Park through our arts program.”

The program, which is appropriate for all ages, provides free public education about Shakespeare and Muir while highlighting themes of ecology and sustainability. Printed scripts will be available for the deaf and hard of hearing.

“Shakespeare himself never got to see Yosemite, but pairing his scenes and speeches about nature with the writing of John Muir has shown how well his words address the majesty of that place,” Brokaw said. “Bringing the great American tradition of Shakespeare in the Park to Yosemite is the perfect way to celebrate both the vitality of the arts and the beauty of our National Parks.”

Seán Hand, dean of the University of Warwick’s new graduate school in Roseville, added: “This is a fantastic initiative to make Shakespeare accessible to an international audience, and is a great example of the rich and new partnership opportunities open to us in developing our presence in California.”

“Shakespeare in Yosemite” is supported by the National Parks Institute at UC Merced, the UC Merced Office of the Chancellor, the UC Merced Center for the Humanities, the University of Warwick, and Misfit Press.

The free, one-hour performances will take place at 2 and 5:30 p.m. on both April 22 and 23. For more information, please visit: ucmerced.edu/shakespeare.  

The weekend of April 22-23 will be very busy in Yosemite National Park. Visitors are encouraged to plan trips in advance and arrive to the park before 9 a.m. Parking areas throughout the park are expected to fill early in the day. Visitor parking will be available at the Yosemite Falls Day Parking Area, located near Yosemite Lodge and Camp 4, and at Half Dome Village. Visitors are encouraged to park and utilize the free park shuttle to get to the Yosemite Valley Village and Visitor Center.

Public transportation is also available via YARTS (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System) buses, which run multiple times daily and provide visitors with a safe and convenient way to visit the park. Updated travel information is available here. 

The University of California, Merced, announced today (April 12) the appointment of Chou Her to chief of police, effective immediately.

Her, the first person of Hmong descent to lead a UC public safety agency, brings nearly two decades of law enforcement experience and years of demonstrated leadership. He has served the UC Merced community since the campus opened in 2005 and will continue to serve students and staff and faculty members as the campus’s third police chief.

“Chief Her has played a critical role in shaping the department as it and the campus have matured over the past 12 years,” Vice Chancellor for Business and Administrative Services Michael Reese said. “He has helped develop a policing philosophy that is appropriate for a public research university with UC Merced’s unique characteristics.”

Her has served as interim chief twice — after the departure of Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus and Public Safety and Chief of Police Albert Vasquez in September 2016. He also stepped in as interim chief when founding Chief of Police Rita Spaur retired in 2015.

“It’s an honor to be selected to lead UC Merced’s police department,” Her said. “I look forward to continuing and growing our positive engagements with our campus community and the greater Merced community.”

Her has extensive police and emergency management certification and a demonstrated commitment to community involvement. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2011 and captain in 2015.

Her was born in Laos, and his family moved to the United States when he was 3. He has lived in Merced for most of his life and has built a strong connection with the campus and the local community.

Before joining UC Merced in 2005, Her was a deputy sheriff for the Merced County Sheriff’s Department for five years and a probation officer for Stanislaus County for nearly a year.

He earned received an associate’s degree in administration of justice from Merced College and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s in public administration from California State University, Stanislaus.

Earth Week is UC Merced’s chance to highlight some of the ways the campus community is committed to being good stewards of the environment.

From working to divert all waste from the landfill to operating smart energy-monitoring systems in buildings to help reduce the campus’s environmental footprint, students and faculty and staff members are doing their part.

Learn about what UC Merced Sustainability and campus organizations are doing to incorporate and expand sustainability practices in a variety of events the week of April 17-21:

• Bobcat Eats Seminar — 1:30-2:30 p.m. April 17 in the California Room.

This workshop is a food literacy program. Enjoy free food and a cooking demonstration. Guest speaker Liz Carlisle, a lecturer from Stanford, will discuss what we each can do in our daily lives on food systems as it relates to public health, environmental sustainability and labor injustice.

• Zero Waste Event Training — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 18 in the California Room. UC Merced Sustainability will host a training for students and faculty and staff members who coordinate events, workshops or seminars on campus. The training will showcase how attendees can assist the campus in achieving its goal to achieve zero net waste by 2020. A free zero waste lunch will be provided to all attendees. Reserve your seat by email emailing Joanie Leidich at jleidich@ucmerced.edu.
• Bobcat Eats Market — 11a.m. to 3 p.m. April 18 in the Cat Quad near the dining center. Bobcat Eats Market provides the campus community an opportunity to purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables provided by the Fresno Food Commons.
• Campus Community Garden Reopening — 1:30-2:30 p.m. April 19 in the Campus Community Garden (behind Valley Terraces adjacent to Ranchers Road). The Campus Community Garden will reopen at its new location adjacent to Ranchers Road. All students and faculty and staff members are welcome to attend the ribbon cutting.
• Earth Day Festival — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 20, on Scholar’s Lane. Enjoy activities that highlight the many sustainable areas of campus, plus food, fun and prizes. The festival will feature booths of student organizations and local businesses. This year, there’s a new game called Dumpster Dive allowing participants to sort through clean trash and recycling in a dumpster to find the prize.
• Crafty Sustainability — 1-3 p.m. April 20 in the Bobcat Lair. Learn crafty tips on how to help the environment and how to reuse and recyclable everyday household items.

The UC Merced student chapter of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) hosted the second annual Central Valley Regional SIAM Student Chapter Conference on April 7.

In only its second year, the conference attracted 85 participants from universities around Northern and Central California. Students from UC Merced, UC Davis, San Jose State and Fresno State came together to discuss their work with colleagues and collaborators.

Since its founding in 2010 by then-graduate student Nitesh Kumar and Professor Arnold Kim, the UC Merced student chapter of SIAM has been instrumental in providing opportunities for students to network with peers, postdocs and professors who share a common interest in applied mathematics and related disciplines. The student-led group, under the guidance of faculty advisor Professor Noemi Petra, coordinates efforts to bring esteemed mathematicians and fellow math enthusiasts from around the country to UC Merced.

This year’s conference celebrated the efforts of students working to expand institutional and geographic diversity from neighboring universities, as well as increase undergraduate participation.

Jessica Taylor, a Ph.D. candidate in UC Merced’s Applied Mathematics graduate group, was awarded the SIAM Student Chapter Certificate of Recognition “for her outstanding efforts and accomplishments on behalf of the SIAM Chapter at UC Merced.” Taylor, who graduated from UC Merced in 2015 with a B.S. in applied mathematics, served as chapter secretary from 2016-17 and currently serves as the group’s president. And though her incumbency began only recently, she’s already setting an ambitious agenda for the group.

Asked about her plans for the chapter, Taylor said that she wants to “encourage undergraduate activity within our SIAM student chapter and strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration between our SIAM student chapter and other UC Merced STEM student-led organizations.”

And she’s not alone.

Victoria Arias shares Taylor’s enthusiasm for undergraduate outreach. The third-year applied math major serves as the Undergraduate Social Coordinator for the SIAM Chapter, making her the first Undergraduate Social Coordinator to serve as a SIAM Student Chapter officer. Arias has also participated in research through UC Merced’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC).

“I’m huge on research,” said Arias. “I think we need to do more to promote starting research early.”

The daylong conference culminated in a poster session showcasing original student research and highlighting the broad scope of applied mathematics and its relevance to a wide range of fields. The posters on display included work on blood coagulation dynamics, methods to better predict sea level rise, ways to lower medical imaging costs, and how penguins huddle to stay warm in unforgiving arctic climates.

Notably, participation was not limited to mathematicians. SIAM encourages contributions from students majoring in other subjects.

Benjamin Juarez, an undergraduate biology major, presented work he did under the mentorship of applied mathematics Professor Suzanne Sindi. Now in his third year, Juarez is working to identify naturally occurring genetic variants that make people immune to malaria. Likewise, Soheil Fatehiboroujeni, a graduate student in Mechanical Engineering, presented his research on a computational framework for parameter estimation targeted towards molecular dynamics, under the joint mentorship of Petra and mechanical engineering Professor Sachin Goyal.

Student research wasn’t the day’s only highlight. The conference also featured opening remarks by Juan Meza, dean of the School of Natural Sciences, and a keynote address from Daniella Calvetti, the James Wood Williamson professor of mathematics at Case Western Reserve University. Calvetti spoke to students about her work in the field of uncertainty quantification (UQ), focusing on the interactions and synergies of UQ and numerical analysis.

Currently, the UC Merced SIAM student chapter comprises 10 undergraduate and 20 graduate students, including chapter officers Taylor (president), Eric Roberts (vice president), Mario Banuelos (treasurer), Michael Stobb (secretary), Sebastian Rodríguez (undergraduate representative), and Arias (undergraduate social coordinator).

The chapter has received funding and support from SIAM and from the UC Merced Applied Mathematics group. Petra said the chapter has also received valuable contributions from UC Merced postdoctoral researcher Ruanui Nicholson, graphic designer Megan Stobb, and students and faculty in Applied Mathematics.

The group continues to grow and is always looking to add new members interested in applied mathematics.

“I am so proud of our chapter officers,” said Petra, who has mentored the group since 2014. “The great success of this event can be attributed to their dedication and excellent teamwork.”

Student leaders, advisors, campus organizations and athletes were recognized at the annual the Margo F. Souza Student Leadership Center 2017 Leadership Awards celebration on April 23.

A campuswide selection committee chose the winners for their outstanding performance in a variety of student activities and scholarship.

“While today we recognize individuals or individual student organizations, I believe that leadership isn’t about the power of one,” Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Charles Nies said. “It’s the collective actions of many who come together and create a powerful course for positive change.”

This year’s winners include:

• Outstanding Advisor Award: Ala Qattawi

• Inspirational Bobcat Award: Jacob Feitelberg
• Outstanding Graduate Student Award: Maryam Trebeau Crogman
• Outstanding New Student Organization: UC Sprouts
• Cobi Jones Sport Club Male Athlete of the Year Award: Avery Knizek
• Sport Clubs Female Athlete of the Year Award: Jasmine Yslas
• Male Intercollegiate Athlete of the Year: Andy Galvan
• Georgette Ma Kelley Female Intercollegiate Athlete of the Year: Desiree Coles
• Organization President of the Year: Cristhian Gutierrez Huerta
• Social Justice Leadership Award: Violet Barton
• Fraternity and Sorority Council Chapter of the Year: Kappa Sigma
• Professional Fraternity Council Chapter of the Year: Phi Delta Epsilon
• Outstanding New Member of the Year: Morelia Marines
• Outstanding Member of the Year: Mahrukh Mujeeb
• University Friends Circle Community Service Organization: Society of Women Engineers                       
• Margo F. Souza Entrepreneur in Training Team Scholarship: Vibronerv     
• Margo F. Souza San Joaquin Valley Mentor of the Year Award: Justin Yeager
• Distinguished Leader Award: Victoria Arias, Clara Medina Maya, Ariell Smith and Brenda Yu                  
• Program of the Year  “Splash Conference” by Generation to Generation     
• Student Organization of the Year: Lambda Alliance
• Contribution to Student Affairs Award: Christopher Michael Bernal, Andre Frise-Valdez, Mercy Maina
• Legacy Award: Joseph Andrade

The final award of the afternoon, the Carol Tomlinson-Keasey Award, was presented to history major Havilliah “Jake” Malsbury. The award recognizes the “most outstanding graduating student” chosen from the nominees of the Legacy Award.

“Jake has a passion for service and desire for justice for all people and all communities,” Nies said. “This passion fuels his willingness to go above and beyond to support others as they engage, participate and learn.”

During his time at UC Merced, Malsbury distinguished himself among other student leaders and embodied the spirit of the campus’s first chancellor Carol Tomlinson-Keasey. Some of his accomplishments include serving as a mentor for “Lift While You Lead” community service initiative, editor-in-chief of the undergraduate historical journal and as a member of the Native-American Tribe Conservation Project.

“It is my hope that I have left a lasting impact on UC Merced,” Malsbury said. “One that will inspire students to make the most of their time as students.

“As well as inspiring students to serve their communities and to create a cycle of mentorship that will continue to empower students at UC Merced, the Merced community and beyond.”

Get more information about the criteria for individual leadership awards online.

MACES, the Merced nAnomaterials Center for Energy and Sensing, held its second annual open house on April 19, showcasing student research and highlighting the center’s connection to NASA.

The daylong event kicked off with remarks from MACES Director and Professor Jennifer Lu, who shared her vision for the center with a capacity crowd of students, staff and faculty.

“We want to attract and recruit high-caliber faculty and graduate students,” Lu said. “The center serves as a nexus for nanomaterials-based research at UC Merced.”

Though MACES is less than 2 years old, Lu’s vision is well on its way to becoming reality.

Launched in August 2015 with substantial NASA support, MACES was established to develop nanoscale technologies that will enable future NASA space missions. In particular, MACES takes a multidisciplinary approach to solving major challenges associated with energy and sensing.

As Lu explained, power systems account for nearly 30 percent of a spacecraft’s mass, and shuttling these bulky systems into outer space can be prohibitively expensive. MACES strives to develop highly efficient energy harvesting and conversion devices at an appreciably reduced size.

MACES is also developing nanoscale sensing devices. These high-sensitivity instruments will be capable of monitoring human health, assessing the structural integrity of spacecraft, and detecting chemical and biological species in extraterrestrial environments, all while significantly reducing energy consumption.

But research is only one facet of MACES’ mission.

MACES provides undergraduate and graduate students with multidisciplinary, materials-based training in a collaborative environment that prepares them for the STEM careers of tomorrow. MACES also connects students with highly competitive NASA internships. In its first two years, MACES sent 12 students to NASA. Next year, 10 more will join their ranks.

“We are making a concrete and noticeable impact on education,” said Lu of the center’s instructional efforts. “We are training the next-generation STEM workforce.”

Of course, no all-day event highlighting the MACES-NASA relationship would be complete without a NASA astronaut in attendance.

Tamara Jernigan, veteran of five NASA space flights and current senior advisor to the director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, was the invited guest of honor. Jernigan was on hand for the morning poster session and later delivered the event’s keynote address.

At the poster session, students described for Jernigan their work on perovskite photovoltaics, nanomaterials-enabled fuel cells, nanoscale supercapacitors, and ultra-hard, frictionless alloys. Jernigan responded with probing questions and insightful feedback of her own.

The keynote address followed, with Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Tom Peterson opening for Jernigan. Before introducing Jernigan to the standing-room-only crowd, Peterson delivered a brief statement that stressed the importance of MACES to UC Merced.

In her own address, Jernigan discussed her trajectory from school to space, focusing on “character building” experiences from her space program days. Using photographs from her space missions, she described the challenges and joys of space travel. She also narrated a video from her fifth spaceflight, when she delivered and installed equipment on the International Space Station.

Taking questions from the audience, Jernigan was asked whether there was a particular experience that ignited her passion for science and led her to pursue a career as an astronaut.

“I wouldn’t say just one thing. I was always curious as a kid,” Jernigan said. But she was quick to add that her own NASA internship experience, along with her undergraduate and graduate research efforts, were instrumental in shaping her decision.

The open house concluded with a tour of MACES laboratories. Attendees were led through UC Merced’s state-of-the-art imaging and nanofabrication facilities. The tour showcased the advanced instrumentation available to MACES affiliates and highlighted the fact that students and researchers alike have access to training and use of the facilities.  

According to Lu, who surveyed attendees at the event’s close, “The response from participants was unanimously very positive.”

“Many of them felt that this event boosted their interest and career aspiration in science and engineering,” Lu said. “This event is expected to attract more students to apply for research opportunities with MACES.”

UC Merced’s Athletics Department has hired Mike Barbee as men's and women's cross country coach. A 14-year coaching veteran with experience at the NCAA, community college and high school levels, Barbee joins the Bobcats as the fourth head coach in program history.

“We are excited to have Mike lead our cross country program,” Director of Recreation and Athletics David Dunham said. “He brings a wealth of experience at different levels, which we feel will continue to build upon the success the program has experienced.

“Mike's passion for the sport and his energy will allow him to take the cross country program to the next level.”

Most recently, Barbee worked with the Florida State University men's distance program as an operations assistant since 2015. Prior to his time at Florida State, he was the head cross country and track and field coach for two years at Eastern New Mexico University, where he helped multiple athletes qualify for the NCAA Championships, including a two-time All-American and 15 school records. 

“I'd like to thank Marie Supanich and David Dunham for entrusting me to lead the Bobcat cross country teams,” Barbee said. “While visiting with students and faculty during my interview and observing the university in action, I witnessed UC Merced experiencing amazing progress, and I can't wait to participate in the athletic department's role in the progress.”

Barbee, a Michigan native, was a member of the cross country and track and field teams at Western Michigan University, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in education in 1999. His coaching career started at Corona High School in 2001, as the head coach of the boy’s and girl’s cross country and track and field teams. During Barbee’s tenure at Corona, the girl’s cross country team was unbeaten in dual meet competition for three years and the boy’s team won two conference titles.

He later coached at Riverside Community College from 2003 to 2010 as the head women’s cross country and track and field coach. In his time there, the cross country team achieved five top-10 team finishes at the state championships, and four times for track. In 2009, he was named the California Community College Athletic Association’s Women's Track and Field Coach of the Year. 

Barbee’s coaching experience also includes stints at McNeese State University and University of South Alabama. While at South Alabama as the cross country coach and distance assistant, he led the 2011 women's cross country team to their best season in more than a decade. Additionally, his men and women combined for four new school records.

“I look forward to meeting the student athletes and pursuing the next crop of Bobcats that will help the growth of the university and bring the cross country program to new heights,” Barbee said.

The Bobcats will enter their seventh year as an intercollegiate squad representing the California Pacific Conference with Barbee at the helm. Their 2017 schedule will be released in June. 

UC Merced’s Classroom and Office Building (COB) has achieved a silver rating from the LEED Building Operations and Maintenance (O+M) sustainability program, the campus’s first certification to come from the LEED Lab Engineering Service Learning class.

“This is the first of many LEED projects on campus that will be certified by the students,” Assistant Director of Sustainability Mark Maxwell said. “Many sustainability initiatives are developed by staff or administrators, but the LEED Lab is a tangible way for the students to be directly involved with sustainability efforts on campus.”

The LEED Lab is a multidisciplinary, hands-on course offered to undergraduate students who are interested in sustainable design and operations, and is taught through the Engineering Service Learning course. The campus piloted the class in Spring 2015 and it’s now in its fourth semester.

The one-unit class gives students from all majors the opportunity to assess the performance of existing campus facilities. The class chooses one building each year and facilitates the certification process for the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED O+M program.

“The course is a living laboratory for them in so many ways,” Maxwell said. “Students want to learn; that’s why they choose UC Merced.”

The class meets two hours a week with Maxwell and Assistant Director of Engineering Service Learning Chris Butler to learn how UC Merced’s buildings are designed and maintained.

Mechanical engineering major Andrew De Los Santos was the project manager for the class’s opening semester and is credited for developing a two-page document for each credit on the LEED O+M certification scorecard. He spent time setting up the systems that are still in place and gained exposure to sustainable building and operations that led to him earning LEED Green Associate accreditation in January 2017.

Moses Chun, who graduated in May 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering, took the LEED Lab class his last semester at UC Merced.

“As students, we are so proud that all of our buildings are LEED certified, and we wanted to find something tangible to give back to the campus,” he said. “It’s not only about building green buildings, but setting standards for beyond.”

The following semester, Chun and his team began a top-to-bottom audit of the 103,000-square-foot building, including measuring heating, lighting and what was used to clean the building.

The class carried out the bulk of the day-to-day work and Maxwell reviewed and submitted the LEED O+M certification application in October 2015. The process took about a year.

The goal of the certification is to make sure a building operates in an environmentally friendly manner by encouraging owners and occupants to implement sustainable practices and improve operating efficiencies.

The Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library was the first campus building to receive the operations and maintenance certification, which was submitted by Facilities Management and earned a gold certification in 2015.

“The certification demonstrates that we’re operating the campus in a sustainable manner; the same way that we build,” Maxwell said.

This semester, the LEED Lab team is working on certification for the Science and Engineering Building. As the current project manager, student Stephen Schug is learning skills that he is able to apply now and in the future.

“LEED Lab has been a great opportunity to not only develop my leadership abilities, but also to learn all of the challenges that accompany running a multidisciplinary team,” the management and business economics major said. “As a U.S. Marine, a lot of the personal skills I'm learning in the class are transferring over to my military career.”

The newest campus in the University of California system, UC Merced is a campus that attracts leaders — individuals who enjoy the challenge of paving the way for others to follow — and the Class of 2017 is no different.

On May 13 and 14, the campus community will celebrate more than undergraduate and graduate students as they embark on their next adventures.

For Aspen Fernando of Rocklin, the UC Merced advantage has been that nothing is off-limits. During his time at UC Merced, he has been president for four different organizations while working as a peer academic advisor. If he isn't leading his organizations or studying, he spends his time volunteering at the Mercy Medical Center emergency room. He’s graduating with bachelor’s degrees in biological sciences and economics, and plans to work in finance while preparing for admission to medical school.

“I hope when people view me, they feel motivated to push themselves to be the better version of themselves,” he said.

Mercy Maina, a political science major from Kenya by way of Sacramento, has been a leader almost from her first moment on campus. She is among the core groups of leaders who founded Afrikans for Retention & Outreach (AFRO), an organization dedicated to improving the retention and four-year graduation rates of black students enrolled at UC Merced. The group’s initiatives have been successful, leading to an increase in both areas over the past three years, she said. 

“My community has been critical to my success thus far,” she said. “Everything we, AFRO, do is to give back and empower others in the same way someone else did for us.”

Psychology major Ruben Reyes of La Puente agrees. He’s spent his time at UC Merced investing in area youth through Merced County Project 10% and the Mariposa Merced Youth Impact Initiative. Both organizations partner UC Merced students as mentors to eighth-graders with the goal of increasing high school graduation rates and college eligibility rates.

“When I was young, I didn't have that many role models or individuals who told me I could be someone or I could go to college and graduate,” he said.

When adults took an interest in his success and encouraged him to dream big, the impact was unforgettable. “Ever since then, I knew that there were people out there who care for others,” Reyes said. “If I can just show one other person what they have shown me, then maybe I can change a person’s life the way they changed mine.”

Additional profiles of graduating students are available on the Commencement website.

Jocelyne Fadiga and Havilliah “Jake” Malsbury traveled from different worlds to study at UC Merced.

The youngest sister of 13 children, Fadiga grew up in Côte d’Ivoire (the Ivory Coast) in West Africa before immigrating to the United States about eight years ago. Malsbury came to UC Merced from Santa Cruz to become the first in his family to earn a college degree.

Their paths as undergraduates are unique, yet they are linked by a strong desire to help others, an appreciation for their alma mater, and as the two student speakers at UC Merced’s upcoming commencement ceremonies.

“It is a tremendous honor to be able to speak and represent my class,” said Malsbury, a history major who will talk at the May 14 ceremony for the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts.

Fadiga, a chemical sciences major, speaks May 13 to students from the School of Natural Sciences and School of Engineering. Fadiga applied to speak at commencement to honor her mother and is hopeful she will be able to travel from the Ivory Coast to attend the ceremony.

The journey has been long for Fadiga, who left home for the U.S. as a young adult with no specific plan but a keen sense of adventure. “I needed something more outside the boundaries of my country,” she said.

Fadiga settled in Oakland. But it took years to learn English, adjust to American culture and connect with people. At times, she was homeless, depressed and hungry.

She chose to pursue higher education and persevered partly with the help of people who cared and provided support. That was an important factor at UC Merced, where Fadiga transferred several years ago.

“I’m very proud of myself,” she said. “Beyond the degree that I’m getting, I’m also proud of the person that I’ve become.”

At UC Merced, Fadiga performed undergraduate research and participated in symposia and conferences, worked as a lab assistant, and helped mentor students in the Degree Attainment for Returning and Transfer Scholars (DARTS) program. She joined organizations ranging from the National Society of Black Engineers to the Merced County Project 10%, which aims to improve local high school graduation rates, and often served in leadership roles.

Fadiga credits UC Merced with helping to build her confidence, connect her to research opportunities and provide the chance to develop new relationships.

“UC Merced offered a lot of opportunities to explore and grow both professionally and as a person,” she said. “I had the ability to connect to people in a way that I wouldn’t get at a larger university.”

After graduation, Fadiga plans to work in stem cell research at UC San Francisco. She also envisions doing some kind of humanitarian work that would allow her to travel and meet people.

Making a difference in the world also is a priority for Malsbury, who recently received the Carol Tomlinson-Keasey Award— UC Merced’s most prestigious leadership award.

Malsbury’s campus activities include working as a civic leadership intern in the Office of Student Life, serving as editor-in-chief of the Undergraduate Historical Journal, working as a student researcher for the Native American Tribe Conservation Project, and serving as president of the Historical Society at UC Merced.

Through a study abroad program in 2016, Malsbury spent several months in Cape Town, South Africa. There, he worked with nonprofits to help youth in high-poverty areas and mentor high school students.

“That was one of my most memorable experiences,” Malsbury said. He hopes others similarly will leave their comfort zones to take advantage of the many opportunities available to students.

“Make the most of every moment and every year,” he said. “That’s the best way to grow and learn what kind of potential you have.”

Malsbury praised UC Merced’s sense of community and civic engagement along with the accessibility of professors and staff. He said the university helped him define a path in life that involves working for human rights. He’ll start in Australia after graduation and may consider graduate school or law school.

“I’m ready for adventure,” he said. “UC Merced has definitely helped prepare me in so many ways.”

Is it still possible to build a better mouse trap? Engineering students at UC Merced think so.

“Eraticate” — a fitting name for a group focused on mouse trap optimization — isn’t concerned with the cliché their project evokes. Instead, they’re hoping that their multi-kill mouse trap finally ends the rodent problem that remains a perennial source of anxiety for farmers and food producers throughout California’s Central Valley.

But Eraticate isn’t the only team addressing the problems endemic to California’s Central Valley; they are one of 20 teams who will showcase their capstone projects Friday at UC Merced’s Innovate to Grow.

Equal parts competition and exhibition, Innovate to Grow highlights student efforts in engineering, design, entrepreneurship and education, and awards those teams whose accomplishments are especially noteworthy.

Innovate to Grow was launched in 2012 as an expo to spotlight the achievements of graduating seniors who had completed the School of Engineering’s capstone requirement. Now in its sixth year, the annual event has expanded to include the Innovation Design Clinic, the Mobile App Challenge and the Engineering Service Learning initiative.

“Each of these programs offers students an opportunity to work on a team-based design project that is intended to have a practical objective,” School of Engineering Dean Mark Matsumoto explained.  

The Innovation Design Clinic (IDC) offers graduating seniors a unique capstone experience. Rather than pursuing individualized projects, IDC participants form teams that partner with local organizations to find innovative solutions to problems confronting Central Valley industries and communities. The projects combine engineering with entrepreneurship to address issues that have a significant impact on the region’s economy. Plus, it provides many students with their first glimpse of real-world engineering.

“Having a well-rounded curriculum such as a capstone project that includes presentation skills, engineering application, budgeting, teamwork, logistical planning and manufacturing, solidifies what we've learned the past several years,” said mechanical engineering senior and IDC participant Alexis Avila.

Likewise, students in the Mobile App Challenge— organized by the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS)— recognize that there isn’t an app for everything. Participants work in teams to develop mobile apps that address real-world issues. In the process, students come to understand the engineering, design and entrepreneurship challenges associated with developing and promoting a new mobile app.

“Innovate to Grow has proven to be a talent pipeline where the top teams move on to lucrative internships and jobs,” CITRIS Director Joshua Viers said. “We're proud that the CITRIS Mobile App Challenge has become synonymous with in-demand tech talent at UC Merced.”

More cornerstone than capstone, the Engineering Service Learning initiative is targeted toward engineering students early in their college careers. Teams work in conjunction with local nonprofits to apply the principles of engineering and design to improve the wellbeing of local communities. Projects are varied, and include assisting local shelters with case management technology, developing apps that help communities assess the health of their local economies, and developing technologies to improve doctor-patient communication.

But Innovate to Grow is more than just a showcase of engineering ingenuity. For many first-generation students, it’s their first opportunity to experience the realities of an engineering career.

“Because of the large percentage of first-generation students that we have, this experience is important in their career development,” Matsumoto explained. “We are very proud of the creativity and effort that each student design team takes in their projects. It is truly wonderful to see the designs that they come up with.”

Innovate to Grow will be held on Friday, May 12 at the Joseph Edward Gallo Recreation and Wellness Center. The event is free and open to the public, but attendees must register in advance. For more information, visit the Innovate to Grow website.

More than 1,200 undergraduate and graduate students are expected to participate in the University of California, Merced’s 12th commencement ceremonies this weekend — its largest class since opening in September 2005 — bringing the university’s alumni total to nearly 8,000.

“This year's commencement commemorates another extraordinary year of progress for the campus,” Chancellor Dorothy Leland said. “But even more important, it honors our record number of outstanding graduates who we are sending out into the world to embrace the future and shape it.”

UC Merced’s commencement participants hail from 42 counties in California, two other states and seven other countries — Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Mexico and Pakistan. They range in age from 20 to 61 years old.

Jocelyne Fadiga, a chemical sciences major from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, will represent the Class of 2017 as the student speaker at Saturday’s ceremony. In her time at UC Merced, Fadiga served as a scholar in the Degree Attainment for Returning and Transfer Scholars program, the California Alliance for Minority Participation program and the Summer Cardio-Renal Undergraduate Research Experience program; a volunteer for Merced County Project 10%; and editor for the UC Merced Undergraduate Research Journal.

Santa Cruz native Havilliah “Jake” Malsbury will represent the class at Sunday’s ceremony. Malsbury, a history major, served as an intern for the campus’s Civic Leadership program, editor-in-chief of the Undergraduate Historical Journal, a member of the Native American Tribe Conservation Project, and president of the Historical and Current Affairs Society.

Two graduates will sing the national anthem: Carlos Nunez, a mechanical engineering major from Union City, at the Saturday ceremony; and Rebecca Henke, a cognitive science major from Merced, at the Sunday ceremony.

HP Inc. Chief Diversity Officer Lesley Slaton Brown will speak to the candidates of the School of Engineering and School of Natural Sciences and their families at 9 a.m. May 13.

Slaton Brown, a Merced native, has more than 20 years of experience in the technology industry. She is responsible for leading HP’s global diversity and inclusion strategy, programs, partnerships, reporting and operations.

Award-winning journalist and author Héctor Tobar will address the candidates of the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts and their families at 9 a.m. May 14.

Tobar is the author of four books, including the novel “The Barbarian Nurseries” and his nonfiction book “Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of Thirty-Three Men Buried in a Chilean Mine and the Miracle That Set Them Free.”

Tobar was part of the Los Angeles Times reporting team that earned a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

The number of graduates is not the only area where the campus is seeing growth.

The 2016-17 academic year has produced a host of awards, accolades and milestones — including record numbers of student applications, breaking ground on an international award-winning expansion project and being named one of the best public universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for the very first time.

In its debut on the U.S. News rankings, UC Merced showed particular strength in graduation rates. According to the report’s model, the campus’s predicted 6-year graduation rate was 52 percent, but the actual rate was 66 percent. The 14-point difference ranked UC Merced No. 8 among 298 universities in that category.

View a livestream of the commencement ceremonies begining at 8:45 a.m. each day.

UC Merced’s Athletics Department has hired women's volleyball coach and alumnus Surabordin “Ai” Prachumsri as the men's volleyball head coach. He will remain coach of the women’s team, as well.

After stepping in midseason as interim head coach of the men's volleyball team, Prachumsri led the team to their best season (7-11) in program history. The team won consecutive matches for the first time in program history and earned a spot in the conference tournament.

“It has been a privilege to watch the men's team grow over the years and it is a blessing to get the chance to lead this group of young men,” Prachumsri said.

“Ai has proven to be a great motivator and has the ability to pull the team together to focus on their common team goals,” Director of Recreation and Athletics David Dunham said. “I am confident he will continue this success moving forward.”

Prachumsri led the women's team to a 12-13 record last season. After a slow start, Prachumsri rallied the team and they finished strong, winning 10 of their final 12 matches and securing a place in the California Pacific Conference semifinals.

Prior to the 2016-17 year, Prachumsri was a member of the UC Merced men's volleyball coaching staff for the past two seasons where he assisted in all aspects of the program from administrative responsibilities and recruiting to practice planning. He joined the women's volleyball program as the lead assistant for the 2015 season. That season was the team’s most successful to date, with a 14-10 overall record and a 6-4 mark in conference play. 

As a student-athlete at UC Merced, Prachumsri competed on the men's volleyball club team for three years and in 2013, as the program was elevated to the intercollegiate level, he competed as the starting libero for the inaugural squad. He graduated in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering.

UC Merced is taking steps to fight hunger and tackle food waste on campus and across Merced County.

The campus has launched CropMobster Merced County, an online food and agricultural exchange and community engagement program to help address issues ranging from food waste and growing local food economies to food insecurity and resource scarcity.

“It’s like an online version of the town square from times past,” Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Charles Nies said. “It’s a place where anyone in the community can sell, share, barter and exchange to help each other, and ultimately, help the community.”

The online platform, licensed and supported by CropMobster, was introduced in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2013 to bring together farmers, producers, hunger relief organizations and community members. The Sacramento region CropMobster exchange started in 2016.

The Merced County hub, managed by UC Merced staff and students in collaboration with CropMobster, will build on existing successes.

“UC Merced is the first university to take on this innovative social venture and have its staff and students moderate the exchange and work with the community,” CropMobster CEO and co-founder Nick Papadoupulos said. “The campus is playing a pioneering role in this idea that will help reap results for the community and economy today while also growing future leaders.”

Although UC Merced offers a monthly food pantry distribution in a partnership with the USDA, the United Way and the Merced Food Bank, there is still more that needs to be done.

A Student Food Access and Security survey of the 10 UC campuses revealed four in 10 UC students do not have a consistent source of high-quality, nutritious food. At UC Merced, 57 percent of students reported having low to very low food security.

To help reduce those numbers and improve food security across all its campuses, the UC Office of the President, as part of the ongoing UC Global Food Initiative (GFI), has allocated $3.3 million to assist all UCs in such endeavors.

UC Merced is using part of its GFI funds to support CropMobster in an effort to get students, staff and faculty involved and help make a difference on campus and in Merced County, where the overall food insecurity rate is 15.5 percent — compared to the state average of 13.9 percent — according to a 2016 report by the Merced County Food Bank.

Anyone — such as farmers, food businesses and gardeners — can sign up for a free CropMobster account and post alerts ranging from sales and donations to jobs, events and other community action. Once published, the alerts are broadcast via email and social media. The goal is to drive visibility through sharing by word-of-mouth, email or social media with friends and family that may be interested in an alert and in order to produce tangible results for participants.

For information or to sign up for the CropMobster Merced County exchange, visit Merced.CropMobster.com.