News

World Renowned Physicist Nicola Cabibbo Presents at UCMERI/Dan David Solar Symposium

Amid concerns about rising gas prices and the growing need for environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil fuels, the University of California, Merced, hosted a solar symposium, "Solar Energy: Today and Tomorrow," on Friday, Sept. 26, 2008.

The symposium, jointly sponsored by the UC Merced Energy Research Institute (UCMERI) and the Dan David Foundation, was designed to promote public knowledge regarding present and future solar energy technologies, and to examine the current state of the solar energy industry.

Nicola Cabibbo, Italian physicist, professor at La Sapienza University of Rome, and president of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, presented the keynote address. He provided insight into how solar technology is being implemented in Europe and describe how advances in solar technology can help to shape the global energy discussion. [read more]

  

 

UC Merced Receives Fourth LEED Gold for Environmental Certification

For the fourth time since 2007, a recently completed building on the campus of the University of California, Merced, has earned LEED "Gold" certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for excellence in environmentally responsible design, construction and operation, the university said today.
 
The 174,000-square-foot Science & Engineering Building, completed in January 2006, provides laboratories, classrooms and office space for faculty and students whose work often requires highly sophisticated equipment, facilities and support services.  The building meets these needs while achieving exemplary performance in water and energy usage, natural lighting, air quality, waste diversion and recycling, the use of locally supplied and/or recycled building materials and other factors evaluated under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program. [read more]
  

 

UC Merced Receives Sustainability Award from R & D Magazine

The Science and Engineering Building at the University of California, Merced, received an honorable mention in the first Go Beyond Awards. The awards program, sponsored by the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories and R & D Magazine, honors individuals, organizations, projects and laboratory manufacturers that "go beyond" the status quo to minimize the environmental impacts of laboratories and other high-technology facilities.
 
The 239,000 square foot Science and Engineering building, which was the first of three buildings constructed when UC Merced opened in 2005, received the honorable mention in the new construction category. Judges said that the building's innovative design features fulfilled a number of green building goals, including reduced energy consumption and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating. [read more]
  

 

How Fast Can Plants Absorb Our Carbon Emissions? UC Merced Professor Develops New Photosynthesis Measurement Method

We count on vegetation to absorb a large portion of the carbon dioxide emitted from the burning of fossil fuels, helping mitigate climate change through photosynthesis. But what happens if the temperature warms enough to change that process? Heat, drought or a shift from snowfall to rainfall caused by climate warming may affect the amount of CO2 absorbed through photosynthesis by vegetation, but how much?
 
"Our inability to accurately measure and forecast photosynthesis has been responsible for a big part of the uncertainty in our climate change forecasting so far," said Professor Elliott Campbell of the University of California, Merced. [read more]
  

 

Toyota Donation to Support Environmental Leadership at Yosemite National Park and UC Merced

Toyota is providing more than $600,000 and five hybrid vehicles to Yosemite National Park to support a number of environmental education programs at Yosemite and the University of California, Merced, it was announced today.
 
"The development of environmental education programs is key to preserving our majestic national parks for future generations," said Bill Duff, Corporate Manager, Environmental Office, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "Toyota is proud to be part of this endeavor through our donation to The Yosemite Fund and Yosemite National Park." [read more]
  

 

UC Merced Students Headed to Denmark to Study Wind and Solar Power

Engineering and business students from the University of California, Merced, have found a unique, interdisciplinary opportunity to study the implementation of alternative energy in Denmark through the first-ever LoCal RE Summer School program organized by UC Merced, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, and Roskilde University in Denmark.
 
Six UC Merced students are participating in the 20-student program. Uday Bali, Heather Poiry, Kevin Balkoski and Rich Inman will represent UC Merced from the School of Engineering. Kevin Rico and Sam Fong are attending as management majors from the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts. (UC Merced's School of Management is in the planning stages). [read more]
  

 

Solar Taxi Visits UC Merced on World Tour to Promote Alternative Energy

For the first time in history, a solar-powered car is driving around the world without any carbon emissions - and it was in Merced July 18, 2008.
 
Swiss adventurer Louis Palmer is taking a small, blue, environmentally friendly taxi around the world. The solar-electric two-seat taxi with attached trailer is an attempt to call attention to global warming while providing solutions for oil independency.
 
The School of Engineering at the University of California, Merced, sponsored a stop on the Solar Taxi world tour to help advocate for alternative energy. UC Merced is home to the UC Merced Energy Research Institute, which is made up of several energy-related research efforts, including projects developing innovative solar technology, forecasting solar power, and analyzing alternative fuels. The LEED-certified UC Merced campus - one of the most energy-efficient university campuses in the world - is also a living laboratory for the institute's energy efficiency and intelligent infrastructure research focus areas. [read more]