UC Merced Magazine | Volume XIX, Issue VII

MAGAZINE

The Science of Fire Page 22 e Road to R1 Page 9

Addressing the Valley’s Health Care Deserts Page 27

Spring/Summer 2025 Volume XIX, Issue 7

I t is with tremendous excitement that I welcome you to the spring 2025 issue of UC Merced Magazine, where we celebrate a milestone achievement in our university’s history and one that helps lay the foundation for an even brighter future. In less than 20 years, UC Merced attained R1 Carnegie Classification, a prestigious recognition reserved for institutions with the highest levels of research activity. This is a profound achievement for our faculty, students, staff and the communities we serve in the Central Valley and beyond. An article in this issue details the journey to this milestone. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education designates universities as R1 based on rigorous criteria, including research expenditures and doctoral degrees conferred. With this designation, our university joins the ranks of a small group of less than 10% of the nation’s top research institutions, unlocking new opportunities for funding, partnerships and academic excellence. More importantly, it reaffirms our commitment to advancing knowledge, driving innovation and shaping the future through cutting-edge research in the Central Valley. This is a moment of looking forward, but it is also a moment to reflect on what we have achieved and where we are right now. In less than two decades, UC Merced has established itself among the top research universities in the country and, increasingly, the world.

MESSAGE FROM THE CHANCELLOR

This achievement is a testament to the dedication of our world-class faculty, the curiosity and ambition of our amazing students, the professionalism of our committed staff, and the unwavering support of our alumni and community partners. While we celebrate this milestone, we recognize it as a renewed call to action. We must continue to leverage our strengths, drive research that addresses real-world challenges, and remain steadfast in our mission of access, inclusion and excellence. As we embark on this exciting new chapter, we invite you to join

Chancellor and Rufus Bobcat wish Bobcats a good year.

us in celebrating this transformational moment and recognizing what we have built together. This issue of UC Merced Magazine highlights the research being undertaken at our campus that benefits our community, our state and the world. With our new recognition, these opportunities will only continue to grow.

Fiat Lux, Juan Sánchez Muñoz, Ph.D. Chancellor

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MAGAZINE

Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz, Ph.D. Vice Chancellor/ &KLHI ([WHUQDO 5HODWLRQV 2IȰFHU E. Edw. Klotzbier Assistant Vice Chancellor and Senior Advisor, External Relations Danielle Armedilla Associate Vice Chancellor, Strategic Communications, Marketing and Public Relations Josh Morgan Spring/Summer 2025 Volume XIX, Issue 7

In is Issue:

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Donor Impact: Endowed chairs play an important role in research Opinion: Medical education is a winning investment for Valley Three Essential Reads: Cognitive psychology and neuroscience illuminated

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Paloma Ramirez, page 38

Editor Senior Writer and Public ,QIRUPDWLRQ 2IȰFHU Lorena Anderson

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Alumni Spotlight: Marissa Lucas making her mark in the marketing world Cover Story: UC Merced fire research in the national spotlight Health Care Desert: Valley’s lack of medical care hits home in rural areas Farmworker Health: Study continues to have far-reaching impact Summer Bridge: Graduate programs make advanced degrees more accessible and attainable Sports: Championship season for men’s and women’s teams Athlete Profile: Paloma Ramirez shoots for the WNBA

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Writers

Seth Allen Francesca Dinglasan Patty Guerra

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Alyssa Johansen Andrew Mitchell

Jody Murray Brenda Ortiz Sam Yniguez

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Photographers Veronica Adrover Melvin Diaz Alfaro CAL FIRE

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Eric Cendejas Jeff Livingston Merced County Zachary Silva

Graphics / Design / Printing Colemar Design Dumont Printing, Fresno Thomas Hudelson Elizabeth Lippincott

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Marissa Lucas, page 19

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The Road To R1: From day one, a focus on research excellence Alumni Notes: Catch up with Bobcats post-graduation

Mailing Address UC Merced External Relations

5200 N. Lake Road Merced CA 95343

36 38

ucmerced.edu | @ucmerced

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Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders of any material printed in this magazine. Any omissions will be righted in subsequent issues if notice is given to the editors.

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DONOR IMPACT

Professor Nate Monroe said the Tony Coelho Endowed Chair in Public Policy is important in all of his work, from teaching to advancing the Center for Analytic Political Engagement.

Power of Endowed Chairs Driving Research Excellence at UC Merced

By Francesca Dinglasan Endowed chairs are a cornerstone of faculty recruitment, retention and excellence, representing the highest accolade that can be bestowed on professors. UC Merced’s recent R1 designation by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, reflecting a high level of research funding and earned doctorate degrees, would not have been possible without the growing number of endowed chairs across campus. Established mainly through private philanthropy, endowed chairs are a valuable mark of academic distinction for outstanding faculty in direct support of their research and scholarly work. Earnings from the endowment are an

ongoing funding source and allow a university to plan for the future while continuing to advance discovery and innovation. UC Merced Professor Nathan Monroe, who holds the Tony Coelho Endowed Chair in Public Policy, credits his chair as being “integral to all aspects of [his] work,” including data collection for a book project, expanded support for graduate and undergraduate research and, most significantly, the ongoing development of the UC Merced Center for Analytic Political Engagement. “The center is very much in the spirit of Tony Coelho’s legacy as well as my own values in the sense that it will advocate at all levels of government for the interests of the Central Valley and advance the representation of underrepresented groups more generally,” Monroe said.

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“The Tony Coelho Endowed Chair has fundamentally shaped the center’s development and will continue to do so as it matures.” Chair endowment funding allows university leaders to direct support where it is most needed, including research and academic programming. Professor Sarah Kurtz, the inaugural recipient of the Reno Ferrero Family Chair in Electrical Engineering, said the support has been “tremendously helpful in creating and promoting the electrical engineering program” at UC Merced. The new major launched just as Kurtz was named to the chair. “As a relatively young university, UC Merced has very few resources of this type,” Kurtz said. “They are precious as we build a university that serves a unique population.” Other UC Merced chairholders have noted that the flexibility of their endowments enables them to explore and develop new knowledge by exchanging ideas with a community of peers. Ruiz Family Chair in Entrepreneurship Professor Christian Fons-Rosen has used some of his chair support to bring together doctoral students and faculty from UC Merced and UC Berkeley for the “Yosemite Retreat in Entrepreneurship and Innovation” for the past two years. The most recent gathering was extended to invite

researchers from UCLA and Stanford. “I strongly believe the Ruiz family and I have the shared goal of leveling the playing field and making UC Merced play a more central role in entrepreneurship,” Fons-Rosen said. “For this reason, I always make sure that both UC Merced faculty and Ph.D. students are present in this meeting and end up having quality time with top scholars in the field.” Vincent Hillyer Chair of Literature Professor Humberto Garcia — whose research focuses on 18th-century British literature and culture through the lens of race, empire, gender, South Asia and the occult — is able to share his work globally by traveling to international academic forums for presentations. More importantly, his resources enable him to bring the world to the UC Merced community by sponsoring visiting speakers to meet with faculty, graduate students and undergraduates. UC Merced supporters who establish endowed chairs are generally inspired by a personal affinity with the university or their desire to help increase the campus’s prominence. They also are often motivated to make a significant philanthropic contribution to spur advances in a particular area of study or find solutions for a specific issue or problem confronting society.

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WE R1: ADVANCING BOLD RESEARCH & INNOVATION

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I’m excited for this new beginning, and I like the idea of being the first person to bring an ag-tech chair to UC Merced. — Trustee Christine Long

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UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees member Christine Long, a longtime business owner and leader in the Central Valley’s agricultural industry, is the latest campus advocate to create a chair to expand research capacity and excellence. The newly established Christine Nemec Long Endowed Chair in Agricultural Technology will be housed in the School of Engineering and is UC Merced’s first chair in the ag-tech field. “The San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys are the most fertile valleys in the world, and UC Merced is in the middle of that,” Long said. “Why shouldn’t Merced be a leader in Christine Long

ag-tech? Agriculture is changing and is becoming more advanced and technical. People who work in ag-tech are much more skilled than they used to be, and they require a new understanding. “Ag-tech is a brand-new field for me, too,” she added. “I’m excited for this new beginning, and I like the idea of being the first person to bring an ag-tech chair to UC Merced.” UC Merced holds 16 endowed chairs — seven in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts; four in the School of Natural Sciences; and two under the future Gallo School of Management. With the addition of the Long Chair in Agricultural Technology, the School of Engineering now has three endowed chairs.

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Support Medical Education in the San Joaquin Valley

OPINION

By Dr. Margo Vener Health care in California’s San Joaquin Valley is in critical need. The region has disproportionately fewer physicians than the rest of the state, and this barrier prevents patients, families and communities from accessing high-quality care to address medical needs and stay healthy. Yet the Valley also benefits from the richness of exceptionally dedicated, talented and motivated young people eager to become physicians and serve their communities. One solution to these challenges is to attract more young people to the medical field — promising scholars motivated to practice professionally right here. UC Merced is leading the way in educating new physicians “from the Valley and for the Valley.” Providing outstanding health care requires a team, including physicians, nurses, physical therapists, pharmacists, dentists, public health researchers and psychologists. UC Merced programs are helping develop a true health professions pipeline. Located at UC Merced, San Joaquin Valley PRIME+, in partnership with UCSF and UCSF Fresno, guides selected Valley high school students from earning their bachelor’s degrees through medical school to attain their medical degrees.

UC Merced’s Health Scholars program provides experiential learning and peer support for students interested in health careers such as

medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dental school, public health and more. Members of our community often ask how they can offer support. Financial aid and scholarships can significantly influence a prospective student’s evaluation of where to start their medical education. Financial assistance lowers barriers to attending UC Merced. Once the students are in college, financial security can help them focus on their studies. Students need co-curricular experiences such as research, community engagement and experiential learning in clinical settings to successfully apply to health professional schools. While these requirements are a lot for anyone, UC Merced students from low-income backgrounds may have competing demands, such as needing to earn money for tuition or family, pressure to return home to support or translate for non-English-speaking families and helping families navigate stressors such as immigration issues. Scholarships allow the university to attract and retain bright, motivated students who can become tomorrow’s health care leaders.

If you can support scholarships for medical students, you are helping support the future health of the Valley. If you work in the medical field, you can help students by allowing them to shadow you at your practice. Experiencing health care in real-world settings gives their studies context and opens a window to their professional future. You can also come to UC Merced to present to students about your practice, specialty or team. The Valley is a special place, rich in diversity and opportunity. With SJV PRIME+ and Health Scholars, UC Merced is tapping into the vast potential of young scholars from the region and pointing the way to a future filled with physicians and health professionals who keenly understand what their patients need. Learn more about health-related programs and how you can support them and the Valley’s healthy future at meded.ucmerced.edu/get-involved. Dr. Margo Vener is the director of the UC Merced Department of Medical Education and a family practice physician.

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THREE ESSENTIAL READS | Cognitive Science

— Professor David C. Noelle, with the Department of Cognitive and Information Sciences, said finding books in the popular presses is difficult because his field is highly technical. Noelle’s research interests include computational cognitive neuroscience, cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence. Still, he has recommended three books he considers important for anyone interested in his field of study and explains why he chose them.

“Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology” by Valentino Braitenberg Animals, including humans, exhibit amazingly complex patterns of behavior. In “Vehicles,” neuroscientist Valentino Braitenberg walks the reader through a series of playful thought experiments to show how complex behavior can arise from the simplest mechanisms. While the second half of the book applies these insights to detailed questions about the brain, the first half is highly accessible to any thoughtful reader. I enjoyed sharing these ideas with Tibetan Buddhist monks in exile in India through the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative. Also, my colleague Professor Je Yoshimi, with Scott Hotton, has recently released a book building on Braitenberg’s ideas called “ e Open Dynamics of Braitenberg Vehicles,” published by MIT Press.

“ e Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark” by Carl Sagan e astronomer Carl Sagan was a modern pioneer in communicating science to the public. His work seduced many people, including myself, into careers in science and engineering. In “ e Demon-Haunted World,” Sagan eloquently expresses the importance of ensuring that every member of society has a fundamental appreciation and understanding of the scientific approach to encountering the world. He both reveals the wonder of getting to know the universe and warns us of the dangers of an uninformed population in a time of rapidly expanding technological growth. Many of the themes of this book are discussed in the general education class “Scientific inking.”

“ e Computational Brain” by Patricia S. Churchland & Terrence J. Sejnowski Philosopher Patricia Churchland and neuroscientist Terrence Sejnowski provide a comprehensive foundation for understanding how the brain processes information. e evolved brain operates in radically di erent ways than designed digital computers, making it necessary to adopt fundamentally new perspectives on computation. ese perspectives are at the heart of modern artificial intelligence systems, and they guide my research into simulations of brain function as windows on human cognition. Churchland was the 2011 recipient of the Distinguished Cognitive Scientist Award granted by the UC Merced Department of Cognitive and Information Sciences.

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‘We’re Doing It Right’ e Journey from R2 to R1

By Jody Murray From his seat on the officiants’ stand, chemistry Professor Hrant Hratchian looked beyond the sea of blue mortarboards at UC Merced’s 2018 spring commencement to the towering yellow cranes looming behind the Carol Tomlinson-Keasey Quad. For Hratchian, it was an upli ing sight, a soaring reminder that a massive construction project to double the campus size was underway. “ ere were cranes everywhere,” Hratchian, now vice

provost and dean of graduate education, said of the mid-construction period. “You could feel this energy around campus like, ‘It’s really happening.’” The Merced 2020 Project, as it was known, was a significant milestone for a University of California campus placed purposefully in the San Joaquin Valley to serve an underserved region. Parallel to that mission was a determination to be a premier research institution that benefited communities and nations beyond.

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For more than two decades, Yoshimi has introduced students to his intellectual passions, such as the structure and dynamics of consciousness, using computational models and laptop-screen visualizations of his invention. “In my mind, UC Merced has always been R1 in its implicit self-understanding,” Yoshimi said. “ ere was a heavy emphasis on research right out of the gate.” Planning It Out A couple of years a er UC Merced earned R2, faculty members and administrators began to hammer out a roadmap for academics and research that would take advantage of the Merced 2020 Project expansion. The academic plan provided the framework for a campuswide strategic plan adopted in 2021. Its top-tier goals are: • Become a “national hub for interdisciplinary and transformational research.” In short, an R1 • Give students a world-class education delivered by outstanding educators and researchers • Foster a culture of dignity, respect and inclusion e academic plan, in turn, was seeded in UC Merced’s first accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges in 2011. WASC, among other things, insists that institutions show continuous improvement and stick to their missions and goals. “We had created an ethos that research and education can be profoundly complementary if you do it right,” said Gregg Camfield, then the executive vice chancellor and provost. “And we’re doing it right.” e academic plan was approved in 2019.

Professor Jeff Yoshimi

(Continued from page 9) In February 2025, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education confirmed that UC Merced belonged in the top tier of academic research, bestowing its R1 classification on the 20-year-old university. e classification, owned by a mere 187 universities nationwide, is given for featuring “very high research spending and doctorate production.” Only 10 years earlier, UC Merced received Carnegie’s “higher research” classification, R2, faster than any institution in the foundation’s history. It’s been quite a journey. Here are some moments along the way: Some Sage Hiring Advice Jeff Yoshimi joined UC Merced a year after the first spade of earth was turned to build the campus in 2003. T he cognitive science professor, part of an exclusive club known as founding faculty, remembers gatherings with people conversant in the UC’s mission to drive academic research. “One person said, ‘If I have one piece of advice, it would be to always hire people smarter than yourself,’” Yoshimi said.

You could feel this energy around campus like, ‘It’s really happening.’ — Professor Hrant Hratchian

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The process of building a university never ends, but reaching R1 status is a critical milestone in UC Merced’s history.

“It was not a top-down decision,” Camfield said. ere was a “serious, energetic” debate in town halls, special meetings, labs and offices. Laura Martin was executive director of the Academic Senate at the time. “ e academic plan that emerged was about research, teaching and our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion,” said Martin, now the provost’s chief of sta . “It was an important step toward R1.” Doubling Down on Possibilities Construction for the four-year, $1.2 billion Merced 2020 Project was completed in the fall of its namesake year. New spaces for research, education, recreation, and student housing and wellness meant a vast upgrade in possibilities. Researchers moved labs and offices into the new Arts and Computational Sciences and Biomedical Sciences and Physics buildings. Move-ins couldn’t happen immediately, though — the COVID-19 pandemic still emptied the campus. In-person instruction didn’t resume until spring 2022.

Hratchian, who took heart at the sight of construction cranes, now enjoys walking through what those cranes created. When he came to UC Merced in 2013, he said, “In the winter, that land was a swamp. It was tall grass in the summer, probably filled with snakes and rats. If you wandered into it, you wouldn’t return. “Now I stand amid all those buildings and think, ‘A group of us came here and we did a thing.’ And that’s really satisfying.” A Familiar Environment Michael Scheibner grew up on a family farm in a tiny German village. “ ere were more cows, chickens and pigs than people,” he said. e pastures and livestock surrounding UC Merced had a personal appeal when the physics professor joined the faculty in 2009. “It was exciting to see, on one hand, the agriculture that is part of my past, alongside the future of advancing technologies that allow us to sustain agriculture,” Scheibner said.

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Scheibner’s lab at UC Merced delves into the quantum realm, studying interactions between light-based matter and structures only a few atoms or molecules wide. Research into

quantum materials and information connects

Scheibner and his students to a network of other institutions.

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Scheibner’s lab at UC Merced delves into the quantum realm, studying interactions between light-based matter and structures only a few atoms or molecules wide. Research into quantum materials and information connects Scheibner and his students to a network of other institutions. e work also circles back to agriculture, such as the challenge of growing food during space travel. “How do you do that in an extreme environment?” Scheibner said. “Our semiconductor quantum nanomaterials can help provide the conditions to make it possible.” The Pandemic T ere’s a picture-a-day desk calendar encased in plastic behind Betsy Dumont’s desk. “Friday, March 20, 2020,” it reads. Under the date is a multicolored photo of a chameleon’s skin. T e calendar is frozen on the day she and thousands of others left campus because of the rapidly unfolding pandemic. California ordered everyone to take shelter, preferably at home, to stem the spread of the mysterious virus. “I remember coming back to the office a er I don’t know how many months and being struck by, ‘My God, I’ve been gone that long?’” said Dumont, UC Merced’s executive vice chancellor and provost. For more than a year, scattered faculty, sta and students strived to operate as a public research university. ose whose jobs brought them to campus returned under tight restrictions. ere were masks, personal distancing, COVID-19 tests and Zoom calls — so many Zoom calls. Andrew Boyd was chosen to direct the university through COVID-19 as its chief resilience officer. He said the journey was harrowing, exhausting... and inspiring. He learned about infectious diseases from biology Professor Katrina Hoyer and testing for COVID-19 via saliva from then-Director of Medical Education Thelma Hurd. “I was so thankful to be surrounded by such expertise and to be a part of the UC system,” said Boyd, now associate vice chancellor for strategic infrastructure, planning and institutional e ectiveness. “UCLA, UC San Diego, UC

Associate Vice Chancellor for Strategic Infrastructure, Planning and Institutional (IIHFWLYHQHVV $QGUHZ %R\G VHUYHG DV FKLHI UHVLOLHQFH RIȰFHU GXULQJ WKH PRVW challenging days of the COVID pandemic.

Davis o ered all the resources they could. “ ough it was a terrible time, I feel blessed to have been here at UC Merced,” he said, “to see the resilience of our campus community. To grind through it.” Putting R1 to a Thesis Test It’s 8 a.m. in Merced and 5 p.m. in Munich, where Ana Becerril has popped onto Zoom to talk about her thesis. Seven years ago, she finished the paper that secured a master’s degree in business administration from California State University, Stanislaus. Its title: “A Strategic Analysis of How the University of California, Merced Can Achieve R1 Status in the Carnegie Classification.”

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Former interim Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development Marjorie Zatz was one of many who worked hard to advance the campus from R2 to R1.

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We’ll get to why Becerril was in Bavaria in a moment. e San Diego native earned a bachelor’s in environmental science at UC Merced in 2011. ree years later, she was hired by the university’s Office of Research and Economic Development to work on grant proposals. While working full-time, she began studying at CSU Stanislaus for an MBA with an emphasis on strategic planning. Her work with the research community influenced the thesis subject. “I knew we had everything we needed, but I wanted to lay down the strategic planning, what it would take for UC Merced to take that next step,” Becerril said. Crunching national data from sources such as Carnegie and the National Science Foundation, she compared UC Merced to five universities that jumped from R2 to R1 in 2015. Becerril concluded that UC Merced was capable of achieving R1 in 2025. Nailed it. “I found out from friends who are faculty there. ey knew this was a very important topic for me,” Becerril said. “I’m a Bobcat forever.” A year a er securing her MBA, she changed jobs at UC Merced and worked for three years as a principal planner

in the land use department. “It was a step in the right direction,” she said on the Zoom call from Germany. She is now a Ph.D. candidate researching e orts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in road tunnels, focusing on government policies and efficient economic models that would make the tunnels environmentally sustainable. Becerril said her alma mater’s R1 achievement “underscores the dedication to fostering a robust research environment and a commitment to academic excellence.” Finding the Story in the Numbers Most people look at a financial report and see... numbers. Endless. Brain-numbing. Numbers. Amanda Preston-Nelson looks at a financial report and sees stories: dollars flowing from one pair of hands to another; schools adding degrees in biochemistry, neuroscience, and aerospace engineering; and labs hiring graduate students to expand the frontiers of knowledge. In January 2021, UC Merced activated a new campus-wide financial management system. Various deadlines dropped the cutover into the center of the pandemic. What followed was a protracted challenge to convert certain data from the old system and to maximize the new one’s advanced capabilities.

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I’m a Bobcat forever. — Ana Becerril

Preston-Nelson said the tracker helps complete the picture and tell the story of UC Merced’s groundbreaking research efforts. “She stepped up big time for this,” Schnier said of Preston Nelson. “Yes, this is a success story for faculty and research, but her commitment to documenting what was happening was incredible.” R1 and … Next? Dumont remembered a meeting with the School of Natural Sciences faculty when she was its dean. “What do we need to do to be R1?” someone asked. “I said, ‘You need to keep doing what you’re doing,’” she replied. All of UC Merced’s faculty members are “just amazing,” Dumont added. “Top-notch, world-class researchers, scholars and artists.” Indeed. More than 40 UC Merced researchers have earned CAREER awards, a prestigious honor from the National Science Foundation given to untenured faculty members. Recent research grants include $18.1 million to the region’s education and health care needs and $12.5 million to establish a Biology Integration Institute. The journey continues. Like the R2 classification less than a decade earlier, UC Merced’s arrival among Carnegie’s top-tier research institutions is significant on several fronts. “It’s an amazing accomplishment in such a short period of time,” Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Economic Development Gillian Wilson said, “but it’s just the beginning. It’s opening all sorts of doors for research funding, for discoveries, for education and impact on the Valley.”

Amid this transition, Preston-Nelson, an associate vice chancellor and UC Merced’s controller — the head of Business and Financial Services — was asked to lead an e ort to use the new system’s accounting muscle to better track UC Merced’s research transactions. Was the university identifying and categorizing all the spending that supports research? e old financial tracking system struggled to handle this, but the Oracle system was born to it, built on a vast chart of accounts that a user strings together like DNA proteins. It could be done, but the task required someone like Preston-Nelson who had mastered the Oracle system’s capabilities. “I sat down with Amanda and we talked about it,” said Vice Chancellor Kurt Schnier, UC Merced’s chief financial officer. “And she developed a procedure.” e solution uses the chart of accounts to make numerous types of research-related transactions easier to identify. If a sta member or lab worker enters a research expenditure, the Oracle system requires the related project to be categorized by a long list of research types. e spending tracker ensures the university counts research expenditures fully and provides data to agencies that track it, such as the National Science Foundation. Working with Sponsored Projects Office Executive Director Jue Sun and Graduate Division Assistant Dean Eric Cannon, Preston-Nelson built a tracker that’s second to none in the UC system, strengthening UC Merced’s position as an institution conducting research at the Carnegie R1 level.

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Alumni

Ya Yang

Here’s what some Bobcat graduates have been up to: Sarah Hashemyan (B.S. ’10) has celebrated significant milestones: She married in 2020, moved to Oregon in 2021 and welcomed a daughter in 2022. She has spent almost six years as the vice president of People Operations at Atomic Labs LLC. Kristynn Sullivan (Ph.D. ’15) has had more than 10 years of professional experience in public health leadership and development, including as the lead epidemiologist during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was recently named the Merced County Public Health director. Linda Chang (B.S. ’16) is positively impacting UC Merced and her hometown of Merced. As an administrative officer at the university and president of the Merced Breakfast Lions Club, she has devoted herself to service, leading local projects and supporting community e orts while balancing a busy personal life and expecting her first child later this year. Ya Yang (double B.A. ’19) earned a master’s in Global Health at Georgetown University in 2020. During the pandemic, he managed infection control and epidemiology with Monterey County, helping prevent COVID-19 outbreaks and health care-acquired infections. He

is a first-year Ph.D. student in Public Health Sciences at UC Davis. Josh Franco (Ph.D. ’19) has been awarded the prestigious 2024-2025 Fellowship. is opportunity takes him back to Capitol Hill a er 15 years away, where he will gain first-hand experience in Congress while continuing his work as a political science professor and contributing to his ongoing research on federal courts. Annaliza Perez Torres (B.S. ’19), a materials science and engineering major, is an engineer with Lockheed Martin and has received a Rising Technical Contributor Award from the Society of Women Engineers. Vanessa Centeno (B.S. ’19) worked in Professor Emily Moran’s lab as a biological sciences major, became a research associate at DiaSorin, an immunodiagnostics company, then enrolled in the Master of Science program in Biostatistics and Epidemiology at Claremont Graduate University. Mengjun Shu (Ph.D. ’20), an Environmental Systems graduate student under Professor Emily Moran, is now a plant genetics researcher at American Political Science Association Congressional

Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Je rey Lauder (Ph.D. ’20), a Quantitative and Systems Biology graduate student under Professor Emily Moran, is now the executive director of Sierra Streams Institute. Oscar Elias (B.A. ’20) studied in Professor Carolin Frank’s lab, graduated with a degree in public health, and now works for Sustainable Conservation. is nonprofit helps small farmers by focusing on implementing and supporting regenerative agriculture practices in the San Joaquin Valley. He is also applying to graduate school and hopes to work at the intersection of human health and environmental sustainability. Jazmine Kenny (Ph.D. ’21) is one of the founding sta of UC Merced’s Department of Medical Education, working as the assessment and evaluation lead for the SJV PRIME+ program. Kenny married Andrew “Du y” Murphy (B.S. ’15) in 2023. ey live on a family-owned almond and peach orchard with three dogs, three cats and three chickens. Erika Jones (B.S. ’21) worked in Professor Emily Moran’s lab as a biological sciences major and is now at the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine.

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Toshiyuki Bandai (Ph.D. ’22) did pioneering work on physics-informed neural networks in Professor Teamrat Ghezzehei’s lab and wrote several important papers while a postdoc at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He has returned to Japan to work for the Japanese version of Bell Labs, develop novel tools for forecasting extreme weather. Saima Sumaiya (Ph.D. ’22) was a mechanical engineering graduate student in Professor Mehmet Baykara’s lab and now works at Bruker, a manufacturer of scientific instruments for molecular and materials research and industrial and applied analysis. She also joined the Mechanical Engineering External Advisory Board, remaining an engaged Bobcat. Jocelyn Rojas (B.S. ’23), who assisted Professor Emily Moran with In Memoriam Professor Emeritus Ariel Escobar, 1962-2024 Professor Ariel Escobar and his lab group developed new optical, micro-mechanical and electrophysiological techniques for studying key aspects of striated muscle physiology. Escobar used these tools to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the development of cardiac arrhythmias. He joined the campus in 2008 and served as the department chair of bioengineering. He was also a member of the National Research Council of Venezuela.

Melissa Rivas Hernandez (B.S. ’24), who conducted fieldwork with Professor Emily Moran as an environmental systems science major, is now in the master’s program in Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara. Carlos Diaz Alvarenga (Ph.D. ’24), a researcher in Professor Stefano Carpin’s robotics lab, married Rocio Medrano Calderon (B.S. ’17) and landed a faculty position in Cal Poly’s computer engineering department.

fieldwork as an environmental systems science major, is a Ph.D. student in Environmental Studies at UC Santa Cruz. Yumary Vasquez (Ph.D. ’23), a graduate student in Professor Tanja Woyke’s lab, is a postdoctoral scholar at the Joint Genome Institute at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She is a computational biologist specializing in microbial genomics. Touyee ao (Ph.D. ’23) was a graduate student under Professor Teamrat Ghezzehei. He has been with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service in Parlier, doing locally relevant agriculture and soil science research. DiemQuynh Nguyen (B.S. ’24), an undergraduate researcher in Professor Gordon Bennett’s lab, is a Ph.D. student at Rutgers University studying the gut biome of honeypot ants. Escobar was born in Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina, on March 25, 1962. A er serving in the Army, he studied electronic engineering at Universidad Tecnológica Nacional in Buenos Aires. A workshop on ionic channels inspired him to dedicate himself to electrophysiology. Escobar obtained a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of the Republic in 1993 and then was a postdoctoral scholar at UCLA. He later moved to Venezuela, where he joined the faculty of the Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas. In 2000, Escobar moved his laboratory to Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in

Lubbock. He worked there until he moved to UC Merced. Friends described Escobar as an avid scientist with a special talent for solving intricate technical problems that involved understanding calcium dynamics in muscle. Escobar is survived by his wife, Tania, and many friends who consider themselves part of his family.

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concentrator, a highly efficient device that collects and concentrates light, and introducing “Winston Cones,” nonimaging light collectors that by their design maximize the amount of light that can be focused from large areas into smaller photodetectors or photomultipliers. Much of the solar-concentrating research that has followed has been based on that landmark 1966 paper. Because of the publication and his inventions, Winston is widely considered to be the father of nonimaging optics, a field concerned with the optimal transfer of light radiation between a source and a target. e concepts developed and the devices Winston invented formed the core of solar technology, which carries the promise of making solar energy a viable energy source for society. Nonimaging solar collectors — once thought to be impossible — don’t need to track the sun and can function well under cloudy or hazy skies. ey revolutionized solar energy use by providing the broadest possible acceptance angles. ey o er higher solar concentrations in smaller cells and generate higher temperatures with less thermal loss. ey improve the reliability and efficiency of the solar cells in concentrated photovoltaics and improve heat transfer in concentrated solar thermal. ey have even been used for water desalinization. Winston’s work also formed the foundation of many extensive experiments to advance the field, including one that won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2015. Winston Cones have been used to track cosmic rays, map the sky and measure the fundamental building blocks of the universe.

In 1988, using a new mirror-based technique, Winston and his team set a record for the concentration of solar energy, concentrating sunlight to more than 60,000 times its normal intensity. Winston was born Feb. 12, 1936, in Moscow, USSR, the son of an American engineer who was helping the Soviets design towns and build an industrial base. His family evacuated the Soviet Union in 1943 during World War II. He attended the Bronx High School of Science in New York City for two years, earning early entrance to Shimer College in Illinois before transferring to the University of Chicago, where he earned a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree and a Ph.D. A er a short stint as an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Winston returned to the University of Chicago and was appointed chair of the Department of Physics. He conducted research at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Geneva, Switzerland, and at Argonne National Lab and the Enrico Fermi Institute, both in the Chicago area. He was also a visiting professor at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel. In addition to solar energy, Winston also researched high-energy and particle physics and astrophysics. A er his retirement from the university in 2022, he founded Winston Cone Optics, a company dedicated to his research in solar technologies and to making solar energy more efficient and less expensive so it could be available to more people. Winston is survived by his sons John and Joe, half-brothers Eugene and Vanya Loroch, grandsons Milo and Beckett Winston, and step-grandchildren Zoe and Alex Leuba. He was predeceased by his wife, Patricia, and son Gregory.

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In Memoriam Distinguished Professor Emeritus Roland Winston, 1936-2025 Distinguished Professor Emeritus Roland Winston was a pioneer in solar energy, engineering and physics and a founding faculty member in the schools of Natural Sciences and Engineering. Winston also founded and directed the intercampus collaborative Advanced Solar Technologies Institute, known as UC Solar. His research and teaching focused on concentrating solar energy systems. Winston published hundreds of articles in scientific journals, co-wrote several books, held more than 50 patents and won multiple awards. As a junior faculty member in the University of Chicago Physics Department, he published a paper introducing a new field he called nonimaging optics, describing the compound parabolic solar

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Alumna Sports a Flair for Business

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Marissa Lucas, left, doesn’t pass up any opportunity, including panel discussions, to talk about her company and share her insights.

By Seth Allen Marissa Lucas may have given more campus tours than any other student during her time at UC Merced from 2012 to 2016. In her junior year alone, she escorted visitors around campus 57 times. However, that was only one of her many roles while working for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs. As a student marketing lead, also known as a Media Cat, she launched the popular @lifeatucmerced Instagram account. If you scroll through its 970 posts, you’ll find Lucas in the first

one explaining why she chose UC Merced. “I came to UC Merced because I loved the opportunities that were available,” she said. She made the most of those opportunities, gaining skills to shape her future. Less than a decade a er graduating, Lucas is now the senior vice president of PR & Partnerships at T he Bay Club Company, a luxury fitness club with 26 locations across 10 campuses.

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“Embrace every opportunity, make the most of your environment, and always challenge yourself to grow.” — Marissa Lucas

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(Continued from page 19) An emerging leader in the sports and active lifestyle industry, she has gained recognition partly due to her highly successful social media series, “Marissa Tries.” She developed the ability to drive engagement and connect with audiences at UC Merced. “My favorite part of being a tour guide was connecting with prospective students and showing them all the possibilities that UC Merced has to o er,” she said. As a business and economics major, Lucas — who classmates knew by her maiden name, Dorfler — always knew she wanted a career in marketing. She found inspiration in the classroom, particularly a er taking a course with Steven Seltzer, a continuing lecturer in economics and business management. “Steven is such a wonderful and kind human being,” Lucas said. “He always supported me and gave great career advice.”

Seltzer saw her potential early on. “I am absolutely not surprised to hear of Marissa’s success,” he said. “She was not only a great student; she was also someone who — even in a classroom setting — exhibited the talents, work ethic and personality to be terrific in business. at’s why I actually tried to induce her to join my old firm. I can’t think of a better endorsement than o ering someone a job.” Outside the classroom, Lucas immersed herself in campus life. In addition to working as a Media Cat, she was an active member of the Campus Activities Board, helping organize popular events such as Treats N Beats and Cowchella. She also managed all social media and public relations for Fraternity and Sorority Life. During her time, engagement thrived. e hands-on experience she gained at UC Merced helped her land an opportunity at OpenTable immediately a er graduation in 2016.

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“I had a passion for storytelling, and I wanted a career that sparked my creativity,” she said. Lucas joined e Bay Club in 2017 as a social media and events coordinator. It didn’t take long for her to advance in the company. In 2021, she launched “Marissa Tries,” a social media series where in each video she showcases herself participating in a sport, fitness class or recovery modality o ered at one of the various Bay Club locations. From goat yoga and Pilates to pickleball and boxing, Lucas has tried it all. Created as a response to the fitness

industry’s post-pandemic challenges, the series aims to re-engage members, attract new demographics and highlight e Bay Club’s o erings in a fun, relatable way. Her other videos include meal prepping and a challenge in which she visited all 26 locations, from Seattle to San Diego, in under 36 hours. e response has been overwhelmingly positive. “Marissa Tries” has amassed more than 1 million views and 1 million impressions across all platforms, achieving five times the industry standard for engagement. According to her publicity firm, the series also had an immediate business impact and contributed to 13 consecutive months of revenue

growth and increased gym usage across locations. With no signs of slowing down, Lucas and her one-person production team continue to create videos. In addition to producing content, in her current role as senior vice president, she oversees all philanthropy e orts and media and public relations, including working with a few professional sports teams. Reflecting on her journey, Lucas encourages students to walk through every open door they can. “Embrace every opportunity, make the most of your environment, and always challenge yourself to grow,” she said.

Lucas and a friend celebrate their graduation in 2016.

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COVER STORY

The Science of Fire

Los Angeles Wildfires Highlight Importance of UC Merced Research

By Patty Guerra UC Merced professors at the forefront of climate and fire research say the dry, windy conditions that fueled the catastrophic Southern California wildfires will become more common, but there are ways to fight back. e Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County destroyed more than 12,000 homes and dozens of schools, churches, businesses and other community resources, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. At least 29 people died in the fires that required

nearly 200,000 people to evacuate and inundated millions with toxic smoke. It was one of the worst disasters in the Los Angeles region’s history, and media from across the country turned to faculty at UC Merced to help explain what caused the fires and how they might be prevented. University researchers working across numerous disciplines have been leading e orts to measure the impacts of wildfires on air, how communities rebuild and recover from wildfires and what can be done to reduce future fire danger.

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