UC Merced is fast becoming known for solar energy work, as evidenced by three students being chosen as finalists in the Big Ideas competition sponsored by the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society.

CITRIS pairs up faculty and students from UCs Merced, Berkeley, Davis and Santa Cruz with industrial researchers. Through competition, teams that submit white papers have a shot at thousands of dollars in prize money.

This year, UC Merced graduate students Ricardo Marquez and Hugo Pedro and undergrad David Larson netted $1,000 and honorable mention for their project. Read all about it here.

The San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization supports UC Merced's work in clean and renewable energy.

The San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization is a nonprofit dedicated to improving our region's quality of life by increasing its production and use of clean energy. The SJVCEO works with cities and counties and public and private organizations to demonstrate the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy throughout the eight-county region of the San Joaquin Valley.