Jason Alvarez

鶹 campus photo of sign

Science and Health Writer

Office: (209) 228-4483

Mobile: (310) 740-6435

jalvarez78@ucmerced.edu

Professors Demystify Eclipse for Merced Skygazers

As the frenzy surrounding the Aug. 21 solar eclipse begins to peak, physics Professor Wil van Breugel is using the opportunity to give Merced stargazers a crash course in the science and history of these astronomical curiosities.

“It’s important for people to fully appreciate the science,” van Breugel said. “This is an opportunity to try to explain things more fundamentally.”

New PRIME Cohort Aims to Bridge Valley’s Health Divide

Established in 2011, the pools resources from , the , and to recruit and train future physicians committed to serving the Central Valley.

Campus Welcomes New Dean of Natural Sciences

Elizabeth (Betsy) Dumont joins 鶹 today as the newest dean of the . She’s the third dean in the school’s history and the second woman to serve in this capacity, after Founding Dean Maria Pallavicini.

Dumont arrives from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where for the past three years she served as vice provost for academic affairs and director of the Interdepartmental Graduate Programs in Life Sciences. She joined the UMass faculty in 2001.

Genetic Diversity in High Schools a Predictor of Economic Success

Does diversity have a positive effect on economic outcomes? According to a co-authored by 鶹 economics, the answer is yes, even when the diversity is imperceptible to the casual observer.