On September 17th, we hosted our first Field Day at the UC Merced Experimental Smart Farm. The event brought together the UC Merced community, industry partners, and farmers for a day focused on agricultural technology and innovation. Attendees participated in on-farm demonstrations, indoor presentations, and a panel discussion addressing challenges and opportunities in agriculture. The morning featured outdoor demonstrations of innovative technologies designed to improve farming practices and operations. Participants had the opportunity to observe these tools in action and engage directly with company representatives to learn more about their applications.

Lake Yosemite sits on the north edge of UC Merced. On a beautiful afternoon, buses brought campus staff who enable all our activities out to the placid lake for fun and relaxation. VISTA hosted second VISTACHILLA, bringing together faculty, staff, students, industry partners, and community members for a day of collaboration and agtech innovation. The event fostered connections and showcased the region’s commitment to advancing agricultural technology. 

Adrian Buitron Boada, Junior Specialist, created and taught a 3D printing curriculum for high school students through the Bobcat Summer STEM Academy and VISTA. Students explored Tinkercad, Orca Slicer, and Arduino, sparking creativity and learning to design and operate 3D printers. At VISTA, we use these same tools to drive innovation and solve challenges in farming communities. Well done to Adrian for inspiring the next generation of makers!

Alvarez joined the Experimental Smart Farm team as a student specialist in October 2023 and took on a range of agricultural responsibilities, quickly becoming a key part of the university’s innovative farming effort. She helped plant seeds, transplant seedlings, disc plots and support the construction of a new reservoir and irrigation system, and she learned firsthand how to operate and maintain farm equipment, such as tractors and an autonomous farming robot.

At the “AI*AG Revolution” event, Dr. Elliott Grant and Seana Day discussed AI’s transformative potential in agriculture. Grant emphasized AI as a catalyst for innovation in food systems, while Day explored aligning emerging technologies with grower needs. With over 100 attendees, the event showcased UC Merced’s leadership in advancing agricultural technology, sparking conversations on addressing global food challenges through collaboration and cutting-edge solutions.

F3 researchers from UC Merced were recently featured on NPR’s Marketplace podcast, discussing how technology is transforming agriculture, from AI-guided irrigation sensors to electric tractor applications. Faculty like Professor Reza Ehsani are mentoring students and building tools that make farming smarter and more sustainable. With support from Farms Food Future (F3) and the Valley Institute for Sustainability, Technology and Agriculture, research is moving from lab to field — fast. Students test innovations in smart greenhouses and experimental farms, while researchers like Kimberly Gibson ensure that farmworker perspectives guide agtech development.

Meet Jujube and the Pits, a UC Merced senior engineering team that worked with UCANR, F3 Local, and VISTA last semester to design a machine that pits jujube fruit while preserving its shape and quality. Their innovation supports small farmers and brings attention to this underused, nutrient-rich crop grown in the Central Valley. The team showcased their solution at Innovate to Grow, highlighting the power of student-led agtech. A smart blend of engineering and community impact—this project shows how local collaboration can create real change in food and farming.

Our CITRIS Tech for Social Good program is teaming up with the AIAA student org to launch University of California, Merced first-ever nano satellite! The team attended the University Nanosatellite Program’s Mission Design Course at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to kickstart the journey. They’ll bring their insights back to campus and collaborate with a broader student team this summer to advance the mission.

Congratulations to UC Merced F3 fellow, Yulissa T. Perez Rojas for successfully defending her PhD in Environmental Systems this summer. Her dissertation, “The Scale Integration Challenge: How Moisture Variability and Osmotic Stress Create Systematic Biases from Laboratory to Continental Carbon Predictions,” tackles one of the greatest uncertainties in climate science: soil carbon projections. Advised by Professor Teamrat Ghezzehei, Yulissa’s research bridges soil physics and mathematical modeling to deepen our understanding of biogeochemical processes. Beyond her fellowship, she has been a dedicated leader in the Environmental Systems Graduate Group, Graduate Student Association, and Monarch Center showing.