San Joaquin Valley Food and Agriculture
Cyberinformatics Tools and
Science (FACTs)
Bridge Program
We are offering a new, innovative summer research program to give students who are entering UC Merced (first-year, second-year, and transfer students) and students who are in the process of completing their first year (rising sophomore students) an opportunity for research experience in ag-food-tech.
The paid summer internship will provide on-campus housing, stipends, travel to field sites, and experience with a lab group.
Building a future in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley means participating in the most productive agricultural area in the world. This program will help you explore opportunities in multiple aspects of agriculture. You'll learn about agriculture generally, from production to mechanical harvesting and processing, from massive processing plants to small farm stands. You could spend your summer in a dynamic team building novel robots to improve irrigation efficiency. You could monitor greenhouse gas releases and address climate change through improving soil quality. Or you could learn about social science methods to support improved public and environmental health. Pick your top two mentors when you apply and you'll receive experience in the fields of your interest.
Through the program you will gain research experience, build a network with fellow interns, lab mates, and faculty members. You'll connect with the agricultural industry, exploring potential internships and employment in the future. Even if you don't picture yourself in ag, you might be surprised at the diversity of opportunities.
Applications are open!
Due May 15th, 2024 at 11:59PM PST
APPLY HERE
As a FACTS undergraduate researcher, you will receive:
- a paid 6-week summer internship before you enter UC Merced
- Free on-campus housing (following appropriate COVID-19 precautions)
- Mentoring from Ag-Food-Tech faculty, graduate students and your lab team
- Peer-to-peer mentoring
- Life skills training and tactics to succeed in school,
- Experiences to add to your resume
- Exposure to agricultural career opportunities
- and more!
UC Merced professors want you to join their lab. Review the faculty-mentors below and include them in your application. We will do our best to match you to the lab or focus of your choice.
UC Merced Ag-Food-Tech Faculty Mentors and Areas of Research:
| Research Focus | Faculty Member |
|---|---|
| Agroecology & Food Production | Rebecca Ryals |
| Gerardo C. Diaz | |
| Tapan Pathak | |
| Nutrition & Food Security | Rudy Ortiz |
| Digital Agriculture & Spatial Analysis | Joshua Viers |
| Erin Hestir | |
| Mechatronics & Embedded Systems | YangQuan Chen |
| Jian-Qiao Sun | |
| Environmental & Agricultural Economics | Josue Medellín-Azuara |
| Lisa Yeo | |
| Soil Biogeochemistry, Microbiome, & Remediation | Teamrat Ghezzehei |
| Asmeret Asefaw Berhe | |
| Integrated Pest Management | Andrea Joyce |
| Robotics & Machine Learning | Reza Ehsani |
| Xiaoyi Lu | |
| Life Cycle Assessment | Colleen Naughton |
| Hydrology & Water Management | Safeeq Khan |
| Tom Harmon | |
| Peggy O'Day | |
FAQS
Further Questions?
Contact Professor Colleen Naughton cnaughton2@ucmerced.edu
This work is supported by the Undergraduate Research and Extension Experiential Learning
Fellowships, grant no. 2020-69018-30661, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National
Institute of Food and Agriculture.