CITRIS and the Banatao Institute at UC Merced

Professor Reza Ehsani has been named a recipient of the 2024 CITRIS Innovation Fellowship and AIC Awards, securing up to $200,000 over two years to help faculty commercialize research that tackles society's biggest challenges. 🌱💡 His innovative sensor clip enables fast, cost-effective monitoring of plant water status, addressing critical challenges posed by climate change and drought. This transformative technology optimizes irrigation, conserves water, and enhances crop yields, providing invaluable benefits to both small and large-scale farmers. Learn more here 🔗 ucm.edu/v4kk1e CITRIS and the Banatao Institute | F3 Innovate | Valley Institute for Sustainability, Technology & Agriculture

📣 Exciting innovation happening at UC Merced! Congratulations to Professor Reza Ehsani, recipient of a CITRIS Innovation Fellowship and AIC Award to commercialize research on low-cost sensors for precision agriculture. These sensors have the potential to transform how we monitor and manage agricultural resources, making advanced technology more accessible to growers of all sizes. This project is a testament to UC Merced's dedication to driving impactful research and leveraging technology to address real-world challenges, like the growing need for sustainable and efficient agricultural practices. A big thank you to CITRIS and the Banatao Institute and the Academic Innovation Catalyst for supporting the inaugural recipients to empower them to bring cutting-edge solutions to the marketplace. Check out more details about the awards and the other incredible projects here: https://lnkd.in/gMXKPGjD #Innovation #PrecisionAgriculture #UCMerced #CITRIS #Sustainability #TechnologyForGood

In November, we hosted our sixth ¡Valle! Get Your Start in Tech! workshop. This intensive weekend introduced 27 undergraduates to opportunities in research and industry while building agency and self-efficacy in shaping their futures. Read more about ¡Valle! ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gA62bDFB

Last weekend we hosted our 6th annual ¡Valle! Get Your Start in Tech! workshop with an outstanding cohort of students from UC Merced, Merced College, and Chico State. Throughout the weekend, participants built their communication and networking skills, learned new coding skills with Google Earth Engine and drones, learned about career pathways, worked on application materials for jobs and internships, and grew their STEM communities. Designed to increase self-efficacy and sense of belonging in STEM, ¡Valle! fosters diversity in STEM by increasing the accessibility of students in STEM to research experiences, graduate school, and tech careers. The future is bright for this amazing group of STEM students! A huge thank you to our speakers: Julianna Porraz, Camille Crittenden, Jill Finlayson, Kimberly Gibson, Leigh Bernacchi, Alejandra Diaz Mireles, Ed.M. and to our mentors: Sarah Kurtz, Ross Greer, Bailey Morrison, Xiaoyi Lu, and David Watkins. And thank you to the CITRIS and the Banatao Institute Workforce Innovation Program for funding this opportunity!

I had an amazing time meeting new friends this year at the UC Merced CITRIS and Banatao Institute. Thank you so much for inviting us to your event—it was truly a memorable experience!

We loved hosting the cohort and mentors of the CITRIS Innovation Intensive yesterday! Thanks to all our speakers for highlighting the outstanding research happening at UC Merced.

It’s been a great three days at FIRA USA showcasing CITRIS and the Banatao Institute programs and the work of our partners with F3 Innovate who are driving inclusive innovation in the San Joaquin Valley and beyond. Exciting to learn about this cutting-edge ag tech (especially robotics) and see it in action. Snagged a photo with our colleague Michael Matkin from CITRIS at UC Santa Cruz! #FIRAUSA24

Congratulations to the team of Shyam Gupta, Akhil Devarasetty, Roshan Kattil, and Evan Lu, winners of the local NASA Space Apps Challenge in Merced! About their winning project, Exosky: “We've developed a web-app that shows the Exosky at any point in the universe, as if you were there. It follows the guidelines outlined in the challenge. Any user can choose an exoplanet of their choosing (or a random planet), export the coordinates, and see the view of the sky. They then have the option to draw their own installations, download and name it. This is important to provide students the perspective of how large space is and how what we see isn't at all similar to other planets." Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gmKS8t6B A huge round of applause for all the teams that participated in this global hackathon, and good luck in the worldwide judging!

TODAY at 5 p.m.: Proposals are due for the CITRIS Innovation Fellowship and AIC Awards, aimed at transforming University of California research into commercial solutions for society’s most pressing challenges. Open to PIs at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Merced, UC Santa Cruz, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the award is worth up to $200,000 over two years. Submit your application: citris-uc.org/aic-awards University of California, Innovation & Entrepreneurship | #Innovation #Entrepreneurship

We are thrilled to be hosting the 6th annual ¡Valle! Get Your Start in Tech! workshop November 8-10 on the University of California, Merced campus. Open to undergraduates at any college or university in California's Central Valley, this workshop jumpstarts tech career journeys through a weekend intensive of networking practice, mentoring, coding, and development of application materials. Applications close on October 18, so apply soon for this transformational opportunity: citris.ucmerced.edu/valle