Partner (Staff): Allajah Wheatley, Zero-Waste Coordinator
Project: 1 Water Monster contains 125 gallons of water, diverting the use of 1,000 plastic water bottles. Water Monsters are a great way to eliminate plastic waste from campus events. Our trial at the 2026 Commencement ceremonies was a great success, and we are excited to bring this to all other campus events. Such as Bobcat Day, Move-In, Earth Day, etc. A student team of 4 students is ready to deploy water monsters to events as needed, and we are receiving requests from other campus departments to have our water monsters at their events.
2. Bobcat Swap and Shop
Team Members
Faculty: Professor Bristin Jones, School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Arts
Project: Bobcat Swap & Shop is a campus-wide circular economy program designed to reduce waste, promote reuse, and strengthen community well-being at UC Merced. The project establishes recurring swap events and a permanent donation-and-reuse system where students, staff, and faculty can exchange clothing. By diverting materials from landfill and extending product lifecycles, the initiative directly supports UC Merced’s climate action goals and fosters a culture of sustainability and shared responsibility.
3. Autonomous EVs on Campus
Team Members: Mi3 Lab, Research & Development Club
Faculty: Professor Ross Greer, School of Engineering
Project: Campus accessibility, heat, growing micromobility incidents, and pedestrian congestion at UC Merced create an urgent need for safe, low-emission intra-campus transit. This project develops and deploys an autonomous electric campus circulator along defined high-traffic routes to reduce congestion, relieve pressure on micromobility infrastructure, and provide an alternative transit option, while serving as a persistent testbed for student research in perception, planning, and control. A live public dashboard provides real-time vehicle location and drop-off availability, extending the platform as a visible demonstration of campus innovation.
