A Major Step Forward for UC Merced's Agricultural Experiment Station

The first four faculty members named to UC Merced's Agricultural Experiment Station look to make a big impact on farming in the San Joaquin Valley and beyond.

Mechanical engineering Professor Reza Ehsani, civil and environmental engineering professors Safeeq Khan and Josué Medellìn-Azuara, and life and environmental sciences Professor Rebecca Ryals have been named the founding faculty for the AES.

"UC Merced has made history with these appointments," said Professor Joshua Viers, executive associate dean of the AES. "Not only is our campus focused on training a new generation of leaders for the Valley, but now we are extending world-class faculty expertise across our region to address some of the most pressing challenges we face on this planet."

UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz received AES designations in 2022, the first UC campuses so named in 50 years. An AES is a scientific research center at a land-grant university that explores challenges and develops improvements to aspects of agriculture by working with farmers, ranchers, suppliers, processors and others.

"UC Merced's AES is another example of the university's leadership in solving the challenges the agriculture industry is facing," School of Engineering Dean Rakesh Goel said. "This cross-disciplinary effort will make major impacts in the San Joaquin Valley and beyond."

Faculty members said the station will build on agricultural research that has been going on at UC Merced since the university's inception, including at its Experimental Smart Farm. The 45-acre property roughly a half-mile south of campus grows various crops and serves as an outdoor lab for student and faculty researchers.

"As an AES campus, we are just starting," Khan said. "However, faculty members at UC Merced have a proven track record on engaging policy makers, growers, water managers, state agencies, tech leaders and others to develop science and tools for building a more resilient future.

"My goal as an AES faculty member in the coming few years is to amplify the work that we are already doing and also create a bi-directional interaction between the campus and community."

Researchers work across disciplines and with their counterparts at other campuses. UCs Berkeley, Davis and Riverside also hold the AES designation and bring their individual expertise to California's agriculture industry.

"As a member of the AES faculty," Medellìn-Azuara said, "my aim is to drive advancements in agricultural research, education and outreach, with a focus on promoting sustainability in agriculture, water resource management and community development across California's Central Valley."

Ryals will conduct research on farms throughout the San Joaquin Valley to evaluate the effects of various soil health practices, and will examine potential avenues to reduce negative impacts on climate change due to agriculture.

Ehsani plans a project to develop smart automated systems for processes such as harvesting and reducing dust generation, and to create crop-specific soil and plant sensors to detect water stress and provide for precision watering.

At each AES, campus-based researchers often work closely with Cooperative Extension specialists through UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Khan said he looks forward to working with UC Cooperative Extension colleagues in advancing science-based practical solutions to problems facing food, environment and people.

"As the newest AES campus within UC system, the ride is not going to be a smooth one," Khan said. "However, we are excited, and with each other's support, we will do everything that we can to make UC Merced a leader in delivering science for the people of California and beyond."

Added Medellìn-Azuara: "I feel honored to be part of this inaugural cohort of AES faculty and look forward to advancing agricultural research and contributing to the sustainability and prosperity of our communities."