The new University of California campus in Merced, CA opened for undergraduate students in September 2005 as the newest of the 10-campus UC system and the first new US research university of the 21st century. A central mission of UC Merced is to serve the ethnically and economically diverse population of California's San Joaquin Valley. The San Joaquin Valley is the most diverse, fastest growing and economically disadvantaged part of California. Approximately 50% of UC Merced's student body are first-generation college students and a large fraction are from groups under-represented in universities. Notably, over 30% of the student body is Hispanic. The PI is committed to involving students from underrepresented groups in undergraduate research through the REU supplements of this grant.
The PI is a member of a multidisciplinary planning committee tasked by the Vice Chancellor of Research to assess the campus needs in the area of spatial analysis. The long-term goal of the committee is to develop a robust spatial analysis infrastructure at UC Merced that would benefit the campus and the California Central Valley. The committee has submitted a plan to the university to establish a Spatial Analysis Research Center (SpARC). The research and educational goals of this award are synergistic with this center and the broader effort on promoting spatial analysis.