UCOP

Key points:

• UC Merced launched the Summer Investment Academy to help students build financial literacy, professional networks and pathways into finance careers before their first semester.

• Participants explored investing, entrepreneurship, personal finance and venture capital through hands-on instruction and mentorship from finance professionals.

• The academy builds on the success of the UC Investments Academy, which has engaged more than 4,500 students across the University of California system.

Let There Be Energy-Efficient Light

The University of California is spearheading a statewide effort to advance the purchase of 1 million high-quality, energy-efficient light bulbs for campus buildings and residences across the state.

UC Merced alumnus Michael Urner is one of five finalists in the University of California new “I am a UC Entrepreneur” contest.

Urner was selected from a pool of 169 contestants — representing all 10 UC campuses — for his innovation and creativity in co-founding Tergis Technologies, a company developing new medical devices to reduce the number of hospital-acquired infections.