Greetings from the School of Natural Sciences at the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED. Seventeen years ago, the first classes were held at the nation’s first research university of the 21st century. UC Merced swiftly established a solid foundation for sustained excellence. The university is in the top 100 of U.S. News & World Report’s overall rankings and in the Top 40 of public universities. We also are No. 4 for supporting social mobility and No. 18 among universities with R2 research classification. The School of Natural Sciences, like the university as a whole, emphasizes opportunity for first-generation higher education students and those from underrepresented communities. The School is developing exemplary academic programs for discoveries and applications in science and technology, and for graduate and undergraduate education. The School places a high priority on increasing students' scientific literacy and increasing the number of students in UC Merced's math, science and engineering programs. There is an increasing need for well-trained scientists, for scientifically trained decision-makers, and for a scientifically literate public to meet the global and technological challenges of the 21st century. The School’s academic departments – Applied Mathematics, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Life and Environmental Sciences, Molecular and Cell Biology, and Physics – are thematic and designed to encourage collaboration across disciplines. UC Merced is building the future in the heart of California, and the School of Natural Sciences is proud to be an integral part of the university’s journey of learning and discovery.