From July 27 to August 7, 2026, the Institute of Astronomy of UNAM in Ensenada, Baja California, became a gathering place for graduate students and scientists brought together by a shared curiosity about the extreme plasmas surrounding black holes and neutron stars. The cohort consisted of 34 master’s and PhD students from 15 countries, including Mexico. Local students from the Institute of Astronomy in Ensenada were also invited to attend the lectures. Over two weeks, early-

Great news! Our proposal for a three year renewal from 2027 to 2030 for our SCEECS collaboration has been approved. Thanks to all who put so much effort into preparing this proposal and to the Simons Foundation for their generous support and trust in our scientific program.

SCEECS held a highly successful annual meeting at the Simons Foundation in NYC. There were 121 in person participants from around the world including all 10 PIs, 7 out of 9 co-Is and 6 out of 11 members of the Advisory Board. Researchers from astrophysics, condensed matter physics, cosmology, light sources, nuclear physics, particle physics, plasma physics, relativity and space physics communities were also heavily engaged and we all learned a lot. This meeting was followed b

Congratulations to all who made this meeting, from Nov 5-8, such a collegial and productive event. The main scientific activity was a set of interactive discussions led by Yajie , Sam, Noemie, Matt, Lorenzo and Ani. As well as reviewing recent and upcoming progress we assembled material for our upcoming proposal. In addition, we had a very enjoyable dinner. Thanks due to Maridee, Martha and David for making this go so smoothly!

Hayley West has successfully defended her master's thesis at UTSA!