2025 SCEC Annual Meeting

The Statewide California Earthquake Center (SCEC) is a collaborative research and education hub that brings together experts across geoscience and related fields to advance our understanding of earthquake processes and apply that knowledge to reduce their impacts on society in California and beyond.

Each year, the SCEC Annual Meeting convenes a global community involved in earthquake-related research, education, and outreach. The meeting showcases SCEC-funded research and projects, fostering collaboration among scientists, stakeholders, and sponsors. Early career scientists and students comprise over 40% of attendees. Featured speakers are researchers from both within and outside SCEC whose work challenges and inspires future SCEC directions.

The SCEC Annual Meeting was held in Palm Springs from September 7-10, 2025. The program featured plenary sessions with invited talks, moderated discussions, focusing on key science questions about the San Andreas Fault System to advance earthquake science and hazard analysis for earthquake preparedness and societal resilience. The community showcased their work through poster presentations at the annual meeting. Together we reviewed progress from the annual SCEC Collaboration Plan and shaped future priorities for the Center.

Click here for a mobile friendly SCEC2025 agenda.

Presentation materials may be viewed by clicking the links below. PLEASE NOTE: Files are the author’s property. They may contain unpublished or preliminary information and should only be used for reviewing the talk. Only the presentations for which SCEC has received permission to post publicly are included below.

Sunday, September 7

13:00 - 16:00	SCEC Annual Meeting Check-In
13:00 - 16:00	Poster Setup: Group A, Plaza Ballroom and Hilton Lobby
13:00 - 16:00	Grounds for Funding: A Strategic Coffee Chat, by appointment Meet with USC’s Director of Research Advancement and Strategic Initiatives, Dr. Heidi Smith Parker, for practical insights into today’s evolving funding landscape. Tailored for early career researchers, this opportunity offers the chance to ask questions, receive direct feedback on your proposals, and explore strategies for aligning with funder priorities while adapting to new expectations.
13:30 - 15:00	"Quake Heroes" Film Screening, Horizon Ballroom Host: Mark Benthien This 55-minute documentary film portrays how neighbors, firefighters, scientists, nurses, engineers and the media helped people in the aftermath of the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Through interviews, live-action reenactments, news footage, and SCEC animations and safety guidance, a very compelling and motivational story is told. A brief discussion will be held at the completion of the film, including how attendees can request screenings for their institution or other organizations in their communities.
16:00 - 17:30	Session 1: State of SCEC, Horizon Ballroom Moderators: Tran Huynh (USC) and Gaby Noriega (USC) This opening session kicks off the annual meeting with an update from the Director on the Center’s recent milestones and upcoming priorities. The External Advisory Council will offer perspectives on navigating the changed landscape, followed by highlights from SCEC teams on outreach, education, and community engagement initiatives. The science leadership will then present recent achievements, including updates on the SCEC Community Earth Models—setting the stage for deeper exploration in subsequent discussions and poster sessions.
16:00 - 16:20	State of SCEC from the Director, Yehuda Ben-Zion (USC) & Ahmed Elbanna (USC)
16:20 - 16:30	Report from the Board of Directors, Rachel Abercrombie (Boston University)
16:30 - 16:40	Report for the External Advisory Council, Steve Bohlen (LLNL) - PDF
16:40 - 16:55	Community Engagement & Workforce Development, Mark Benthien (USC), Tran Huynh (USC), & Gaby Noriega (USC) - PDF
16:55 - 17:15	SCEC Research Highlights, Greg Beroza (Stanford) and Alice Gabriel (UCSD) - PDF
17:15 - 17:30	SCEC Community Earth Models, Scott Marshall (Appalachian State) & Patricia Persaud (Arizona) - PDF
17:30 - 18:30	Distinguished Lecture from Tom Rockwell (SDSU), Off-Fault Deformation and Seismic Hazard: Insights into Variations Across Southern California's Strike-Slip Faults and Their Implications for Maximum Magnitude (Mmax)
18:30 - 20:00	Welcome Dinner, Hilton Poolside
20:00 - 22:00	Poster Viewing 1 (Group A), Plaza Ballroom and Hilton Lobby The poster room and virtual poster gallery are open!
20:00 - 22:00	Grounds for Funding: A Strategic Coffee Chat, Plaza Ballroom Foyer

Monday, September 8

07:00 - 08:00	Continental Breakfast, Hilton Poolside
07:00 - 08:00	SCEC Transitions Program Breakfast Club, Tapestry Room Join fellow students and early-career peers and connect with experienced SCEC researchers in a relaxed, informal setting. Participants will gain valuable insights on networking strategies, fostering collaboration, maintaining work-life balance, and more.
08:00 - 10:00	Session 2. Forecasting Earthquakes with Continuous Data: From Lab to Field, Horizon Ballroom Moderators: Max Werner (Bristol) and W. Ashley Griffith (Ohio State) Advances in tools like DAS, fiber-optic geodesy, continuous waveform analysis, and AI are transforming earthquake forecasting and hazard assessment. This session surveys how we can leverage continuous data for nowcasting, forecasting, or precursor identification—from lab experiments to field-scale applications—and explores new frontiers in real-time monitoring and predictability science.
08:00 - 08:15	Remarks for the USGS, Gavin Hayes, Senior Science Advisor for Earthquake and Geologic Hazards
08:15 - 08:30	Session Introduction and Overview, Max Werner (Bristol) & W. Ashley Griffith (Ohio State)
08:30 - 09:00	The Potential of Earthquake Forecasting with Fiber-Optic Sensing, Jiaxuan Li (Houston)
09:00 - 09:30	Heterogeneous high frequency seismic radiation from dynamic rupture interactions with a normal stress bump, Sara Beth Cebry (USGS)
09:30 - 10:00	Collaboration Planning Discussion
10:00 - 10:30	Live Poster Lightning Talks (Group A), Horizon Ballroom
10:00 - 12:00	Poster Viewing 2 (Group A), Plaza Ballroom and Hilton Lobby
10:30 - 13:00	Grounds for Funding: A Strategic Coffee Chat, by appointment Meet with USC’s Director of Research Advancement and Strategic Initiatives, Dr. Heidi Smith Parker, for practical insights into today’s evolving funding landscape. Tailored for early career researchers, this opportunity offers the chance to ask questions, receive direct feedback on your proposals, and explore strategies for aligning with funder priorities while adapting to new expectations.
12:00 - 13:30	Group Lunch, Hilton Poolside, Terrace Restaurant, Tapestry Room
14:00 - 16:00	Session 3. Risky Communications: New Approaches to Talking about Earthquakes in a Challenging World, Horizon Ballroom Moderators: Brian Olson (CGS) and Lisa Grant Ludwig (UC Irvine) In an era where social media influencers, AI-generated news, and misinformation often outpace traditional science communication, how do we effectively convey earthquake hazard and risk to promote community resilience? This session explores innovative strategies for engaging diverse audiences through emerging platforms, navigating misinformation, and rethinking the role of trusted voices in a rapidly evolving media landscape.
14:00 - 14:15	Remarks for the Cal OES, Jose Lara, Seismic Hazards Branch Chief
14:15 - 14:30	Session Introduction and Overview, Brian Olson (CGS) & Lisa Grant Ludwig (UC Irvine)
14:30 - 15:00	Navigating Earthquake Information in the Age of AI: What Science Communicators Need to Know About News and AI Generated Earthquake Content, Samantha Stanley (UC Berkeley)
15:00 - 15:30	Do consumers of news secretly love earthquakes? Hear from a reporter on strategies to get out good, accurate information to the public, Rong-Gong Lin (LA Times)
15:30 - 16:00	Collaboration Planning Discussion
16:30 - 18:00	Poster Viewing 3 (Group A): Poster viewing in the Plaza Ballroom, Hilton Lobby, and the online poster gallery. This is the final dedicated session for Group A posters. Authors must remove their posters by 6:00 pm, when Poster Viewing 3 ends.
18:00 - 20:00	Poster Switch Out: Group A posters removed by 6:00 pm. Group B posters installed by 8:00 pm.
18:30 - 20:00	Group Dinner, Hilton Poolside
20:00 - 22:00	Poster Viewing 4 (Group B): Poster viewing in the Plaza Ballroom, Hilton Lobby, and the online poster gallery. This is the first dedicated session for Group B.
20:00 - 22:00	Grounds for Funding: A Strategic Coffee Chat, Plaza Ballroom Foyer

Tuesday, September 9

07:00 - 08:00	Continental Breakfast, Hilton Poolside
08:00 - 10:00	Session 4. Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and Digital Twins for Earthquake Science, Horizon Ballroom Moderators: Daniel Trugman (UNR) and Gareth Funning (UC Riverside) The growing intersection of computational power, big data, machine learning, and geoscience is transforming how we understand and model earthquake processes. This session explores cutting-edge computational approaches—such as digital twins for fault systems, AI applications, and novel data integration methods—that are advancing earthquake science toward more comprehensive predictive capabilities.
08:00 - 08:15	Remarks for the NSF, Luciana Astiz, Program Director
08:15 - 08:30	Session Introduction and Overview, Daniel Trugman (UNR) & Gareth Funning (UC Riverside)
08:30 - 09:00	Toward Trustworthy AI for Earth Science: Lessons from Climate Modeling and a Vision for Earthquake Science, Karianne Bergen (Brown)
09:00 - 09:30	Enhanced earthquake detection with graph neural networks: Applications to northern California seismicity, Ian McBrearty (Stanford)
09:30 - 10:00	Collaboration Planning Discussion
10:00 - 10:30	Live Poster Lightning Talks (Group B), Horizon Ballroom
10:00 - 12:00	Poster Viewing 5 (Group B), Plaza Ballroom and Hilton Lobby
12:00 - 13:30	Group Lunch, Hilton Poolside, Terrace Restaurant, Tapestry Room
14:00 - 16:00	Session 5. The Influence of Fault Rheology from Tremor to Rupture, Horizon Ballroom Moderators: Amanda Thomas (UC Davis) and Wenyuan Fan (UCSD) This session explores how material properties and fault rheology influence earthquake nucleation, rupture propagation, and seismic hazard. Drawing on experimental rock mechanics, in-situ and remote observations, and numerical modeling, we will address topics such as strain localization, inelastic off-fault deformation, pore pressure evolution, and the roles of damage and healing in earthquake cycles, and how they affect earthquakes and faulting across scales.
14:00 - 14:15	Remarks for the FEMA, Jon Foster, Senior Earthquake Program Manager
14:15 - 14:30	Session Introduction and Overview, Amanda Thomas (UC Davis) & Wenyuan Fan (UCSD)
14:30 - 15:00	California’s Geological Framework and Consequent Fault-System Behavior, Mike Oskin (UC Davis)
15:00 - 15:30	Do fault material properties and rheology govern shallow slip behavior in strike-slip fault systems? Alexis Ault (Utah State)
15:30 - 16:00	Collaboration Planning Discussion
16:30 - 18:00	Poster Viewing 6 (Group B): Poster viewing in the Plaza Ballroom, Hilton Lobby, and the online poster gallery. This is the final dedicated session for Group B posters. Authors must remove their posters by 6:00 pm, when Poster Viewing 6 ends.
18:30 - 20:00	Group Dinner, Hilton Poolside

Wednesday, September 10

07:00 - 08:00	Continental Breakfast, Hilton Poolside
08:00 - 10:00	Session 6. Understanding Rupture Dynamics and Improving Physics-based Ground Motion Simulations, Horizon Ballroom Moderators: Roby Douilly (UC Riverside) and Domniki Asimaki (Caltech) Understanding dynamic rupture, including directivity effects and rupture speed, is central to predicting strong ground motions and to understanding earthquake physics. This session features insights from the Mw 7.5 Mandalay, Myanmar earthquake and their relevance to California, along with recent advances in physics-based ground motion simulations. We explore their rupture characteristics, ground motion observations, and implications for California fault systems.
08:00 - 08:15	Remarks for the PG&E, Albert Kottke, Geotechnical Earthquake Engineer - PDF
08:15 - 08:30	Session Introduction and Overview, Roby Douilly (UC Riverside) & Domniki Asimaki (Caltech)
08:30 - 09:00	Probing Rupture Dynamics and Ground Motion Signatures from Induced and Natural Earthquakes, Elisa Tinti (Sapienza)
09:00 - 09:30	Simulating Seismic Wavefields using Generative Artificial Intelligence, Rie Nakata (LBNL, ICSI)
09:30 - 10:00	Collaboration Planning Discussion
10:00 - 10:30	Break
10:30 - 12:00	Session 7. The Path Ahead: Co-Envisioning SCEC’s Next Phase, Horizon Ballroom Moderators: Greg Beroza (Stanford) and Alice Gabriel (UCSD) With a new Center Director appointed, SCEC will enter its next chapter in 2026. Ahmed Elbanna will share his vision for the future amid a changing environment, funding constraints, and emerging opportunities. He will outline strategies for advancing earthquake science, education, outreach, and preparedness in California and beyond—emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration, community engagement, and societal resilience.The session will conclude with an open forum inviting the community to help shape SCEC’s future priorities.
10:30 - 10:45	Session Introduction and Overview, Greg Beroza (Stanford) & Alice Gabriel (UCSD)
10:45 - 11:30	A Vision for the Future, Ahmed Elbanna (USC) - PDF
11:30 - 11:45	Collaboration Planning: Shaping SCEC’s future priorities for advancing earthquake science, education, outreach, and preparedness in California and beyond
11:45 - 12:00	Closing Remarks from the SCEC Director, Yehuda Ben-Zion (USC)
12:00	SCEC2025 Adjourns

The Statewide California Earthquake Center is committed to providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment for all participants. We take pride in fostering a diverse and inclusive SCEC community, and therefore expect all participants to abide by the SCEC Activities Code of Conduct.