2026 SCEC Annual Meeting

The Statewide California Earthquake Center (SCEC) is a collaborative research and education hub that brings together experts across geosciences, engineering, and social sciences to advance our understanding of earthquake processes and reduce seismic risk. This year, our community's efforts are united under our core theme: Advancing Earthquake System Science for a Resilient California. By integrating diverse disciplines, we aim to translate fundamental, statewide system-level science into actionable knowledge that protects communities, safeguards infrastructure, and reduces earthquake risk across California and beyond.

Each year, the SCEC Annual Meeting convenes a global community dedicated to earthquake-related research, education, and outreach. Marking SCEC’s 35th anniversary, this milestone meeting will celebrate our scientific accomplishments and service contributions while setting the stage for the Center’s next phase. Early career scientists and students, who comprise over 40% of our attendees, will have the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by our Distinguished Lecturer and featured speakers, visionary researchers whose work challenges traditional boundaries and shapes the future of earthquake science.

The SCEC Annual Meeting will be held in Palm Springs from August 30 to September 2, 2026. The program features interactive plenary sessions, panels, and moderated discussions focused on the frontiers of statewide earthquake system science—from pioneering observational techniques in geodesy and geology to advanced physics-based multi-cycle simulations and ground motion forecasting. Crucially, we will bridge the gap between science and action, hosting dedicated sessions with practitioners, utilities, and emergency planners to discuss statewide preparedness and risk communication. The community is warmly invited to showcase their work through poster presentations as we work together to identify the scientific grand challenges of the next decade and shape our collective priorities.

Sunday, August 30, 2026

13:00 - 15:30	SCEC Annual Meeting Check-In, Hilton Lobby
13:00 - 15:30	Poster Setup: Group A, Plaza Ballroom and Hilton Lobby
15:30 - 17:00	Session 1. State of SCEC, Horizon Ballroom Why Earthquake System Science Matters Now. The Sunday opening session will include the State of SCEC address from the Director and a 35th-anniversary recognition of SCEC’s scientific accomplishments, community impact, and major service contributions. This will set the stage for SCEC2026 and the Center’s next phase.
17:00 - 17:30	Break
17:30 - 18:30	Distinguished Lecture
18:30 - 20:00	Welcome Dinner, Hilton Poolside
20:00 - 22:00	Poster Viewing 1 (Group A), Plaza Ballroom, Hilton Lobby, and the online poster gallery The poster room and virtual poster gallery are open!

Monday, August 31, 2026

07:00 - 08:00	Continental Breakfast, Hilton Poolside
08:00 - 09:30	Session 2. Get Ready to ShakeOut, Horizon Ballroom Preparing California for the Next Great Earthquake. This session will highlight the role of transdisciplinary collaboration across earthquake science, earthquake engineering, social sciences, and risk modeling in strengthening public preparedness and statewide resilience. Invited speakers will discuss lessons from large earthquake scenarios, other major earthquakes, and advances in risk communication in helping communities, agencies, and decision-makers prepare for future seismic events.
09:30 - 10:00	Break
10:00 - 11:30	Session 3. Frontiers in Statewide California Earthquake System Science I – Observing the Earthquake Cycle, Horizon Ballroom New Frontiers in Geodesy, Geology, and Distributed Sensing. This session will highlight observational advances and data needs for understanding the earthquake cycle across California. Invited speakers will discuss observations from seismology, earthquake geology, geodesy, remote sensing, distributed acoustic sensing, and imaging of crustal structure and fluids. The session will emphasize how new observing capabilities can support SCEC’s statewide mission while identifying persistent data gaps across the transform plate boundary.
11:30 - 12:00	Live Poster Lightning Talks (Group A), Horizon Ballroom
12:00 - 14:00	Group Lunch, Hilton Poolside, Terrace Restaurant, Tapestry Room
14:00 - 15:30	Session 4. Frontiers in Statewide California Earthquake System Science II – Modeling the Earthquake Cycle, Horizon Ballroom New Frontiers in Physics-Based Multi-cycle Earthquake Simulations. This session will focus on modeling approaches that connect earthquake processes across spatial and temporal scales. Topics will include earthquake-cycle simulations, dynamic rupture modeling, multicycle and system-level models, AI-accelerated simulations, complex fault geometries, and time-dependent seismic hazard. The session will also consider how models can be tested against observations and how simulation-based science can inform future hazard assessment and community products.
15:30 - 17:30	Poster Viewing 2 (Group A), Plaza Ballroom, Hilton Lobby, and the online poster gallery
17:30 - 18:00	Poster Switch Out: Group A posters removed by 6:00 pm. Group B posters installed by 6:30 pm.
18:30 - 20:00	Group Dinner, Hilton Poolside
20:00 - 22:00	Poster Viewing 3 (Group B), Plaza Ballroom, Hilton Lobby, and the online poster gallery

Tuesday, September 1, 2026

07:00 - 08:00	Continental Breakfast, Hilton Poolside
08:00 - 09:30	Session 5. Frontiers in Statewide California Earthquake System Science III – Physics-Based Seismic Hazard Analysis & Ground Motion Forecasting, Horizon Ballroom Transforming Earthquake Physics into Hazard Information. This session will showcase SCEC community products and their role in connecting earthquake science to practical applications. Short presentations will highlight products such as Community Earth Models, CyberShake, and the Broadband Platform. The session will focus on current capabilities, statewide expansion, validation needs, and opportunities to make SCEC products more useful to researchers, engineers, and agencies.
09:30 - 10:00	Break
10:00 - 11:30	Session 6. Who Uses Earthquake Science—and What Do They Need Next?, Horizon Ballroom Perspectives from Practitioners and the User Community. This moderated panel will bring together industry and partner perspectives on how SCEC products and science are used in practice. Panelists will discuss needs from utilities, engineering, insurance, and building-code development. The discussion will identify where SCEC science has had practical impact, where product development or communication can be improved, and how partnerships can support California’s earthquake resilience.
11:30 - 12:00	Live Poster Lightning Talks (Group B), Horizon Ballroom
12:00 - 14:00	Group Lunch, Hilton Poolside, Terrace Restaurant, Tapestry Room
14:00 - 15:30	Session 7. Translating Earthquake Science into Action, Horizon Ballroom Building More Resilient Communities Through Engineering, Policy, and Planning. This session will examine how earthquake science informs societal resilience and public policy. Topics may include cascading hazards, infrastructure impacts, emergency planning, and risk communication. The session will emphasize how SCEC can help translate scientific advances into actionable knowledge for communities, agencies, policymakers, and the public.
15:30 - 17:30	Poster Viewing 4 (Group B), 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, 30 minutes after Poster Viewing 4 ends.
18:30 - 20:00	Group Dinner, Hilton Poolside

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

07:00 - 08:00	Continental Breakfast, Hilton Poolside
08:00 - 09:30	Session 8. Open Problems in Earthquake System Science, Horizon Ballroom Scientific Grand Challenges for the Next Decade. This moderated panel will explore grand open questions in earthquake science and the opportunities created by SCEC’s statewide scope, new TAG structure, and expanded partnerships. The session will bring together diverse viewpoints and career stages to identify scientific questions that SCEC is uniquely positioned to address.
09:30 - 10:00	Break
10:00 - 11:30	Session 9. What Should SCEC Build Together?, Horizon Ballroom Community Priorities for California's Earthquake System Science Enterprise
11:30 - 11:45	Closing Remarks, SCEC2026 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.