Dear IEEE NPSS Members,

As we move into summer 2026, I am inspired by the energy and dedication of our community. This spring was a particularly active season for NPSS leadership, with our AdCom Retreat on March 6 and the full AdCom meeting on March 7 bringing together volunteers from around the globe to review our progress and chart the path forward.

Throughout 2026, we continue to advance the three presidential priorities established at our 2025 retreat. Our task forces are making meaningful progress: Cinzia Da Via leads our work on small modular reactors (SMRs) and new reactor technologies, identifying opportunities for NPSS to engage with this rapidly evolving area of nuclear energy. Vesna Sossi leads our efforts to further engage students and young professionals, strengthening affinity groups including Young Professionals and Women in Engineering. Giulia Hull continues to improve the effectiveness of our society’s projects and initiatives. Lorenzo Fabris is leading updates to our Constitution and Bylaws (now completed) and to the Strategic Plan (ongoing). These updates support our mission to provide opportunities for scientific exchange and career development for nuclear and plasma scientists and engineers worldwide.

I am thrilled to share an update on one of our most impactful online educational initiatives. The 2025 Nuclear Engineering Summer School (NESS) drew 1,889 registrants from 98 countries, a strong indication of the demand for high-quality education in our field. Building on that success, the 2026 NPSS Nuclear Engineering Summer School is now underway. This fully virtual program runs from June 1 through July 16, 2026, and covers a wide range of topics from radiation modeling to medical applications and fusion. With over 700 registrations already received, we look forward to welcoming many more. Participants who attend at least 80% of lectures will receive an IEEE NPSS certificate. I encourage you to spread the word to students, young professionals, and research staff: this is a wonderful opportunity open to all.

NPSS also remains an active and valued presence within the broader IEEE community. In February, our team attended the IEEE TAB meeting in Austin, Texas, where discussions covered a new IEEE budget model, One IEEE and One TAB initiatives, educational funding, SpaceTech, and broadening participation efforts. I am also pleased to share that Vesna Sossi has been elected as Division IV Director-Elect and Aylin Yener has been elected TAB VP-Elect. Congratulations! I also wish to acknowledge the retirement of Hal Flescher from his long-serving role as NPSS Finance Chair; Hal’s contributions to our society have been immeasurable, and John Verboncoeur has graciously stepped into the Finance Chair role. I know the Society will be in good hands. Looking ahead, several of us will attend the IEEE Societies/Councils Congress on August 24–25, 2026, in Glasgow, Scotland.

As always, I encourage you to stay involved: attend our conferences, submit manuscripts to our journals, volunteer for technical and outreach activities, and nominate deserving colleagues for NPSS awards. Award nomination details are available at ieee-npss.org/awards/npss-awards/. Your engagement shapes the future of NPSS and of the nuclear and plasma sciences worldwide.

With gratitude for your ongoing support and enthusiasm,

Sara Pozzi, NPSS President, can be reached at [email protected]