As graduate students from the nanoscience and nanotechnology group of the Institute for Scientific and Technological Research of San Luis Potosí (IPICYT), we wish to update you on events affecting us since the departure of Humberto and Mauricio Terrones (Nature 464, 148–149; 2010).

We have no wish to discredit the authorities of our institute, but we are concerned about the way in which they are handling our situation. It is evident that political and legal problems are interrupting our academic development.

The academic authorities at IPICYT have assured us that we would receive their complete support, so that we could continue with our thesis projects and dissertations. Most of our laboratory requirements have been met, and the authorities have agreed that we could choose our own advisers, whether from inside the institute or outside — including the Terrones professors.

However, the current legal situation means that, if we did choose Humberto or Mauricio Terrones, they would be unable to supervise or examine us on IPICYT premises. And it is not clear whether the IPICYT authorities would actually recognize academic connections between students and the Terrones professors.

In that case, we would need either to remain at the institute and terminate academic relations with the Terrones, or to continue our research and academic studies elsewhere. Neither option, however, would enable us to complete our thesis projects satisfactorily.