Beyond California

CCST Science Fellows Alumni Publish Career Guide for Science Policy
Science Policy Career Guide
DOWNLOAD THE CAREER GUIDE A Career Guide for Science Policy was developed by CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows alumni, including Sydney Chamberlin, Julianne McCall, and John Thompson. The career guide can be downloaded here. CCST is attending the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle, where we organized two events for attendees in conjunction with […]
Science Magazine Editorial Makes Case for “Science for State Legislatures”
California State Capitol
The CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship program is a strong and effective model for bringing sorely needed science and technology expertise to state legislatures around the country. Such was the driving message in an editorial published in the April 6th issue of Science magazine, penned by Mary Maxon PhD, Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences at […]
Follow the North Carolina STEM Policy Fellowship on Twitter
Graphic with text "State Fellowships Planning Grant"
The North Carolina STEM Policy Fellowship recently debuted its new Twitter handle: @NCSTEMPolFellow Led by Duke University graduate researchers Andrew George and Daniel Keeley, and convening partners like the Duke University Science & Society Initiative, Duke University Sanford School for Public Policy, Duke University Government Affairs Office, and North Carolina Sea Grant, the North Carolina team is […]
PNAS Piece “How to Bring Science and Technology Expertise to State Governments” Shares Lessons from CCST
Empty seats in a Senate Hearing Room
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and CCST are helping other U.S. states establish their own state-level science policy fellowships, 10 years after adapting the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship program into the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship program for California. Much of this effort has been informed by the fundamental lessons learned from […]
CCST to Talk State-Level Science Advice at NCSL 2017 Legislative Summit in Boston
This image features a quote from Boston University professor Nathan Phillips, who writes: "This grant gives scientists a new and powerful way to give back to the Commonwealth."
The California Council on Science and Technology will be attending the National Conference of State Legislatures 2017 Legislative Summit in Boston this August. CCST Deputy Director Amber Mace, PhD, and Program Advisor Doug Brown will be hosting an ancillary meeting on Tuesday, August 8th, for state legislators and staff interested in the concept of recruiting PhD scientists as […]
CCST Awards Grants to Nine States to Explore Potential for Science Policy Fellowships
CCST Logo social
SACRAMENTO, Calif. | CONTACT: Annie Morgan, [email protected] | DOWNLOAD PRESS KIT PDF Scientists can play a critical role in informing public policy, yet most scientists lack the experience of working directly with government leaders in the lawmaking process. Now, teams in nine U.S. states will receive a planning grant to evaluate the potential to create a policy […]
First Deadline July 18th: CCST Strategic Planning Grants for Policy Fellowships
California State Capitol
Dear Friends and Colleagues — The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST), in partnership with the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Simons Foundation, is now providing multiple grants for institutions to explore the creation of science and technology policy fellowship programs in their state legislature. We invite you to submit a letter of […]
CCST Briefs Congressional Staff on Water and Education Work
CCST shared information on two of its projects with Congressional staffers in Washington, D.C. at a luncheon briefing hosted by the California Institute for Federal Policy Research. Julie Meier Wright, CCST strategic advisor and former California Secretary of Trade & Commerce, presented an overview of the latest CCST water report, “California Water – Achieving a […]
Cal TAC Briefs Legislators in D.C. on Digital Education Work
A delegation from the California Teacher Advisory Council (Cal TAC) spent three days in Washington, D.C. last week, introducing Cal TAC as an organization dedicated to strengthening STEM teaching and learning throughout California, and briefing Senate staff and Congressional members about their current work on digitally enhanced education. The delegation included Cal TAC Chair Brian […]
AAAS Issues Statement on Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) issued a statement on October 20 on the labeling of genetically modified foods, stating that there is no scientific evidence to justify efforts to mandate labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods for consumers. “The science is quite clear: crop improvement by the modern molecular techniques of […]
Presidential Science Advisors Benefit from CCST Policy Fellow Alum
The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is one of very few state-level organizations in the nation designed to offer expert advice to the state government and to recommend solutions to science and technology-related policy issues. There are some issues however which need to be addressed at a national, rather than state, level. One […]
Board Member Bruce Darling Named Executive Officer of NAS and NRC
CCST Board member Bruce Darling, vice president for laboratory management at the University of California, has been selected as Executive Officer of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council. Darling will transition to his new position over the next several months. “I cannot think of a better choice for the position of […]
Former Cal TAC Member Brings Classroom Experience to Nation’s Capitol
Successful education reform, particularly in STEM disciplines, (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), has been a major concern both for California and the nation in general. The gap between education policy and practice can, however, at times be significant. For educator Peg Cagle, a former member of the California Teacher Advisory Council (Cal TAC), this is […]
Cell Phone Safety Study Suggests No Risk of Cancer
A major study in Denmark found no increased risks of cancer among cell phone users, suggesting that there is little evidence that exposure to cell phones is related to tumors of the central nervous system. The study, however, is unlikely to settle the ongoing public policy debate over the safety of electromagnetic emissions from wireless […]
Capitol Happenings: Outreach to D.C.
During the summer, CCST, in consultation with its Federal Laboratory Affiliates, conducted a round of outreach meetings with California politicians in Washington D.C. Meetings were scheduled with both California Senators and Members on Appropriations and House Science Committees, and focused on NASA, in order to leverage JPL sponsored events celebrating the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s […]
CCST Senior Fellow Cicerone Named to Secretary of Energy Advisory Board
CCST Senior Fellow Ralph Cicerone, President of the National Academy of Sciences, is among those appointed to the newly reestablished Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB).  The twelve member board, which includes scientists, business executives, academics and former government officials, will serve as an independent advisory committee to Secretary Steven Chu, also a CCST Senior […]
Staying The (New) Course: NASA’s New Approach
On April 15, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, President Obama outlined a strategy for human spaceflight that increases NASA’s budget by $6 billion over the next five years. His plan represents an ambitious effort to foster the development of path-breaking technologies; increase the number, scope, and pace of manned and unmanned space missions; […]
CCST Council Member Alice Huang to begin term as AAAS President
CCST Council member Alice Huang discussed science policy at the state and national level in an address to the Council in October. Having completed the second of two terms as a CCST Council member, she will assume the presidency of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in February 2010. She was designated […]
Dept. of State Names CCST Board Member Bruce Alberts Science and Technology Envoy
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced new initiatives to bolster science and technology collaboration with Muslim communities around the world. CCST Board Member Bruce Alberts, professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, and former President of the National Academy of Sciences, was one of the three first U.S. Science […]
NASA at 50
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) turned fifty last year, and the space agency is both reflecting on the triumphs of the past five decades and navigating the difficult process of mapping a way forward in a climate of tight budgets and changing technologies. “NASA is having a mid-life crisis,” said CCST Council Chair […]
Cal TAC Member Shares Experience At NAE Symposium
On September 8th, the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council held a symposium to release a new report emphasizing the importance of introducing engineering into K-12 education. The report examines the status and nature of efforts to teach engineering in U.S. schools. California Teacher Advisory Council (Cal TAC) member Pete Arvedson attended […]