California Science News

Council Member Funds New Autism Institute
Parents of autistic children often have trouble finding suitable schooling and treatment providers for their children, and are left perplexed and exhausted by managing all of the separate services for their children’s care. CCST Council member, Fariborz Maseeh, was one such parent. When he wasn’t able to find the combination of services that his son […]
California Energy Futures Project Member Wins Fermi Award
Nobel laureate Burton Richter, a member of the CCST California’s Energy Future (CEF) team and lead author of the 2011 CEF subreport on nuclear energy, has been awarded the Enrico Fermi Award, one of the nation’s most prestigious science awards, in recognition of his eminent career in particle physics and his notable contributions in energy […]
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 […]
Space Shuttle Endeavour Officially Signed Over to California Science Center
The Space Shuttle Endeavour title transfer to the California Science Center (CSC) was finalized on Tuesday with former NASA astronaut and STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly, the STS-134 crew, NASA Associate Deputy Administrator Richard Keegan and California Science Center President Jeffrey N. Rudolph. The event included more than 400 business, community and philanthropic leaders as well […]
Council Member Endows Entrepreneurship Prize
Innovative entrepreneurs are critical to California’s economic well-being. In order to encourage their success, CCST Council Member Fariborz Maseeh has donated $1.03 million to fund the creation of the Maseeh Entrepreneurship Prize Competition (MEPC) for engineering students at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering. “There is no other field like engineering where […]
Achieving Emissions Goals to be Major Challenge for California, According to CEF Study
California must dramatically overhaul its energy systems if the state is to achieve its ambitious goals of reducing total greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and even lower by 2050, according to the California’s Energy Future (CEF) project report being released this fall. “Effective mitigation is going to require that we get down […]
Council Member Bryant Named UC Irvine Medal Recipient
CCST Council Member Susan Bryant, former vice chancellor for research at UC Irvine (UCI), has been named as a recipient of UCI’s most prestigious honor. The UCI Medal, awarded annually, recognizes those who have made exceptional contributions to the university’s mission of teaching, research and public service over the course of their careers. The honor […]
UCSF Publishes Nanotechnology Policy Recommendations
The Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) recently published a draft of a report entitled “A Nanotechnology Policy Framework: Policy Recommendations for Addressing Potential Health Risks from Nanomaterials in California.” The draft nanotechnology policy framework will be presented to Cal/EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard […]
A New Way of Doing Business – In Space
This first jointly sponsored CCST and the California Space Authority (CSA) meeting created an opportunity to generate awareness of the burgeoning commercial aerospace industry resident in the Mojave under the auspices of the California Space Port. CSA is a member based enterprise association working closely with stakeholders to facilitate California’s competitiveness and space enterprise vitality […]
Changes in the Innovation Economy
At the February and May 2010 meetings, changes, threats and opportunities in California’s innovation capacity were discussed. The February meeting initiated a dialog on the changing context of innovation in S&T. Excellence in science and engineering is not enough to be a world leader – we need to be more creative, and look to radical […]
California Science Center Opens New Ecosystems Exhibit
The California Science Center, a public-private partnership between the State and the California Science Center Foundation located in Los Angeles, has been actively working for years to provide unique, hands-on educational experiences. On March 25, it added a major new exhibit to this roster when it opened the Ecosystems exhibit gallery. “Science is not something […]
CCST Senior Fellow Francisco Ayala Awarded Templeton Prize
Francisco Ayala, UC Irvine professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and a CCST senior fellow, has won the 2010 Templeton Prize, which is awarded to a living person who has made an “exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension.” “Professor Ayala has earned a very distinctive honor that recognizes the broader significance of science,” said […]
Former CCST Board Member Nikias Named President of USC
C.L. Max Nikias has been named the next president of the University of Southern California (USC). Nikias, a noted scholar internationally recognized for his research on integrated media systems, digital communications, and biomedicine, is a former member of the CCST Board of Directors and is a CCST Senior Fellow. “Max Nikias is an outstanding person […]
Innovation Key to California Space Industry
When Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip Two rolled onto the tarmac in a theatrical blaze of lights at the Mojave Air and Spaceport in December, there could be no doubt that California stood on the cutting edge of space travel. British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson’s dramatic new airship is the first manned commercial spacecraft designed to carry […]
UC Riverside’s Bourns College of Engineering celebrates its 20th Anniversary
UC Riverside’s Bourns College of Engineering celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. As the Founding Dean, CCST’s Executive Director, Susan Hackwood and Council member Jeff Rudolph kicked off the distinguished lecture series. Their presentation “Beyond the Classroom: Learning Science in 2030” set the stage for the lecture series, which will focus on engineering opportunities and […]
Making Space Travel Good Business
As NASA looks back on 50 years of space exploration, Elon Musk is looking ahead to life beyond Earth. The best way to get there, he contends, is business entry into the universe of space travel. Musk, the 38-year-old CEO and chief technology officer of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), is the keynote speaker at the […]
CSI-Net Gains Director, Moves Forward
The movement to improve science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in the Golden State took an important step forward in September when Stephanie Couch began work as the project director of the nascent California STEM Innovation Network (CSI-N). Couch brings a strong background in education policy and advocacy to the job of building a […]
Budget Cuts Impact Schools, Say Cal TAC members
The infusion of funds from ARRA promises some relief for the strained California education budget, but the system – already coping with over $7 billion in mid-year budget cuts from 2008-9 – is struggling to cut costs, a struggle that has directly impacted classrooms and teachers. Members of the California Teacher Advisory Council (Cal TAC) […]
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Funds Impacting California
The federal stimulus package enacted earlier this year is intended to jumpstart the economy and provide support to individuals through a variety of programs. Overall, the governor’s office estimates that ARRA will result in approximately $85 billion in benefits to California. Projected ARRA benefits for California break down as follows: Tax relief: $30.2 billion Health […]
Fifty years of NASA in California
When the first human-made satellite was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, aeronautic research and development in the United States rested in the hands of multiple agencies and programs including the Air Force, the Navy, and the Army. In 1958 the National Aeronautics and Space Act, signed by President Eisenhower, brought together all these […]
Informal Science Learning Has Important Role to Play, Says Council Member
A recent report from the National Research Council says that there is abundant evidence that informal science education settings, such as museums, aquariums, and after-school programs are important contributors to people’s knowledge and interest in science. But for the California Science Center, this is nothing new. “People continue to learn their whole life,” said CCST […]