CCST Newsroom

2021 CCST Leadership Awardees. Science in Public Service Award: Given to a public servant with a clear track record of championing science and technology issues and who values efforts to connect science to policy. 2021 recipients: Senator Robert Hertzberg, Assemblymember Chris Holden, and Former CEC Vice Chair Janea Scott. SACRAMENTO, Calif. | February 2, 2021 […]

  SACRAMENTO, Calif. | CONTACT: Jeffery Song The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is seeking PhD scientists and engineers for a year of public service and government leadership training in the California State Legislature and California state agencies.  Applications are Due March 1st. CCST is recruiting and accepting applications for the 2022 Class of CCST Science & […]

  Download our 2020 Annual Report (PDF).   Message from the CCST Board Chair   As I look back on a year marked by a global pandemic, powerful social justice movements, turbulent elections, megafires, and a continuing climate crisis, I’m struck by how much CCST adapted – and delivered – in this environment. With the […]

  SACRAMENTO, CA—We are excited to introduce the 2021 Class of CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows. Now celebrating its 12th year, the program places PhD level scientists and engineers in Legislative and Executive Branch offices, training them for careers in public policy while helping to equip California’s decision makers with science-savvy staff. Applications are currently being […]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. | CONTACT: Jeffery Song Start your application today. CCST is seeking PhD scientists and engineers for a year of public service and government leadership training in the California State Legislature and California state agencies.  Applications are Due March 1st. The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is recruiting and accepting applications for the 2022 Class of CCST […]

The insurrection at the US Capitol was an extraordinary and horrific, though not surprising, moment. An armed mob, brandishing symbols of white nationalism and stoked by disinformation, used terrorism and force to overtake our nation’s Capitol. As an organization, we are dedicated to the proposition that evidence, transparency, and discovery are the key to improving […]

This week, the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) and Project Drawdown are co-hosting their annual conference around the theme Research to Action: Science & Solutions for a Planet Under Pressure, with a focus on projects that range from local to global. CCST will be holding two panels and participating in an NCSE career […]

Maria Montchal is a 2020 CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellow who was placed in the California State Senate Environmental Quality Committee. Maria received a PhD in Biological Sciences from UC Irvine. From New Jersey, Maria’s dissertation work focused on understanding how the brain allows us to remember when events occurred. She received a BA in […]

Grayson Doucette is a 2020 CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellow who was placed in the California State Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water. Grayson received a PhD in Materials Science from Penn State University. His dissertation focused on controlling how molecules interact with one another to learn what makes a more efficient next […]

Asid Mehmood is the Fall 2020 intern for the CCST team. He is a visiting student from UCLA and is currently enrolled in the University of California Center for Sacramento (UCCS) program. Asid is an undergraduate student in UCLA’s Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) program. He is currently majoring in Human Biology and Society and is interested in […]

CCST is seeking PhD scientists and engineers for a year of public service and government leadership training in the California State Legislature and California state agencies. SACRAMENTO, Calif. | CONTACT: Jeffery Song The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is now recruiting and accepting applications for the 2022 Class of CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows. Completed applications are due […]

Update 12/10: The briefing is now available to watch. Download the CCST One Pager. Held in partnership with the California Ocean Science Trust and the Office of Assemblymember Mark Stone, this briefing discusses the role of blue carbon sequestration in coastal habitats in meeting the State’s carbon neutrality goals. Blue Carbon Sequestration Along California’s Coast […]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) has issued the report, “The Costs of Wildfire in California: An Independent Review of Scientific and Technical Information,” along with an executive summary and one pager. All are available for download at this link: https://ccst.us/reports/the-costs-of-wildfire-in-california-2/. A virtual CCST Expert Briefing for […]

  Update (10/29/20): The report is now available to download: https://ccst.us/reports/the-costs-of-wildfire-in-california-2/ A Virtual CCST Report Release Briefing: The Costs of Wildfire in California Held Thursday, Oct. 29 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM (Pacific) Join CCST for a release and overview of our latest report, “The Costs of Wildfire in California: An Independent Review of Scientific and Technical Information.” […]

Now available to watch. Join CCST, current Fellows, and Alumni for an informational webinar and Q&A session on the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship. Applications for the 2022 class open Dec. 1st, 2020. Each year the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows program recruits a cohort of fifteen PhD scientists and engineers for a […]

REGISTER NOW Each year the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows program recruits a cohort of fifteen PhD scientists and engineers for a year of public service and leadership training within the California State Legislature and Executive Branch. In this webinar, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about the CCST Science Fellows program and how […]

Download the one pager: CCST Digital Contact Tracing One Pager Digital Contact Tracing (Exposure Notification) to Reduce the Spread of COVID-19 Held Mon. Sep. 14, 2020 12pm – 1pm WHAT is digital contact tracing (exposure notification)? HOW does it fit into California’s response? WHAT about security, privacy, and equity?   A CCST Expert Briefing discussion moderated by: Assemblymember […]

  Following our earlier call for expertise regarding the CCST study now underway on costs and losses related to wildfires in California, CCST is currently seeking experts to evaluate the report, which characterizes the economic costs and losses that could be considered in a comprehensive accounting of wildfire economic impacts on the state of California. CCST […]

William Ota is a graduate student at UC Riverside in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology in the lab of Professor Kurt Anderson and is the Government Relations Committee Chair of UC Riverside’s Center for Science to Policy (S2P). William was a participant in the 2020 CCST Science Translators Showcase, held in the Governor’s Office Council […]

Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. George Floyd. David McAtee. Rayshard Brooks. Their killings have brought viscerally to light again the continued racism and violence toward Black people. Over the past month, we have been reflecting as an organization and as members of our communities to identify what actions we can take to promote equity and counter racism. My CCST […]

Ken McCullough is currently a 2020 CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellow, part of the first class to include Executive Branch placements. Ken received a PhD in Neuroscience from Emory University. Raised in Arizona, Ken studied the neurobiology of fear and PTSD for his dissertation, then chronic stress, depression and sleep at Harvard. He received […]