CCST Newsroom

As Board Chair, I’ve been proud to work with fellow Board members to shape a proactive agenda for CCST that addresses critical issues for the State of California. I’m enormously grateful to the many donors who’ve chosen to support our work. Their support sustains our growth enabling CCST to fulfill our core mission such as […]

A new year means new beginnings. And for ten highly accomplished scientists and engineers, 2016 will mean a year of public service and leadership training in the California State Legislature. I am thrilled to introduce to everyone the 2016 Class of our CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship! Our latest Fellowship cohort hail from as far away as Chicago […]

Charles “Chuck” Shank, CCST Senior Fellow and former director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has been named as a recipient of the Enrico Fermi Award. The Fermi Award has been presented to outstanding scientists since 1956 in recognition of “distinguished achievement, leadership, and service related to all basic and applied research, science, and technology” […]

SACRAMENTO – In collaboration with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) today released a peer-reviewed independent scientific assessment that discusses how hydraulic fracturing and acid well stimulation could affect water, atmosphere, seismic activity, wildlife and vegetation, and human health in California. The report also identifies knowledge […]

The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) released the first volume of an independent scientific assessment today on well stimulation in California, including hydraulic fracturing. This volume describes how and where operators deploy these technologies for oil and gas production in the state, and where the technologies might enable production in the future. The […]

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is potentially important for advancing California’s energy future and climate goals, but deploying the technique depends in part on resolving regulatory uncertainties, according to the latest paper in CCST’s California’s Energy Future – Policy series. “Almost all solutions developed by the California’s Energy Future project to meet 80% reductions in […]

CCST Council Chair Emeritus Miriam E. John received the Navy Superior Public Service Award yesterday in recognition for her “extraordinary service to the Navy.” It is the highest award that the Chief of Naval Operations can bestow on a civilian and recognizes significant contributions to the Naval Services. John received the honor in recognition of […]

The S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation has awarded a grant to the California Teacher Advisory Council (Cal TAC) at the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST), to help Cal TAC build a new STEM Teaching Excellence Program (STEP) designed to strengthen STEM teaching quality and leadership in California. “Thanks to this support, Cal TAC will build on […]

Art Lopez, a member of CCST’s California Teacher Advisory Council (Cal TAC), was selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Center for Women & Information Technology as one of the top 100 computer science educators in the US, and participated in a workshop to help launch Computer Science Education Week in Washington, D.C. […]

California must nearly eliminate emissions from electricity to meet ambitious climate goals for 2050, but each of the primary available technologies for generating emission-free technology has problems and any choice will require concerted planning and early strategic investments, according to a new technical paper by the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST). “We should […]

The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) has seen significant changes over the past few years, expanding its reach and providing ever more opportunities for decision-makers to access and interface with the unique strength of CCST’s network of expertise. “There are no other states quite like California in the US and, within the state, […]

Three leading science and technology figures associated with CCST are to receive the nation’s top honors by the National Science Foundation. CCST Board Member Bruce Alberts, a Professor of Biochemistry at UC San Francisco and Editor-in-Chief of Science, will receive the National Medal of Science. CCST Senior Fellow Burton Richter, Director Emeritus of the SLAC […]

Gooru, a search engine dedicated to revolutionize digitally enhanced education, has officially launched after more than two years in development, one of the latest and most comprehensive products designed to help K-14 teachers better navigate the plethora of digitally enhanced education curriculum resources being offered. “This is an innovative and valuable tool for teachers,” said […]

The 2013-14 Legislative session concluded on Saturday, August 30 at 3:15 a.m., adjourning more than a day early and with little of the drama of prior years. A number of important science- and technology-related bills were approved by the Legislature this year and await the approval of the Governor. Most of these bills have already […]

CCST has released an independent report that reviews well stimulation technologies, including hydraulic fracturing, used in on-shore oil reservoirs in the state of California. This study was commissioned by the Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and will inform BLM’s oil and gas policies in California. The findings of this CCST report describe current well […]

The fifth cohort of CCST Science and Technology Policy Fellows has received formal recognition for their service by the leadership of both the California State Assembly and the Senate, with the Fellows earning praise for their contributions and dedication. “This is a terrific program,” said Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, in acknowledging the Fellows […]

California is in a prime position for enhancing science, technology, mathematics, and engineering (STEM) education, and the state needs to do so in order to maintain its leadership in high-tech innovation, according to a report released on June 30 by State Superintendent Tom Torlakson, INNOVATE: A Blueprint for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in California […]

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 […]

Advanced biofuels have the potential to provide California with economic opportunities while reducing greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the state’s climate and clean air policies. However, the state may not have sufficient incentives in place to attract the private investment to rapidly scale up production, according to a new report by the California Council on […]

A report from the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) released today envisions a path toward a sustainable water future for California achieved through a system management approach utilizing innovations in science, technology and management. Such an approach would rely on currently available and new science and technology, yielding greater efficiencies and opening new […]

The California Teacher Advisory Council (Cal TAC) has released the latest in a series of papers discussing the efficacy of digitally enhanced education, exploring what works, for whom, and under what conditions in classroom settings. A CalTAC convened symposium, one in a series supported by the Stephen D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation and the Stuart Foundation, […]