CCST Newsroom

CCST honored retiring Sacramento Director Annzell Loufas at its May 2008 meeting, where she received commendations from both the Legislature and Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi as well. “It is a great pleasure to honor and commend Ms. Loufas,” said Garamendi. “On behalf of the people of the State of California, I applaud her for her […]

California has long helped shape the nation’s aerospace research and development programs, and CCST Council member Wanda Austin, newly appointed CEO of The Aerospace Corporation, a non-profit based in El Segundo, is helping to continue that tradition. “Our vision is to be the leading architect of the country’s national-security space program,” said Austin. “Helping to […]

AB 2711 (Portantino, Arambula, Price, and Salas), the California Innovation and Technology Policy Act, would require the Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing to convene a statewide business partnership for innovation and technology no later than March 1, 2009. The partnership would bring together representatives from high technology businesses, developers, and investors to help assess […]

The twenty-year history of CCST’s evolution and accomplishments has been outlined in a new report, “A Voice for the Future: The First Two Decades of the California Council on Science and Technology”. “Our organization has changed significantly since its founding 20 years ago, and has in many ways come to fulfill its original mandate,” said […]

CCST and the Royal Society of the United Kingdom will collaborate on the Fall 2008 meeting, focusing on ways to provide appropriate input on science and technology policy in both California and the UK. “We are delighted that CCST is continuing to build relationships with related organizations outside California, and honored to be able to […]

At the request of Resources Agency Secretary Mike Chrisman, CCST has completed an analysis of a draft action plan designed to streamline ocean management policies on the West Coast. In September 2006 the Governors of California, Oregon, and Washington announced the West Coast Governor’s Agreement on Ocean Health. The Agreement launched a new, proactive regional […]

An innovative website designed to make a wide range of materials available to Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) is nearing completion, and represents a significant resource in an accessible format, according to early reviews. The website WIB toolkit, “Racing for the Future,” is a CCST project developed as part of a workforce development project funded by […]

Congressman Sam Farr and Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi will both address the Council at its February 2008 meeting, when CCST will mark its 20th anniversary. “We are privileged to have two extraordinary speakers join us for this event,” said CCST Board Chair Karl Pister. “It is especially fitting as both Congressman Farr and Lieutenant Governor […]

The California Council on Science and Technology has changed significantly from its beginnings in 1988, when the need for an organization like CCST hit home as the state lost bids for both a superconducting supercollider and SEMATECH – a microelectronics research consortium – to Texas. “The state needed a way to more effectively leverage its […]

Bruce Alberts, who has served on the CCST Board of Directors since 2006, has been selected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to serve as editor-in-chief of its journal Science. The appointment takes effect in March 2008. AAAS President and Nobel laureate David Baltimore, a CCST Fellow, praised the selection of Alberts […]

CCST Board Chair Karl Pister was presented with the Clark Kerr Award for Distinguished Leadership in Higher Education by the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate, in a campus ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 25. The award recognizes extraordinary and distinguished contributions to the advancement of higher education. The Berkeley Division established the award in 1968 […]

In January 2008, CCST’s first-ever council chair from industry will step down, concluding a period of intense and fulfilling activity for the Council. Lawrence Papay, CEO and Principal of PQR, LLC and former sector vice president for the Integrated Solutions Sector at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), has served as chair since 2005. “This has […]

Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) has significant potential to save California money – as much as $8 billion annually from greater efficiency and reduced medical errors, according to one study by the RAND institute – and improve substantially the quality of care. Implementing HIT, however, is expensive, requiring standardized electronic records, the computer equipment to store […]

In response to a request from State Senator Alan Lowenthal, CCST has begun a project in partnership with the Research and Technology Advisory Panel (RTAP) to develop strategies for both short- term and long-term support to California decision-makers on goods movement policy and infrastructure investment. “The main goal is to provide expertise and innovative thinking […]

The oceans are in a state of crisis as a result of a host of human-related factors, and California needs to focus on constructive long-term strategies to mitigate these problems, according to Leon Panetta, co-director of the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy and chairman of the Pew Oceans Commission. In 2003, the […]

On Friday, September 21, CCST Board Member Warren Baker, President of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and CCST Executive Director Susan Hackwood testified before the U.S. House Education and Labor Sub-Committee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness at a hearing held as part of the Competitiveness Crisis Council Summit at Cal Poly Pomona. The […]

The NRC’s Board on Higher Education and Workforce has begun a 12-month project to develop a guide for enhancing professional education at the master’s degree level in the natural sciences in response to the needs of employers in industry and, to the extent possible, in government, and non-profits. The committee, chaired by former National Science […]

CCST’s response to the National Academies’ Rising Above the Gathering Storm report, Shaping the Future, has led to numerous discussions between CCST and a variety of institutions on implementing the recommendations in the report. “The Gathering Storm report highlighted the importance of improving America’s science and math education and economic environment,” said Larry Papay, CCST Council chair. “CCST’s report brought […]

The Critical Path Analysis of California’s Science and Mathematics Teacher Preparation System, a project conducted by CCST and the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, has met with a positive reaction and spurred action both in the state’s higher education systems and in the Legislature, and has been cited in the US Senate in support […]

Senator Dianne Feinstein cited CCST’s Critical Path Analysis of California’s Science and Mathematics Teacher Preparation System yesterday in a statement of support for a bipartisan measure to strengthen federal investments in educational opportunities for math, science, engineering and technology. “America’s economy is fueled by innovation, and innovation is enabled by a strong foundation in math and science. […]

California faces a persistent and critical shortage of fully prepared math and science teachers and lacks the capacity to produce enough math and science teachers to meet future needs, according to a new report released today by the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) and the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning. […]