CCST Newsroom

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 […]

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 […]

At the request of the State Legislature the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) proposes to conduct a comprehensive assessment of California’s “science and technology (S&T) innovation ecosystem,” (specifically human capital, investment, and infrastructure), analyzing and reporting current global innovation systems, and recommending to the Legislature actions that should be taken to sustain the […]

California’s elementary school teachers feel much less confident in teaching science than reading or math, and there is both the need and the potential for significant improvement in elementary school teacher preparation, according to a new report by the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST). Currently, 50% of California’s students score at or below […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Often, CCST focuses on an issue over a period of years, such as that of personalized healthcare information technology. For outgoing Council member and new CCST Senior Fellow Alfonso Cárdenas, the progress has been encouraging. “I am very glad to have been working with CCST’s energetic and visionary council members towards major advances much needed […]

In a meeting on December 15th, the CalPERS Health Benefits Committee approved moving forward with a pilot program proposed by the Personalized Healthcare Information Technology (pHIT) Task Force convened by CCST and the California Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency (BTH). The underlying purpose of the one year pilot study is to assist the state in […]

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 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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

California has two ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The first, proposed by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2005 and codified in the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32), requires that emissions in 2020 be no higher than emissions in 1990. The second, also proposed by the Governor, calls for California’s emissions in […]

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 […]

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 […]

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) […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]