CCST Newsroom

Robert J. Spinrad, former CCST Board and Council member, died on September 2nd of Lou Gehrig’s disease. “For the many of us who knew Bob, we will remember him as a great mind – acute, passionate and imaginative,” said CCST Executive Director Susan Hackwood. Spinrad was a pioneer in computer science, building his first computer […]

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 […]

The National Research Council Center for Education, National Academy of Engineering (NAE), CCST, and the California Teacher Advisory Council (Cal TAC) have hosted three symposia designed to inform and develop a California STEM Innovation Network (CSI-N), in order to more effectively coordinate and drive the issues of STEM education in the public agenda. The first […]

On May 27, 2009, the California Council on Science and Technology convened, on behalf of the State’s Business, Transportation and Housing Agency (BT & H), the first formal meeting of a newly formed Personalized Health Information Technology Task Force (PHIT). This meeting was an outcome of several months of investigative work by a steering committee […]

The worsening of the financial crisis since September 2008 has made it more difficult to finance new clinical information systems (CIS) in the near term, but newly approved federal funding for healthcare information technology (HIT) has the potential to offset these challenges, according to a newly released report by researchers at the University of California, […]

CCST Chair Charles Kennel, former director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, and CCST Council Member Wanda Austin, president and CEO of the Aerospace Corporation, have been named members of NASA’s Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee. “I am honored to be part of this committee to help NASA through the […]

On April 27, during remarks at the National Academy of Sciences, President Barack Obama announced the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). Among the newly appointed members was CCST Senior Fellow Maxine Savitz, retired general manager of Technology Partnerships at Honeywell Inc. and Vice President of the National Academy of Engineering. “This […]

In 1973, a small pilot program placed seven fellows with scientific backgrounds in congressional offices, in an effort to make their expertise available to policymakers facing increasingly technical legislative issues. Over three decades later, the number has ballooned to over 150 Fellows, and demand for the Fellows is stronger than ever. For 35 years, the […]

CCST is pleased to announce the launch of a new fellowship opportunity for professional scientists and engineers to spend a year working in Sacramento with the California State Legislature. The California Science and Technology (S&T) Policy Fellowships provide a professional development opportunity that will enable members of the scientific community to contribute to scientific and […]

The new administration of President Barack Obama has invited CCST Council member Peter Cowhey to serve as a member of the senior leadership team at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). Cowhey will serve as Senior Counselor to the U.S. Trade Representative on strategy and negotiations. Peter F. Cowhey is the Qualcomm […]

Rollin Richmond, president of Humboldt State University, has joined the CCST Board of Directors. The appointment follows a decision to expand representation from the California State University System on the Board. “We are very pleased with the working relationship that we continue to develop with the California State University,” said CCST Board Chair Karl Pister. […]

CCST is completing a study, Overview of California R&D Funding from 2005-2007, which provides a snapshot of R&D spending by the state government. The report provides a partial update to CCST’s 1999 analysis of California state R&D funding, carried out as a component of the “California Report on the Environment for Science and Technology” (CREST). The new study […]

The National Academies and CCST are working with the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation to hold a convocation on building and sustaining effective programs in elementary school science education. The convocation is scheduled to be held on April 29 and 30, 2009 at the Beckman Center in Irvine. “For science to assume fully its role […]

UC Merced, in the San Joaquin Valley, is only starting its fourth year of operations, but it has hit the ground running in building collaborations and making a name for itself in energy research. The University of California Office of the President has made UC Merced the centerpiece of an aggressive energy plan, and the […]

California is leading the nation in reinventing the State’s energy system in response to climate change concerns. However, the state faces significant challenges associated with meeting the emission reductions laid out by AB32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, while ensuring its economic vitality and secure energy supplies. “As the state makes critical choices […]

At the CCST Council meeting on October 8, experts brought the message that California urgently needs to plan its water future using every tool available. “Most of the recent attention on climate change has focused on mitigation and energy issues, and much less on what we must do to adapt,” said CCST Council Chair Charles […]

Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degree programs, a recently designed range of hybrid degrees intended to combine graduate science training with business skills, merit further support and expansion, according to a recent National Research Council (NRC) report by the Committee on Enhancing the Master’s Degree in the Natural Sciences. The report drew in part upon the […]

On July 9, the California State Board of Education voted 8-1 to test all eighth graders in algebra, replacing the General Mathematics Test and making California the first state to require algebra at such an early level. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had encouraged the move with a letter to the Board earlier this week. “Algebra is […]

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 […]

The California Teacher Advisory Council’s (Cal TAC) primary mission is to make a difference for science and math education by connecting with policymakers and education researchers; Cal TAC members bring their wisdom of practice to venues where teachers’ voices are not normally heard. However, the extraordinary members of this group also have a substantial impact […]

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 […]