CCST Newsroom

California State University East Bay President Mohammad Quayoumi hosted the first in what will be a series of meetings exploring aspects of California’s innovation ‘ecosystem.’ The meeting on October 14, “A Call to Action: Advancing California’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Innovation Ecosystem,” brought together industry and education leaders to discuss reinventing K-12 education, […]

During the summer, CCST, in consultation with its Federal Laboratory Affiliates, conducted a round of outreach meetings with California politicians in Washington D.C. Meetings were scheduled with both California Senators and Members on Appropriations and House Science Committees, and focused on NASA, in order to leverage JPL sponsored events celebrating the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s […]

CCST Council Member Susan Bryant, former vice chancellor for research at UC Irvine (UCI), has been named as a recipient of UCI’s most prestigious honor. The UCI Medal, awarded annually, recognizes those who have made exceptional contributions to the university’s mission of teaching, research and public service over the course of their careers. The honor […]

CCST Senior Fellow Ralph Cicerone, President of the National Academy of Sciences, is among those appointed to the newly reestablished Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB).  The twelve member board, which includes scientists, business executives, academics and former government officials, will serve as an independent advisory committee to Secretary Steven Chu, also a CCST Senior […]

On April 15, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, President Obama outlined a strategy for human spaceflight that increases NASA’s budget by $6 billion over the next five years. His plan represents an ambitious effort to foster the development of path-breaking technologies; increase the number, scope, and pace of manned and unmanned space missions; […]

CCST’s Personalized Healthcare Information Technology (pHIT) Task Force has assembled a panel of clinical oncologists as part of its pilot study to develop a scalable prototype healthcare decision support system designed to integrate de-identified patient records with genetic/ genomic test results. This system will be built upon an expertly developed personalized clinical ontology for breast […]

The Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) recently published a draft of a report entitled “A Nanotechnology Policy Framework: Policy Recommendations for Addressing Potential Health Risks from Nanomaterials in California.” The draft nanotechnology policy framework will be presented to Cal/EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard […]

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 […]