CCST Newsroom

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 […]

For the past several years, the California State University system (CSU), the largest teacher preparation system in California, has been focusing on increasing the quantity and quality of K-12 math and science teachers it produces, through its Mathematics and Science Teacher Initiative (MSTI). CSU committed to doubling its math and science teacher production from 750 […]

Teachers of all kinds are a dwindling resource throughout the country, and states need to re-examine their strategies regarding math and science requirements and standards, according to CCST Council Member Alice Huang, Senior Faculty Associate at the California Institute for Technology. “There are many reasons why it’s hard to get and keep good teachers,” said […]

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 […]

California’s ambitious climate change policies need to take into account not just the need for and impact on energy production and ensuring the water supply, but how the two issues relate to one another. Energy and water related policies are highly complex issues that are inextricably intertwined, and need to be examined in concert, rather […]

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 […]

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has identified fourteen priority areas awaiting engineering solutions in the 21st century. The list of “Grand Challenges for Engineering” was selected by a group of 18 experts from academia and private industry. The committee was chaired by former Defense Secretary William Perry, currently an engineering professor at Stanford University. […]

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 […]

California needs to think ahead to cope with issues raised by new technologies, according to CCST Council Member Jean- Louis Gassée, general partner, Allegis Capital. “Policy does not generally keep up with the rapid pace of progress,” said Gassée. “Advances in computer science and molecular biology are raising serious legal and philosophical questions, and there […]

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 state has moved closer to broader adoption of Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) as the University of California, in partnership with a coalition of government agencies, health care providers and others, received a three-year, $22 million award from the Federal Communications Commission in November to help develop a new California Telehealth Network. “The University is […]

The potential effects of climate change have driven numerous efforts to control greenhouse gas emissions. However, while many analyses of these effects focus on issues of energy and water supply, California’s land management agencies also face a myriad of complex issues related to climate change impacts on biodiversity. Biodiversity, the variety of life in a […]

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 […]