CCST Newsroom

Update: The 2022 Application Cycle is Now Closed
Fellows Application for 2022 Class Photo and banner
  SACRAMENTO, Calif. | CONTACT: Jeffery Song The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is seeking PhD scientists and engineers for a year of public service and government leadership training in the California State Legislature and California state agencies.  Applications are Due March 1st. CCST is recruiting and accepting applications for the 2022 Class of CCST Science & […]
CCST Hosts Resilience Workshop Exploring California’s COVID-19 Policy Challenges
Zoom screenshot of Amber Mace, Assemblymember Quirk, Julianne McCall, and Marko Mijic
    On February 18th, as part of CCST’s disaster resilience initiative, “Toward a Resilient California,” CCST brought together a group of experts and thought leaders from government, academia, and healthcare for a panel discussion and facilitated workshop about pandemic-related challenges the State is facing, “Exploring California’s COVID-19 Policy Challenges.” The event opened with a […]
Translating Manure Research to Environmental Policy: Q&A with 2021 Fellow Rylie Ellison
Photo of Rylie with the blog title and picture of her collecting wastewater.
Rylie Ellison is a 2021 CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellow placed on the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality. Originally hailing from Washington State, in her graduate research Rylie developed treatment methods for dairy manure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make it a better fertilizer. She earned her PhD in Agricultural & Environmental Chemistry […]
Top Five Lessons Learned: Delivering a Virtual Fellows Training Program During COVID-19
Title Card Top 5 Lessons Learned with photo of Jeffery Song
Jeffery Song is the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows Program Manager. In this role, he provides end-to-end administration of all aspects of the Fellowship program, from recruitment and selection to training and coordinating placements. Jeffery worked most recently as a Transportation Policy Postdoctoral Researcher at University of California – Davis. Prior to that, he […]
Update: Watch the 2021 “CCST Science in Public Service Award” Presentation
Images of the 2021 CCST Science in Public Service Award Recipients
2021 CCST Leadership Awardees. Science in Public Service Award: Given to a public servant with a clear track record of championing science and technology issues and who values efforts to connect science to policy. 2021 recipients: Senator Robert Hertzberg, Assemblymember Chris Holden, and Former CEC Vice Chair Janea Scott. SACRAMENTO, Calif. | February 2, 2021 […]
Update: The 2022 Application Cycle is Now Closed
Fellows Application for 2022 Class Photo and banner
  SACRAMENTO, Calif. | CONTACT: Jeffery Song The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is seeking PhD scientists and engineers for a year of public service and government leadership training in the California State Legislature and California state agencies.  Applications are Due March 1st. CCST is recruiting and accepting applications for the 2022 Class of CCST Science & […]
CCST Annual Report 2020: Toward a Resilient California
CCST Annual Report featured image, San Francisco orange from wildfire, Sept 2020
  Download our 2020 Annual Report (PDF).   Message from the CCST Board Chair   As I look back on a year marked by a global pandemic, powerful social justice movements, turbulent elections, megafires, and a continuing climate crisis, I’m struck by how much CCST adapted – and delivered – in this environment. With the […]
Introducing the 2021 class of CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows
2021 CCST S&T Policy Fellows group shot
  SACRAMENTO, CA—We are excited to introduce the 2021 Class of CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows. Now celebrating its 12th year, the program places PhD level scientists and engineers in Legislative and Executive Branch offices, training them for careers in public policy while helping to equip California’s decision makers with science-savvy staff. Applications are currently being […]
Update: The 2022 Application Cycle is Now Closed
Fellows Application for 2022 Class Photo and banner
SACRAMENTO, Calif. | CONTACT: Jeffery Song Start your application today. CCST is seeking PhD scientists and engineers for a year of public service and government leadership training in the California State Legislature and California state agencies.  Applications are Due March 1st. The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is recruiting and accepting applications for the 2022 Class of CCST […]
A statement on the insurrection at the US Capitol
Message from Executive Director Header Banner
The insurrection at the US Capitol was an extraordinary and horrific, though not surprising, moment. An armed mob, brandishing symbols of white nationalism and stoked by disinformation, used terrorism and force to overtake our nation’s Capitol. As an organization, we are dedicated to the proposition that evidence, transparency, and discovery are the key to improving […]
CCST to Host Panels on California’s COVID Response, Cost of Wildfires at NCSE Drawdown 2021
This week, the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) and Project Drawdown are co-hosting their annual conference around the theme Research to Action: Science & Solutions for a Planet Under Pressure, with a focus on projects that range from local to global. CCST will be holding two panels and participating in an NCSE career […]
Asking the Right Questions: Identifying Racial Disparities in Policy and Research
Asking the Right Questions, by Maria Montchal
Maria Montchal is a 2020 CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellow who was placed in the California State Senate Environmental Quality Committee. Maria received a PhD in Biological Sciences from UC Irvine. From New Jersey, Maria’s dissertation work focused on understanding how the brain allows us to remember when events occurred. She received a BA in […]
Confronting History: The Racist Myths Behind WWII-Era Chemical Experiments
Confronting History, by Grayson Doucette '20
Grayson Doucette is a 2020 CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellow who was placed in the California State Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water. Grayson received a PhD in Materials Science from Penn State University. His dissertation focused on controlling how molecules interact with one another to learn what makes a more efficient next […]
Q&A: COVID-19 Disparities and My Interest in Science Policy
Asid Mehmood Q&A
Asid Mehmood is the Fall 2020 intern for the CCST team. He is a visiting student from UCLA and is currently enrolled in the University of California Center for Sacramento (UCCS) program. Asid is an undergraduate student in UCLA’s Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) program. He is currently majoring in Human Biology and Society and is interested in […]
Update: Applications for 2022 Cycle Closed: CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship Program
Fellows Application for 2022 Class Photo and banner
CCST is seeking PhD scientists and engineers for a year of public service and government leadership training in the California State Legislature and California state agencies. SACRAMENTO, Calif. | CONTACT: Jeffery Song The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is now recruiting and accepting applications for the 2022 Class of CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows. Completed applications are due […]
Update: Watch the Virtual CCST Expert Briefing on Blue Carbon Sequestration
Blue Carbon Zoom Screen
Update 12/10: The briefing is now available to watch. Download the CCST One Pager. Held in partnership with the California Ocean Science Trust and the Office of Assemblymember Mark Stone, this briefing discusses the role of blue carbon sequestration in coastal habitats in meeting the State’s carbon neutrality goals. Blue Carbon Sequestration Along California’s Coast […]
CCST Report Assesses the Costs of Wildfire in California
SACRAMENTO, Calif. | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) has issued the report, “The Costs of Wildfire in California: An Independent Review of Scientific and Technical Information,” along with an executive summary and one pager. All are available for download at this link: https://ccst.us/reports/the-costs-of-wildfire-in-california-2/. A virtual CCST Expert Briefing for […]
Update: Watch Now – CCST Releases Report on “The Costs of Wildfire in California”
A graphic for the costs of wildfire report with white and yellow text on a blue background.
  Update (10/29/20): The report is now available to download: https://ccst.us/reports/the-costs-of-wildfire-in-california-2/ A Virtual CCST Report Release Briefing: The Costs of Wildfire in California Held Thursday, Oct. 29 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM (Pacific) Join CCST for a release and overview of our latest report, “The Costs of Wildfire in California: An Independent Review of Scientific and Technical Information.” […]
Watch: CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship Informational Webinar
Now available to watch. Join CCST, current Fellows, and Alumni for an informational webinar and Q&A session on the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship. Applications for the 2022 class open Dec. 1st, 2020. Each year the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows program recruits a cohort of fifteen PhD scientists and engineers for a […]
Register Now: CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship Informational Webinar
Graphic with details on the upcoming CCST Science Fellows webinar on 10/15
REGISTER NOW Each year the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows program recruits a cohort of fifteen PhD scientists and engineers for a year of public service and leadership training within the California State Legislature and Executive Branch. In this webinar, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about the CCST Science Fellows program and how […]
Update: Watch Now – Digital Contact Tracing (Exposure Notification) to Reduce Spread of COVID-19
Zoom Call, contact tracing
Download the one pager: CCST Digital Contact Tracing One Pager Digital Contact Tracing (Exposure Notification) to Reduce the Spread of COVID-19 Held Mon. Sep. 14, 2020 12pm – 1pm WHAT is digital contact tracing (exposure notification)? HOW does it fit into California’s response? WHAT about security, privacy, and equity?   A CCST Expert Briefing discussion moderated by: Assemblymember […]