Federal Research in California

Report: California’s NASA and DOE Labs Are Leading the Charge Toward a More Resilient and Sustainable Future
A graphic with the cover of the labs report and the title with CCST's logo on a blue background.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: [email protected] SACRAMENTO, Calif.—A new impact report released by the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) showcases the groundbreaking work of NASA field centers and Department of Energy national laboratories in California, featuring stories of how they are leveraging their world-class expertise and technologies to invest in California’s resilience to […]
California’s 5th Climate Change Assessment Roundtables
A slide listing the 5th Assessment roundtables with logos over a fading background image
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program at the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research in partnership with the California Council on Science & Technology (CCST) hosted a series of 6 public roundtables to discuss California-specific information and knowledge gaps that will help inform the scope of climate change research conducted as part of California’s Fifth Climate […]
Watch: Decarbonizing Transportation with Hydrogen
A graphic with title on the briefing in blue and yellow lettering with photos of the panelists
Toward a Disaster Resilient California: Decarbonizing Transportation with Hydrogen   How can hydrogen help to decarbonize long haul trucking and transit? Watch our CCST Expert Briefing to learn how hydrogen fuel cells work, how they are being improved, and how hydrogen safety is being evaluated for use in transportation. Held September 8, 2022. Moderator: Gia Vacin […]
WATCH: Decarbonizing with Hydrogen: Challenges and Opportunities
A Zoom panel of 6 people with a question in the lower third in white text over a blue background
Toward a Disaster Resilient California: Decarbonizing with Hydrogen: Challenges and Opportunities California has made significant strides in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, but there remain many challenges to achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. Many experts believe that hydrogen could be key to decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors like cement and steel production, agriculture, and heavy-duty transportation. As […]
Berkeley Lab’s Carol Burns Appointed to CCST Board of Directors
Photo of Carol burns with blurred trees in the background
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) Deputy Director for Research and Chief Research Officer Dr. Carol Burns has been appointed to the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) Board of Directors by University of California President Michael V. Drake, MD. “Participation on the California Council on Science and Technology is an important public […]
Watch: Managing Salinity in the California Delta in a Changing Climate
Zoom screenshot of the four panelists with a question in the lower third
  Toward a Disaster Resilient California: Managing Salinity in the California Delta in a Changing Climate   The Delta supplies freshwater to two thirds of all Californians, a $50 billion agricultural industry, and critical habitat for many protected species. Increasing drought and sea level rise is making it more challenging for water managers to meet […]
Watch: Science Policy for a More Resilient California: CCST Sessions at the 2022 AAAS Annual Meeting
AAAS graphic with headline Empower with Evidence hashtag A A A S m t g. Illustration shows various scientific motifs encircled by the outline of a cell wall or virus casing with protein spikes.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—From extreme heat to wildfires, California faces a variety of complex, interacting scenarios in adapting to climate change. The type of science policy advice and resources required to plan and act on these disaster resilience scenarios was the focus of CCST events during the 2022 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement […]
Watch: Remote Sensing Technologies and Water Resilience
  Toward a Disaster Resilient California: Remote Sensing Technologies and Water Resilience   Can we look to the sky to address California’s water challenges? As California continues to grapple with frequent drought and overdrafted aquifers, satellite based measurements offer a cost-effective way to generate high resolution data on groundwater resources across a wide geographic area. […]
Watch Now: Mitigating Extreme Heat in a Changing Climate
Zoom photo of all four panelists.
  Mitigating Extreme Heat in a Changing Climate A CCST Expert Briefing Held Tue. May 18th View the One Pager (PDF) The California Council on Science and Technology hosted a panel discussion with experts on how extreme heat impacts Californians and ways to equitably mitigate this increasingly common climate-related disaster. Presented in partnership with the […]
Report: California’s NASA and DOE Labs Provide Cutting-Edge Solutions Toward Climate, Disaster Resilience
  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: [email protected] SACRAMENTO, Calif.—A new impact report released by the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) showcases how NASA field centers and Department of Energy national laboratories in California are leveraging their world class technology and expertise to address climate change, sea level rise, wildfire, COVID-19, drought, and other […]
CCST Partner Institutions in Action Against COVID-19
Download the Full Report (PDF)   California Responds To The Pandemic       In late 2019, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) quickly began to spread across the globe and by March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Since then, academic and research institutions across California and the world have leveraged […]
Five Distinguished Leaders in Science, Engineering, Policy, and Philanthropy Appointed to CCST Board of Directors
Photos of the new Board members with a welcome message on a blue background
  SACRAMENTO, Calif.—As part of a major expansion, the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is proud to announce the appointment of five new members to the Board of Directors. Distinguished leaders in science, engineering, policy, and philanthropy, these new members bring a diverse set of experiences and expertise to drive CCST’s initiative on […]
Update: Watch Technological Pathways for Carbon Sequestration in California
Screenshot of Zoom conversation.
A Virtual CCST Expert Briefing Technological Pathways for Carbon Sequestration in California Held Friday, March 12th 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM (PST) Watch the briefing now and download the one pager (PDF):   Watch our CCST Expert Briefing with experts on technologies to capture and store carbon to meet California’s carbon neutrality goals: Moderator: David Stout […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.” […]
Photo Gallery: 2019 SLAC Visit
SLAC Tour
On July 31, CCST toured SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, one of CCST’s federal labs partners leading cutting-edge research in California. Several Board and Council Members attended, alongside members from our federal labs partners, legislative and governmental staff, and current CCST Science Fellows. Front Row: Jim Sweeney, Council Chair (Stanford) Linda Dairiki Shortliffe, Council Member (Stanford) […]
Scientist Profile: Riley Duren
Principal Engineer and Chief Systems Engineer Earth Science Directorate NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory BS, Electrical Engineering, Auburn University Mr. Riley Duren is a NASA veteran of nearly 30 years who works at the intersection of engineering and science to deliver complex systems, including seven space missions spanning earth science and astrophysics. Since 2008, Mr. Duren […]
Scientist Profile: David Chassin, PhD/MASc
Staff Scientist GISMo Laboratory SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory PhD/MASc, Mechanical Engineering, University of Victoria BS, Building Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Dr. David Chassin leads GISMo R&D on modeling, simulation and analysis of power systems. He managed the development of the DOE’s GridLAB-D simulation system, which is widely used to study smart-grid and renewable energy technology […]