Press Releases

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Council on Science and Technology is now accepting applications for the 2018 Class of the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship. Completed applications are due on February 28th, 2017. The CCST Science Fellows program is open to those holding a PhD or equivalent degree in science and engineering, and in social science […]

California is the leading biomedical state in the country, with a biomedical industry that generates more than $100 billion a year. No other state comes close in terms of employment or revenue in this sector. But there are significant costs and obstacles to developing pharmaceutical products for human use, as animal and human trials are costly […]

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones, represent a cutting edge technology whose potential uses offer a wide range of personal and business applications. As with other technologies, California’s taken steps to ensure that it’s at the forefront of both the research and the legal framework for integrating the new technology into society, as well as […]

The University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) are both located in world-renowned hubs of engineering education and high-tech innovation. In many ways, they’re at the cutting edge of their fields. It’s no surprise then that both campuses have invested in facilities that break the mold of traditional engineering education, looking […]

In April this year, CCST released a roadmap to help California Community Colleges grow a network of makerspaces, communal, interdisciplinary spaces which are empowering open-ended learning throughout the nation. This month, CCST brought the conversation home with a series of regional symposia designed to take the information in the report to the next level. “The InnovationMaker3 Symposium Serieswas […]

Federal laboratories are an important part of California’s science and technology capabilities and infrastructure. One of them, Sandia National Laboratory California, hosted the May 26th CCST Council meeting, at which CCST Council members were presented with cutting-edge technology and innovations from Federal researchers. “The Federal labs provide critically important know-how and highly specialized expertise for […]

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (Berkeley Lab) Cyclotron Road program launched just two years ago with a mission: to help move cutting-edge technologies from the lab to market. Now the program has selected its second cohort of innovators, while the first cohort has begun receiving national acclaim. “Our mission is to identify the best and brightest […]

One year ago, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) gave 13 underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to literally shoot for the stars. Earlier this May, these students shared the initial fruits of this new career development program. A $5 million grant from NASA’s Minority University […]

CCST has released a report intended to help inform the growth of a statewide network of makerspaces linked to California Community Colleges as a key partner in developing a workforce for the innovation economy. Promoting Engagement of the California Community Colleges with the Maker Movement is a guide to develop a sustainable network which aligns with the […]

Riverside has been selected as the new site for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) motor vehicle and engine emissions testing and research facility, a decision that will bring a $366 million facility and more than 400 high-tech jobs to Riverside. One of the goals of the facility is to be a National and International […]

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) has been recording underwater video with remotely operated vehicles for over 25 years. Its ever-growing library of underwater footage, which now exceeds 24,000 hours, has long been a tremendous resource for researchers. The challenge, however, has always been to comb through the vast data set for relevant images. […]

When Einstein announced his theory of relativity in 1915, he rewrote rules for space and time which had stood unchanged since the days of Sir Isaac Newton, transforming theoretical physics and astronomy. Over the decades which followed, one aspect of the theory remained unobserved: the existence of gravitational waves. That changed on September 14, 2015, […]

As Board Chair, I’ve been proud to work with fellow Board members to shape a proactive agenda for CCST that addresses critical issues for the State of California. I’m enormously grateful to the many donors who’ve chosen to support our work. Their support sustains our growth enabling CCST to fulfill our core mission such as […]

A seasoned professional in the development and nonprofit community, Pat Callahan has joined the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) as its Major Gifts Officer. Callahan has more than 25 years of experience in fundraising, specializing in major gifts and establishing funding partnerships. She was most recently the Executive Director of the Healthcare Foundation […]

A new year means new beginnings. And for ten highly accomplished scientists and engineers, 2016 will mean a year of public service and leadership training in the California State Legislature. I am thrilled to introduce to everyone the 2016 Class of our CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship! Our latest Fellowship cohort hail from as far away as Chicago […]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s State Legislature is looking for a few good scientists to trade their lab coats for business suits, and swap molecules and equations for committee hearings and bill analyses. That’s the opportunity being offered by the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship, led by the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST). […]

SACRAMENTO – In collaboration with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) today released a peer-reviewed independent scientific assessment that discusses how hydraulic fracturing and acid well stimulation could affect water, atmosphere, seismic activity, wildlife and vegetation, and human health in California. The report also identifies knowledge […]

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is potentially important for advancing California’s energy future and climate goals, but deploying the technique depends in part on resolving regulatory uncertainties, according to the latest paper in CCST’s California’s Energy Future – Policy series. “Almost all solutions developed by the California’s Energy Future project to meet 80% reductions in […]

California must nearly eliminate emissions from electricity to meet ambitious climate goals for 2050, but each of the primary available technologies for generating emission-free technology has problems and any choice will require concerted planning and early strategic investments, according to a new technical paper by the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST). “We should […]

A report from the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) released today envisions a path toward a sustainable water future for California achieved through a system management approach utilizing innovations in science, technology and management. Such an approach would rely on currently available and new science and technology, yielding greater efficiencies and opening new […]

The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) has released the first report in a new series which analyzes how California can effectively construct a policy framework to help the state meet its ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals over the coming years. The California’s Energy Future – Policy (CEF-P) project follows on CCST’s landmark […]