CCST Project

COVID-19 Workstream

Publications

CCST’s COVID-19 Workstream was designed to be responsive. As the Steering Committee and staff convene California policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to understand the challenges faced in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, find their recommendations in ongoing proceedings, white papers, and other publications here.

White Paper | May 2022

California Policy Actions for Pandemic Preparation, Response, and Recovery

Full Report:

Download

COVID-19 Workstream News

Aug 18, 2022

Call for Experts: Designing Privacy Standards to Enable Data Sharing during Public Health Emergencies

Aug 1, 2022

Update (Call Closed): Exploring Alternative Venues for Services Delivery Such as CBOs During a Pandemic Cycle

Jun 23, 2022

CCST Workshop Envisions a More Holistic and Inclusive Public Health System Informed by COVID-19 Response

Mar 10, 2022

CALL CLOSED: CCST Seeks Expert Participants for Workshop on “Reimagining a 21st Century Public Health System”

Our Mission

To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.

Projects

Web Search

Social Media Links

CCST Project

COVID-19 Workstream

Overview

CCST’s COVID-19 Workstream is part of a broad effort to bring California’s Science and Technology expertise to bear on some of the state’s most critical challenges—and advise on how California can emerge from disasters more resilient. Over the last year, CCST staff have convened California policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to understand the challenges faced in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

More recently, CCST has invited a subset of the experts who were part of these early conversations to join the CCST COVID-19 Steering Committee. These 6 experts from across diverse fields including the behavioral, epidemiological, and medical sciences help drive the direction and scope of the COVID-19 Workstream of CCST’s Disaster Resilience Initiative.

Workstream Goals

Produce actionable policy recommendations for supporting pandemic preparedness, response, and recovery
Connect and facilitate discussions between policymakers and science experts who are thinking about California’s approach to public health
Test multiple models for convening experts across a broad range of scientific disciplines—including the social and behavioral sciences—to rapidly generate novel, cross-disciplinary insights.

Steering Committee:

Michael Kleeman
Steering Committee Chair
UC San Diego
Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, MD, PhD
UC Davis
Jesus G. Alvelo Maurosa, PhD
National Science Foundation
Arleen Brown, MD, PhD
UCLA
Richard M. Carpiano, PhD
UC Riverside
Michael Kurilla, MD, PhD
NIH

CCST Staff:

Brie Lindsey, PhD
Project Director
Puneet Bhullar
Project Manager
Rhianna Hohbein, PhD
Project Manager
John Thompson, PhD
Project Consultant
Garbhita Shah
Project Assistant

See Steering Committee Member bios below.

Steering Committee Members

The steering committee oversees the project team, reaches conclusions based on the findings of the project team and writes an executive summary in the case of a study.

Committee Selection and Approval

Selection of appropriate committee members, individually and collectively, is essential for the success of a project team. All committee members serve as individual experts, not as representatives of organizations or interest groups. Each member is expected to contribute to the project on the basis of his or her own expertise and good judgment. A committee is not finally approved until a thorough balance and conflict-of-interest discussion is held, and any issues raised in that discussion are investigated and addressed. Members of a committee will not be publicized until this process is completed.

Careful steps are taken to convene committees that meet the following criteria:

Expertise

The committee must include experts with the specific expertise and experience needed to address the project team's statement of task. A major strength of CCST is the ability to bring together recognized experts from diverse disciplines and backgrounds who might not otherwise collaborate. These diverse groups are encouraged to conceive new ways of thinking about a problem.

Perspectives

Having the right expertise is not sufficient for success. It is also essential to evaluate the overall composition of the committee in terms of different experiences and perspectives. The goal is to ensure that the relevant points of view are, in CCST's judgment, reasonably balanced so that the committee can carry out its charge objectively and credibly.

Screening

All provisional committee members are screened in writing and in a confidential group discussion about possible conflicts of interest. For this purpose, a "conflict of interest" means any financial or other interest which conflicts with the service of the individual because it could significantly impair the individual's objectivity or could create an unfair competitive advantage for any person or organization. The term "conflict of interest" means something more than individual bias. There must be an interest, ordinarily financial, that could be directly affected by the work of the committee. Except for those rare situations in which CCST determines that a conflict of interest is unavoidable and promptly and publicly discloses the conflict of interest, no individual can be appointed to serve (or continue to serve) on a committee used in the development of reports if the individual has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the functions to be performed.

Point of View

A point of view or bias is not necessarily a conflict of interest. Committee members are expected to have points of view, and CCST attempts to balance these points of view in a way deemed appropriate for the task. Committee members are asked to consider respectfully the viewpoints of other members, to reflect their own views rather than be a representative of any organization, and to base their scientific findings and conclusions on the evidence. Each committee member has the right to issue a dissenting opinion to the report if he or she disagrees with the consensus of the other members.

Considerations

Membership in CCST and previous involvement in CCST studies are taken into account in committee selection. The inclusion of women, minorities, and young professionals are additional considerations.

Committee Selection

Specific steps in the committee selection and approval process are as follows:

Step 1: Nominees

Staff solicit an extensive number of suggestions for potential committee members from a wide range of sources, then recommend a slate of nominees. Nominees are reviewed and approved at several levels within CCST.

Step 2: Provisional Committee

A provisional slate is then approved by CCST's Board. The provisional committee members complete background information and conflict-of-interest disclosure forms. The committee balance and conflict-of-interest discussion is held at the first committee meeting. Any conflicts of interest or issues of committee balance and expertise are investigated; changes to the committee are proposed and finalized.

Step 3: Board Approval

CCST's Board formally approves the committee. Committee members continue to be screened for conflict of interest throughout the life of the committee.

Committee Members' Bios

Michael Kleeman

Steering Committee Chair

Senior Fellow

UC San Diego

Michael Kleeman is a senior fellow at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) working with the School of International Relations and its affiliated Institute for Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC), and he is a member of the research faculty at the University of Southern California (USC). In addition, he undertakes selective external consulting efforts with industry and government. His work has historically had a technological focus but in the last ten years he has moved more into the area of private/public partnerships as a means to address societal concerns. These concerns range from environmental and sustainability issues to media (he has worked extensively with public media on critical infrastructure protection, pandemic and disaster preparedness/response). The common thread uniting these is the need for effective engagement of the private sector with support from the public sector to address large-scale issues.

In the last few years, he has worked to compliment his technical and managerial experience with program activities bringing large and diverse constituencies together to explore emerging and transitional issues. He has applied this experience in the areas of disaster preparedness and response with the American Red Cross, pandemic and biological/nuclear threats planning, information sharing across intelligence agencies and working with private, public and academic communities in the area of public media in the 21st century.

His strategy work focuses on bridging specific technologies and their related capabilities and economics with emerging user needs to complex human issues. In the academic environment he serves as the Science and Technology Advisor to the UC Center in Sacramento and the Natural Capital Project at Stanford University. He also serves in other advisory roles to government and industry, including in the areas of ecosystem services and preparedness.

His Board roles include work in the corporate sector with the International Business Leaders Forum/NA and with organizations in the social development world ranging from CGAP to Equal Access and The American Red Cross. He also works with environmental organizations such as The Marine Mammal Center in California.

Formerly a Vice President at The Boston Consulting Group, Director at Arthur D. Little, and a founding executive at Sprint International, Mr. Kleeman has been involved with numerous technology companies in North America as advisor and executive.

Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola MD, PhD

Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine

School of Medicine, UC Davis

Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, MD, PhD, is Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis. He is the Founding Director of the Center for Reducing Health Disparities at UC Davis Health and the Director of the Community Engagement Program of the UCD Clinical Translational Science Center (CTSC). He is a past member of the National Advisory Mental Health Council (NAMHC), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Past Chair of the Board of Directors of Mental Health America. He is a member of the National Advisory Council of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) - Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), and board member of the California Health Care Foundation, Physicians for a Health California, and the Public Health Institute. He was appointed to the California COVID-19 Vaccine Drafting Guidelines Workgroup with the charge of drafting guidelines for the prioritization of supplies of available COVID-19 vaccines. Over the last 25 years, he has held several World Health Organization (WHO) and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) advisory board and consulting appointments and is currently a member of the Executive Committee of WHO’s World Mental Health Survey Consortium (WMH) and its Coordinator for Latin America overseeing population-based national surveys of Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina a regional survey of Brazil, and two surveys of the Medellín, Colombia.

Dr. Aguilar-Gaxiola is the author of over 190 scientific publications. He is the recipient of multiple international, national, state, and local awards, including a distinguished member of the Top 10 U.S. Latino Physicians in the May 2016 issue of Latino Leaders Magazine. More recently, he received the Ohtli Award, the highest honor granted by the Mexican government to individuals who have dedicated their lives to improving the well-being of Mexicans, Mexican Americans and other Latinos in the US and abroad and In September 2020, he received the Ohtli Award, the highest honor granted by the Mexican government to individuals who have dedicated their lives to improving the well-being of Mexicans, Mexican Americans and other Latinos in the US and abroad. On September, he received the 2021 Lifetime Award for the Advancement of Latino Behavioral Health from the National Latino Behavioral Health Association (NLBHA), the 2021 National Award of Excellent in Research by a Senior Investigator from the National Hispanic Science Network. Dr. Aguilar-Gaxiola is currently serving as co-chair of the Steering Committee of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Assessing Meaningful Community Engagement in Health and Health Care.

Jesús G. Alvelo Maurosa PhD

Engineer/Science Analyst

Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation,
Directorate of Engineering, National Science Foundation

Jesús G. Alvelo Maurosa, PhD, is an Engineer/Science Analyst for the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation in the Directorate for Engineering at the National Science Foundation where he provides data and scientific analysis across the division. He also works in various research solicitations such as the Disaster Resilience Research Grants, an initiative with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Navigating the New Arctic, an NSF 10 Big Idea Initiative. Jesús also serves as the division partnership liaison where he supports federal, international, and industrial collaboration within the division. He also worked in the Directorate for Engineering COVID-19 RAPID Proposal Working Group

Prior to his current position, he was an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow (2017-2019) in the division of Engineering Education and Centers where he worked on standardizing and visualizing the Engineering Research and Centers portfolio. Jesús also served as a science advisor for two gubernatorial candidates in Puerto Rico in the 2016 and 2020 elections. Currently, he is a National Academy of Science and Engineering New Voices Fellow. In addition to his policy experience, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering researching how viruses and bacteria spread through sneezes and cough. In 2016, Jesús obtained his Ph.D. in microbiology from University of Massachusetts Amherst where he investigated how bacteria convert non-edible food crops into biofuels. He received his B.S. from Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras in 2008. In 2020 he received the Special Act Award for Coordinating the Data for the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation COVID-19 RAPID proposals, for 2021 the Special Act Award for the development of the Science Analyst Manual and in 2021 he was the recipient of the National Science Foundation Director’s Award for Superior Accomplishment (Group) for exceptional achievement in broadening engagement between indigenous communities and researchers, achieving inclusive and meritorious Arctic science through the Navigating the New Arctic Program.

Arleen Brown MD, PhD

Professor of Medicine

Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research,
UCLA

Arleen Brown, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research (GIM and HSR) at the University of California, Los Angeles. She serves as Chief of GIM and HSR at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center.

Dr. Brown’s research focuses on improving health outcomes, enhancing health care quality, and reducing disparities for adults with chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. She has been a Principal Investigator on studies to improve diabetes care for older adults and minority patients and research to understand clinical, socioeconomic, and health system influences on chronic disease management in under-resourced communities. She is currently a Principal Investigator on several projects, including a study to improve cardiovascular outcomes among persons with a history of trauma who are living with HIV and AIDS, research to reduce disparities in blood pressure control for patients in the Los Angeles County safety net system, and studies to mitigate disparities in COVID-19.

Dr. Brown also co-directs the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and the CTSI’s Community Engagement and Research Program (CERP). In these roles, she works with teams of community and university partners to ensure that community and research priorities align, promote research in community settings, and facilitate the exchange of knowledge and expertise between all stakeholders.

In 2020, Dr. Brown was selected to lead the California site of the national Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID Disparities. The statewide Share, Trust, Organize, Partner: the COVID-19 California Alliance (STOP COVID-19 CA) effort includes 11 universities and their networks of community partners. In this role, she is working to ensure the integrity of COVID-19 clinical trial studies and standards for protection of voluntary participants while enhancing diversity and inclusive participation in COVID-19 vaccine, prevention, and therapeutic studies. Dr. Brown also co-leads the state of California Get Out the Vaccine (GOTV) campaign, which uses canvassing, telephone calls, and texting to promote vaccine registration in Los Angeles County and the Central Valley.

Richard M. Carpiano PhD

Professor of Public Policy and Sociology

UC Riverside

Richard M. Carpiano, PhD, is Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside.

Carpiano is a public and population health scientist and medical sociologist who studies how social factors, such as socioeconomic status, race-ethnicity, social connections, and community conditions, contribute to the physical and mental health of adults and children. His research focuses on an extensive range of health issues and populations, spanning the life course and US and international contexts. Some of his current and past projects examine social determinants of child undernutrition, childhood asthma, early child development, HPV vaccination, smoking and alcohol use among adults, women's health-related behaviors, substance use and sexual risk among gay men, suicide ideation among immigrants, and life expectancy/mortality risk among high status individuals.

The most recent arm of Carpiano’s research program investigates social, behavioral, attitudinal, and policy factors underlying vaccination uptake and coverage (and refusal or delay) in the US, Canada, and Denmark. As part of this work, Carpiano presently serves as a member of the Lancet's Commission on Vaccine Refusal, Acceptance, and Demand in the United States.

Dr. Carpiano's solo- and co-authored publications have appeared in forums such as the American Journal of Public Health, American Sociological Review, Health & Place, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Social Science & Medicine, and Sociology of Health & Illness. He is a former editor (with Brian Kelly of Purdue University) of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, the leading journal for medical sociology scholarship, and serves as an elected board member of the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science.

In addition to his academic research and teaching and mentoring activities, Carpiano believes strongly in the importance of public outreach to help inform non-academic audiences regarding research findings and pressing public issues. As such, he engages extensively with national and international news media (print, radio, television, podcasts) on a wide range of public health and sociological topics. Most recently, he has provided commentary on a variety of issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including health disparities in cases and deaths, anti-COVID-19 activism and misinformation, public communication, uptake of vaccines (including potential barriers), sociological impacts, and response policies.

Carpiano received his Ph.D. (2004) and M.Phil. (2003) in Sociomedical Sciences (with concentration in Sociology) from Columbia University, his M.P.H. (2001) from Case Western Reserve University, and M.A. (1998) and B.A. (1997) in Sociology from Baylor University. From 2004-2006, he was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to arriving at UCR, he was a faculty member at the University of British Columbia (2006-2017).

Michael Kurilla MD, PhD

Director of Clinical Innovation

National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

Michael Kurilla MD, PhD is the director of the Division of Clinical Innovation at NCATS. In this capacity, he oversees the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program, which supports innovative solutions to advance the efficiency, quality and impact of translational science, with the ultimate goal of getting more treatments to more patients more quickly. Prior to joining NCATS, Kurilla served as the director of the Office of Biodefense Research Resources and Translational Research within the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), where he focused on translational efforts toward infectious disease product development, including vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics, with emphasis on biodefense and emerging infectious disease threats. Prior to joining NIAID in 2003, Kurilla was an associate director for infectious diseases at Wyeth. He also worked in antimicrobials at DuPont and on clinical microbiology and molecular pathology at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center.

Kurilla received his M.D. and his Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from Duke University. He was a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School and completed a residency in pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He received a B.S. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology.

Meetings

Workshop — Reimagining a 21st Century Public Health System

June 14 and 17, 2022

CCST's workshop where we will synthesize some of the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and collectively build a vision for a 21st Century Public Health System.

Who do we now understand should be considered part of the public health system?
What capabilities do we want to build into this system to ensure that we are more resilient during the next pandemic?

Learn More

Our Mission

To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.

Projects

Web Search

Social Media Links

CCST Project

COVID-19 Workstream

Overview

COVID-19 Workstream News

Jun 23, 2022

CCST Workshop Envisions a More Holistic and Inclusive Public Health System Informed by COVID-19 Response

Calls for Expertise

Aug 18, 2022

Call for Experts: Designing Privacy Standards to Enable Data Sharing during Public Health Emergencies

Nominate

Aug 1, 2022

Update (Call Closed): Exploring Alternative Venues for Services Delivery Such as CBOs During a Pandemic Cycle

Nominate

Mar 10, 2022

CALL CLOSED: CCST Seeks Expert Participants for Workshop on “Reimagining a 21st Century Public Health System”

Nominate

Our Mission

To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.

Projects

Web Search

Social Media Links

CCST Project

Linking Forest Health, Wildfire Smoke, and Public Health

Process

CCST studies follow a process modeled after the National Academies study process with checks and balances at each stage. The report is a collaborative effort by a large number of experts serving in various capacities.

Learn More

Study Team

CCST and Blue Forest Conservation have received funding from the National Forest Foundation, US Endowment for Forestry and Communities, and USFS’s Innovative Finance for National Forests (IFNF) grant program to produce a peer-reviewed report on the connections between forest health and public health. CCST and Blue Forest Conservation staff will research and write the body of the report, with guidance from an expert Steering Committee.

Steering Committee

Jennifer Montgomery
Steering Committee Chair
Private Industry
County and State Governance
Adam Kochanski, PhD
San José State University
Heidi Huber-Stearns, PhD
University of Oregon
Joshua Graff Zivin, PhD
UC San Diego
Jun Wu, PhD
UC Irvine
Ryan Tompkins
UC Cooperative Extension

Authors

Teresa Feo, PhD
Lead Project Manager and Author
CCST
Kim Seipp, PhD
Project Manager and Author
Blue Forest Conservation

See Steering Committee member and Author bios below.

Steering Committee Members

CCST study steering committees oversee the report authors, reach conclusions based on the findings of the authors and draft an executive summary.

Committee Selection and Approval

Selection of appropriate committee members, individually and collectively, is essential for the success of a study. All committee members serve as individual experts, not as representatives of organizations or interest groups. Each member is expected to contribute to the project on the basis of his or her own expertise and good judgment. A committee is not finally approved until a thorough balance and conflict-of-interest discussion is held, and any issues raised in that discussion are investigated and addressed. Members of a committee are anonymous until this process is completed.

Careful steps are taken to convene committees that meet the following criteria:

Expertise

The committee must include experts with the speciﬁc expertise and experience needed to address the study's statement of task. A major strength of CCST is the ability to bring together recognized experts from diverse disciplines and backgrounds who might not otherwise collaborate. These diverse groups are encouraged to conceive new ways of thinking about a problem.

Perspectives

Having content expertise is not sufﬁcient for success. It is also essential to evaluate the overall composition of the SC in terms of different experiences and perspectives. The goal is to ensure that the relevant points of view are, in CCST’s and the Program Committee’s judgment, reasonably balanced so that the SC can carry out its charge objectively and credibly.

Screening

All provisional SC members are screened in writing and in a conﬁdential group discussion about possible conﬂicts of interest. For this purpose, a "conﬂict of interest" means any ﬁnancial or other interest which conﬂicts with the individual’s service because it could signiﬁcantly impair the individual's objectivity or could create an unfair competitive advantage for any person or organization. The term "conﬂict of interest" is beyond individual bias. There must be an interest, ordinarily ﬁnancial, that could influence the work of the SC or that could be directly affected by the work of the SC, for an individual to be disqualified from serving. Except for a rare situation in which CCST and the Program Committee determine that a conﬂict of interest is unavoidable and promptly and publicly disclose the conﬂict of interest, no individual will be appointed to serve (or continue to serve) on a SC used in the development of studies while having a conﬂict of interest relevant to the required functions.

SC members and authors continue to be screened for conﬂict of interest at regular intervals throughout the life of the committee. (In addition to the SC and Authors, co-authors, peer reviewers and CCST staff working on each project are also screened for COI).

Point of View

A point of view or bias is not necessarily a conﬂict of interest. SC members are expected to have points of view, and CCST attempts to balance these points of view in a way deemed appropriate for the task. SC members are asked to consider respectfully the viewpoints of other members, to reﬂect their own views rather than be a representative of any organization, and to base their scientiﬁc ﬁndings and conclusions on the evidence. Each SC member has the right to issue a dissenting opinion to the study if he or she disagrees with the consensus of the other members. COIs are updated throughout the study process to capture any new or updated information and to ensure a continued lack of conflicts.

Considerations

Membership in CCST is taken into account in SC selection. The inclusion of women, minorities, and young professionals are additional considerations.

Committee Selection

Specific steps in the committee selection and approval process are as follows:

Step 1: Nominees

Step 2: Provisional Committee

A provisional slate is then approved by the Program Committee of CCST's Board. The provisional committee members complete background information and conflict-of-interest disclosure forms. The committee balance and conflict-of-interest discussion is held at the first committee meeting. Any conflicts of interest or issues of committee balance and expertise are investigated; changes to the committee are proposed and finalized.

Step 3: Board Approval

The Program Committee of CCST's Board formally approves the committee. Committee members continue to be screened for conflict of interest throughout the life of the committee.

Committee Members' Bios

Jennifer Montgomery Chair

Steering Committee Chair

Retired

Private Industry, County and State Governance

Jennifer Montgomery is retired from private industry, County and State Governance. She has experience in sales, government operations, as an elected official and as an appointee focusing on forest health and fire reduction management. She previously served as Director of the Governor’s Forest Management Task Force from Apr 2019 - Jul 2020. Prior to that she was a Placer County Supervisor for more than 10 years.

Adam Kochanski PhD

Assistant Professor

San José State University

Dr. Adam Kochanski is an assistant professor working at the San José State University as part of the Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center. He received his M.Eng in Chemical Engineering and MBA from Technical University of Lodz (Poland) and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Nevada, Reno. His main research interests include fire-atmosphere interactions including air quality impacts of wildland fires. He is a modeler with extensive experience in running numerical simulations of fire, smoke, and regional climate on high-performance computing platforms. He is a co-developer of the coupled fire-atmosphere model WRF-SFIRE, the integrated fire and air quality system WRF-SFIRE-CHEM, as well as the fire forecasting system WRFX. He is one the modeling leads for the Fire and Smoke Model Evaluation Experiment (FASMEE), a member of the Rocky Mountain Center for Fire-Weather Intelligence (RMC) steering committee and an author of over 30 scientific publications.

Heidi Huber-Stearns PhD

Assistant Research Professor

University of Oregon

Heidi Huber-Stearns is a Visiting Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Michigan in the School for Environment and Sustainability, focused on engaged research for the Western Forest and Fire Initiative. She is also an Associate Research Professor and Director of the Ecosystem Workforce Program, in the Institute for Resilient Organizations, Communities, and Environment at the University of Oregon. Heidi is an interdisciplinary social scientist, with expertise in environmental governance and linking science to action through strategic and diverse partnerships. Her work focuses on organizations and boundary spanning to address wildfire risks and watershed vulnerabilities in at-risk communities, particularly in the western United States.

Joshua Graff Zivin PhD

Pacific Economic Cooperation Chair in International Economic Relations

University of California, San Diego

Graff Zivin is an economist whose broad research interests include the environment, health, development, and innovation economics. He has published numerous articles on a wide range of topics in top economic, policy and science journals. Much of his current work is focused on three distinct areas of research: the relationship between the environment, health and human capital, the economics of innovation and productivity, and the design of health interventions and their economic impacts.

Professor Graff Zivin received both his Ph.D. and M.S. from UC Berkeley and a B.A. from Rutgers University. Prior to joining UC San Diego in 2008, he spent 11 years on the faculty at Columbia University, where he served as professor of economics in the Mailman School of Public Health and the School of International and Public Affairs and directed the Ph.D. Program in Sustainable Development. From 2004-05, Graff Zivin served as Senior Economist for Health and the Environment on the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

Jun Wu PhD

Professor and Graduate Director of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health

University of California, Irvine

Dr. Jun Wu is Professor and Graduate Director of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the Program in Public Health at UC-Irvine. She received her Bachelor of Engineering degree in Environmental Engineering from Tsinghua University, China in 1997, M.S. degree in Environmental Engineering from Penn State University in 2000, and Ph.D. degree in Environmental Health from University of California, Los Angeles in 2004.

Dr. Wu's interests focus on population-based research of environmental exposure assessment, environmental epidemiology, and environmental health disparity. She has extensive experience and knowledge in examining the influences of various environmental exposures (e.g. air pollution, climate, and built environment such as green space, neighborhood resources, walkability) on reproductive outcomes (e.g. maternal and fetal health), children's health, and other health endpoints. She also has strong interest in research on environmental justice and environmental health disparity, particularly working in partner with communities.

Ryan Tompkins

Forest and Natural Resources Advisor for Plumas, Sierra, and Lassen counties

University of California Cooperative Extension

Ryan Tompkins is the UC Cooperative Extension Forest and Natural Resources Advisor for Plumas, Sierra, and Lassen counties and is a California Registered Professional Forester (No. 3108). His research interests include forest & fire ecology and management in the Sierra Nevada, silviculture for ecological restoration, and post-fire reforestation. His 18 year federal career included working as a forester and certified silviculturist with the USDA Forest Service and working in the Fire Effects program at the National Park Service. When he's not thinking about forested landscapes, he might be helping firewise communities or just enjoying a quiet moment in the Sierra Nevada backcountry.

Author Bios

Teresa Feo PhD

Senior Science Officer

California Council on Science and Technology (CCST)

Teresa Feo, Ph.D is a Senior Science Officer at the California Council of Science and Technology (CCST), where she contributes to the delivery of CCST’s science services, including peer-reviewed reports and expert briefings, and to CCST’s work engaging the philanthropic community. Teresa is committed to forming connections between scientists and policymakers on a wide range of issues impacting the state of California. Prior to joining CCST, Teresa was a CCST Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the California State Senate Office of Research where she provided research and analysis on a broad range of policy topics including natural resources, environmental quality, health, veterans’ affairs, and professional licensing boards.

Teresa received her Ph.D in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Yale University and her BA in Integrative Biology from UC Berkeley. Her scientific research explores the natural history and functional morphology of birds including how birds use their feathers to fly, make sounds, and make colors. After completing her dissertation, Teresa was an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). Teresa is currently a Research Associate with the Bird Division at the NMNH and continues to publish scientific research on birds in her spare time.

Kim Quesnel Seipp PhD

Washington State Program Director and Conservation Finance Research Director

Blue Forest Conservation

Kim Quesnel Seipp, PhD is the Washington State Program Director and Conservation Finance Research Director at Blue Forest. As a program director, she leads conservation finance efforts across Washington including the development of Forest Resilience Bond projects, opportunities to deploy projects in new ecosystems, and strategic growth and long-term planning. She also leads Blue Forest’s conservation finance research program and community building while providing scientific support to projects and developing science communication tools.

Kim received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, an M.S. in Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, both from Stanford University. Having grown up in Truckee in the Sierra Nevada mountains, Kim loves spending time outdoors. She is an avid mountain biker and spends as many weekends as she can skiing, camping, and traveling to new places.

Peer Review

The process of peer review is the cornerstone of the research evaluation process in the physical sciences, life sciences and engineering.

All CCST reports are peer reviewed using guidelines and processes established by CCST to assure the highest scientific and technical standards. Guidelines are similar to those of the National Academy of Sciences, adapted to be appropriate for California.

Learn More

Our Mission

To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.

Projects

Web Search

Social Media Links

CCST Project

Linking Forest Health, Wildfire Smoke, and Public Health

Overview

The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) and Blue Forest Conservation have received funding from the National Forest Foundation, US Endowment for Forestry and Communities, and USFS’s Innovative Finance for National Forests (IFNF) grant program to produce a peer-reviewed report on the connections between forest health and public health.

Public health impacts of wildfire smoke are a severely under-represented and under-quantified impact of recent catastrophic wildfires. The economic impacts of wildfire smoke to public and private health systems cost billions of dollars and disproportionately impact disadvantaged communities. This study aims to explicitly make the connection between forest management, wildfire smoke, and stakeholders that pay high healthcare costs, to identify potential motivations for investment in activities that reduce wildfire risk.

Photo of the LA skyline in Dec 2020, hazy from the Bond and Silverado fires in Orange County by hay s Unsplash

Nominate an Expert

This project is in partnership with Blue Forest Conservation, made possible by an Innovative Finance for National Forests (IFNF) grant.

Details

The report will include a literature review of existing tools for tracking and forecasting the connections between the restoration of forests and other fire-influenced ecosystems (e.g. chaparral, oak woodlands), smoke produced by wildfires (including uncontrolled, prescribed, managed, and cultural wildland fires), and the public health impacts due to population exposure to wildfire smoke.

Additionally, the report will engage public and private healthcare stakeholders to identify key information needed to motivate their inclusion of wildfire smoke-related health impacts in their fiscal forecasts, and potentially prompt their financial participation in forest restoration as a means of mitigating the healthcare costs of wildfire smoke. The report will identify gaps between current knowledge and the needs of healthcare stakeholders and make recommendations for new research, tools, and resources to address these knowledge gaps.

Questions likely to be addressed in this study include, but are not limited to:

1. What are the existing methods, metrics, and tools for tracking the health impacts of population exposure to wildfire smoke?

2. What are the existing methods, metrics, and tools for tracking or forecasting wildfire smoke based on the condition of forests and other fire-influenced ecosystems?

3. What are the motivations and information needed for healthcare stakeholders to incorporate smoke-related health impacts in their planning and fiscal forecasts?

4. What are the gaps in existing tools, resources, and knowledge to be able to connect investments in forest health with savings in healthcare costs?

CCST seeks nominations of individuals (including self-nominations) with expertise relevant to the following topics to serve in various roles in support of this study, such as steering committee members, authors, report monitors, peer reviewers, and subject matter experts:

Management practices for restoring the health of forests and other fire-influenced ecosystems
Linkages between forest restoration, including fuel reduction treatments, and changes in wildfire behavior
Linkages between wildfire behavior and wildfire smoke
Wildfire smoke transport, tracking, and forecasting methods, models, and data
Methods and tools for tracking population exposure to wildfire smoke
Public health interventions to reduce exposure to wildfire smoke
Health impacts of exposure to wildfire smoke
Costs of wildfire smoke health impacts
Frameworks for systematic monitoring of public health impacts
The healthcare industry and risk modeling

CCST Project

SB 1281 - Oil and Gas Water Cycle Reporting

Publications

An Assessment of Oil and Gas Water Cycle Reporting in California

Related Publications

Jul 9, 2015

An Independent Scientific Assessment of Well Stimulation in California, Vol. 3 (SB4)

The California Natural Resources Agency commissioned CCST to conduct an independent scientific assessment of well stimulation treatments, including hydraulic fracturing, in California. Part 3 of the report.

Jul 9, 2015

An Independent Scientific Assessment of Well Stimulation in California, Vol. 2 (SB4)

Jan 14, 2015

An Independent Scientific Assessment of Well Stimulation in California, Vol. 1 (SB4)

The California Natural Resources Agency commissioned CCST to conduct an independent scientific assessment of well stimulation treatments, including hydraulic fracturing, in California.

Aug 28, 2014

Advanced Well Stimulation Technologies in California (BLM)

At the request of the United States BLM, CCST conducted an independent scientific review of oil and gas well stimulation technologies in California.

Our Mission

To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.

Projects

Web Search

Social Media Links

Executive Summary

Download

Cover Letter

Download

One Pager

Download

Phase I Report

Download

2021 Impact Report

California's Federal Labs & Research Centers

Federal Labs Quick Reference

CCST can assist California Legislative and Executive offices in navigating federal research resources in the State of California.

For assistance, please contact:

Sarah Brady, PhD
CCST Deputy Director
[email protected]
(916)492-0996

Name	Title	Federal Lab	Email	Website
Lisa Lockyer	Government Affairs	NASA Ames Research Center	[email protected]	www.nasa.gov/ames
Matt Buffington	Public Affairs	NASA Ames Research Center	[email protected]	www.nasa.gov/ames
Patty Rhee	Government Affairs	NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory	[email protected]	www.jpl.nasa.gov
Jim Hawley	State and External Relations	Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory	[email protected]	www.lbl.gov
Dan Krotz	Strategic Communications	Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory	[email protected]	www.lbl.gov
Scott F. Wilson	State Government Liaison	Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory	[email protected]	www.llnl.gov
Lynda Seaver	Director of Public Affairs	Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory	[email protected]	www.llnl.gov
Patrick Sullivan	Government Relations	Sandia National Laboratories/California	[email protected]	www.sandia.gov
Michael Padilla	Media Relations	Sandia National Laboratories/California	[email protected]	www.sandia.gov
Erika Bustamante, PhD	State Government Relations	SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory	[email protected]	www.slac.stanford.edu
Melinda Lee	Communications	SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory	[email protected]	www.slac.stanford.edu

Our Mission

To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.

Projects

Web Search

Social Media Links

2021 Impact Report

California's Federal Labs & Research Centers

CALIFORNIA’s FEDERAL LABS: 2020 IMPACT REPORT

Six federal laboratories and science centers have formal partnerships with CCST. The following reports offer a glimpse of the resources and expertise that each lab can offer to California’s decision makers, including examples of ongoing collaborations with universities, businesses, and agencies, and where federal research has been successfully translated into policy advice or industry solutions.

NASA

• NASA Ames Research Center
• NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

DOE

• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• Sandia National Laboratories/California
• SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Economic Impacts

Federal Budget

$0

Billion

Payroll

$0

Billion

More than

0

Employees

More than

0

PhD Scientists & Engineers

Procured over

$0

Billion to CA Businesses

Procured over

$0

Million to Small Businesses

California's Federal Laboratories

Add a header to begin generating the table of contents

NASA Ames Research Center

www.nasa.gov/ames

Moffett Field, Santa Clara County (AD-24, SD-13)

Eugene L. Tu, PhD, Center Director

Lisa Lockyer, Government Affairs [email protected]

Matt Buffington, Public Affairs [email protected]

NASA’S PORTAL TO SILICON VALLEY

NASA Ames Research Center (NASA Ames) was established in 1939 as the second laboratory of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and named for the chair of NACA, Joseph S. Ames. With the formation of NASA in 1958 the Laboratory was renamed the NASA Ames Research Center. It was located at Moffett Field in Sunnyvale, California, now the heart of Silicon Valley. Originally, NASA Ames research focused on construction of increasingly sophisticated wind tunnels, research aircraft, and methods of theoretical aerodynamics. Today NASA Ames is a leader in nanotechnology, information technology, fundamental space biology, biotechnology, thermal protection systems, and human factors research. NASA Ames serves as an active portal bringing together specialized NASA R&D along with a research cluster of affiliated high-tech companies, universities and other federal laboratories to advance both NASA’s mission and the American economy.

By the Numbers

Number of

0

Employees

Annual Budget

$0

Billion (2017)

Annual Payroll

$0

Million (2017)

Procured

$0

Million to CA Businesses (2017)

Contracts

$0

Million to Small Businesses (2017)

Spin-off

0

Companies (Since 1997)

Impact to the Region and State

NASA Ames provides expertise to California through a highly talented cadre of scientists and engineers experienced in leveraging their unique capabilities with renowned research universities, social entrepreneurs, and top business executives. The Ames presence in Silicon Valley offers California easy access to NASA technologies, facilities, and expertise. NASA Ames and its partners provide California with the opportunity to quickly gain access to a wide range of potential solutions to challenging regional concerns.

NASA Ames generates quantifiable financial benefits in California as a result of its activities. Operating activities at NASA Ames provides the state with $1.65 billion in annual economic benefits and supports approximately 9,400 permanent jobs.

The NASA Small Business Innovation Research/ Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs provided more than $40 million in Phase I and Phase II awards to California firms, resulting in an estimated economic impact of more than $83 million and 378 jobs in 2015.

Resources and Expertise for California Governance

NASA Ames’ service to both the state and region includes:

1. Being a trusted source of subject matter experts.
2. Unique aerospace and earth science technologies.
3. Advanced modeling and simulation capabilities.
4. Facilities testing and intellectual property for supporting collaborations leading to regional economic development.

Ames develops groundbreaking technologies for NASA missions, while seeking to promote collaboration with U.S. industry. Many NASA- developed technologies and discoveries have practical applications and significant future commercial value through the creation of new industries, products, services, and jobs (e.g., small inexpensive satellites).

NASA Ames is deeply committed to collaborations, both public and private. Ames has partnered with the California Department of Water Resources, the California Department of Parks, the California Natural Resources Agency, and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. Such collaborations offer breakthroughs each year for the benefit of the American public. As such, NASA Ames continues to expand partnerships that can leverage taxpayer-funded NASA research and technology for the benefit of the State of California and the country.

Success Story: Setting Aircraft Efficiency Standards

While most people equate NASA with space exploration, the agency helps set standards across the general aviation industry and influences how Americans fly every day. Empirical Systems Aerospace, Inc. of San Luis Obispo, California, received SBIR awards to increase efficiency in commercial aircrafts, resulting in lower fuel costs and fewer harmful emissions. The work has led to follow-on NASA contracts, subcontracts with the Department of Defense, and increased collaboration with many of the nation’s top companies.

Recent Headlines

“How NASA Ames Is Helping the FAA Brace for the Rise of Delivery Drones” – KQED, July 8, 2019

“Astronauts on the moon and Mars may grow their homes there out of mushrooms, says NASA” – CNN, January 17, 2020

“Looking for Another Earth? Here Are 300 Million, Maybe” – New York Times, November 5, 2020

Legislators Say...

“NASA Ames is a vital source of innovation in the Silicon Valley region. The scientific breakthroughs developed there are a great boon to all Californians.” — Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto)

“Thanks to the ingenuity of NASA Ames’ research and development, the technology pioneered for exploration of space also has important applications in meeting the challenges we face on Earth. From COVID to climate change, and water treatment to disaster response, NASA Ames offers solutions that can help us battle the emergencies that confront us today and aid us in building resilience for our future.” — Senator Josh Becker (D-San Mateo)

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

www.jpl.nasa.gov

Pasadena/La Cañada Flintridge, Los Angeles County (AD-43, SD-25)

Michael Watkins, PhD, Director

Patty Rhee, Government Affairs [email protected]

FROM DEFENSE TO DISCOVERY

NASA JPL’s roots date to the 1930s, when students at Caltech — collectively known as the “Suicide Squad” — gathered to test rocket engines near Pasadena, California.

During the 1940s and 1950s, JPL grew as it developed rockets and other technologies for the U.S. Army. JPL designed, built, and operated America’s first satellite, Explorer 1, launched in 1958. Explorer 1 also delivered the first science finding from space — the discovery of Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts. Later that year, Congress established NASA, and JPL was transferred to the space agency. Since then, NASA JPL has sent robotic spacecraft to all of the planets in the Solar System, and is responsible for all four rovers that have explored the surface of Mars. In addition, NASA JPL conducts significant programs in earth sciences, spacebased astronomy, and technology research and development.

By the Numbers

Number of

0

Employees

PhD

0

Scientists & Engineers

Annual Budget

$0

Billion (2017)

Procured

$0

Million to CA Businesses (2017)

Contracts

$0

Million to Small Businesses (2017)

No. of

0

Patents Registered (Since 2007)

Impact to the Region and State

Home to Mars rovers, space telescopes and an array of Earth-orbiting satellites, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is one of NASA’s premier research facilities. Beginning in the 1960s, NASA JPL made news as it created America’s first satellite and sent the first robotic spacecraft to the planets. As of 2017, NASA JPL is responsible for 19 spacecraft and 10 major instruments carrying out active missions. In addition, NASA JPL developed and manages NASA’s Deep Space Network, a worldwide system of antennas that communicate with interplanetary spacecraft.

As a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), NASA JPL is staffed and managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This unique relationship creates an intellectual infusion with a university campus whose faculty and alumni have garnered 31 Nobel Prizes, 53 National Medals of Science, and 12 National Medals of Technology. This Caltech-JPL synergy is boosted by cooperative initiatives, dedicated research seed funding, and joint-faculty appointments. Furthermore NASA JPL’s research is conducted in 1,138 laboratory or technical rooms in 76 buildings on the main campus and extends into space with 29 currently active missions.

Resources and Expertise for California Governance

NASA JPL’s expertise is of particular potential benefit to California in two broad areas: 1) regional decision support systems based on Earth observations and models, and 2) advanced technology and earth science.

Resources include airborne and spaceborne instruments that remotely:

1. Measure ground subsidence due to aquifer discharge and recharge or natural events.
2. Provide multi-decade observations of sea level rise.
3. Measure changes in coastal regions due to erosion and changes in plant health.
4. Detect and help quantify greenhouse gas emissions and characterize ozone sources.
5. Quantify with high accuracy water stored as snow.
6. Assess the health of forest ecosystems for post- fire land management restoration decisions.
7. Detect changes and threats to critical infrastructure such as the Bay-Delta levees.
8. Provide information on damage extent for emergency response teams following natural disasters.

NASA JPL is advancing technology in the areas of energy systems, robotics, miniaturized sensors, artificial intelligence, autonomy and remote sensing. These advances in natural hazards, climate change and ecosystems science will offer deep insights for California policymakers.

Recent Headlines

Governor Newsom State of the State at Dodgers Stadium with a JPL background. — Governor Newsom congratulates NASA JPL’s Mars 2020 Perseverance team on their successful landing in his 2021 “State of the State” address.

“NASA’s Perseverance rover makes safe landing on Mars” – Los Angeles Times, February 18, 2021

Legislators Say...

“The dedicated scientists at NASA/ JPL are continuously pushing the boundaries of human discovery, from a mission to Mars to new insights into how Earth’s lands, oceans, and climate are evolving. The discoveries and technologies made there improve the lives of all Californians and make us more resilient when confronting natural disasters and climate change. And, how about the amazing Perseverance and its helicopter!” — Senator Anthony Portantino (D-La Canada Flintridge)

“In meeting the challenges of robotic space exploration, JPL brings new knowledge to California that keeps our state a world leader in science and technology. JPL’s research and talented workforce are an asset to the 43rd Assembly District and greatly enhance our economic vitality.”— Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale)

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

www.lbl.gov

Berkeley, Alameda County (AD-15, SD-09)

Michael Witherell, PhD, Director

Jim Hawley, State and External Relations [email protected]

Dan Krotz, Strategic Communications [email protected]

A BEACON OVER BERKELEY

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) was founded in 1931 by Ernest Orlando Lawrence. Considered the father of multidisciplinary team science, Lawrence was a University of California (UC) Berkeley physicist who won the 1939 Nobel Prize in physics for his invention of the cyclotron, a circular particle accelerator that opened the door to high-energy physics and the foundation of today’s Nobel Prize- winning accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider.

Today, Berkeley Lab is managed and operated by UC Berkeley for the Department of Energy (DOE). Berkeley Lab’s close relationship with UC Berkeley brings the intellectual capital of the university’s faculty, postdocs and students to bear on the nation’s great scientific questions, a partnership that underpins the lab’s extraordinary scientific productivity.

By the Numbers

Number of

0

Employees

PhD

0

Scientists & Engineers

Students

0

& Postdocs

Annual Budget

$0

Billion

Annual Payroll

$0

Million

Procured

$0

Million to CA Businesses

Contracts

$0

Million to Small Businesses (2017)

No. of

0

Patents Issued (Last 10 Years)

0

Licenses (Last 10 Years)

No. of

0

Startups Based on Tech

Impact to the Region and State

At the forefront of science, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is committed to nonclassified research. Berkeley Lab scientists search for cleaner, more reliable sources of energy while making innovations in energy efficiency, green building design, and electric grid modernization. They study the Earth to understand why the climate is changing and how that impacts sectors such as agriculture.

The Berkeley Lab also designs, builds, and houses some of the world’s most powerful microscopes, x-ray beams, and supercomputers. Berkeley Lab researchers aim to coax more power from solar cells, build better batteries, and develop clean biofuels for the future. They study questions as awe-inspiring as the formation of the universe, as relevant as water production and desalination, and as important as cybersecurity. They also can provide expertise on oil and gas geosciences, genetic analysis, and chemical and materials sciences.

The Berkeley Lab partners with a number of California agencies — including the California Energy Commission, the California Geologic Energy Management Division, the Department of Water Resources, California Public Utilities Commission, and the California Air Resources Board — to support our state’s ambitious clean energy and environmental goals.

Resources and Expertise for California Governance

Berkeley Lab houses many “user facilities” — state-of-the art lasers, instruments, and computers available for industry and university use. In 2016, more than 11,700 researchers (40 percent from California research institutions) accessed these facilities, representing nearly one third of the total for all DOE user facility traffic nationwide. Work conducted at Berkeley Lab user facilities has led to the development of better medicines, new materials, and more efficient solar cells and batteries.

Notable user facilities at the Berkeley Lab include:

1. The Advanced Light Source produces extremely bright x-ray beams for examining the atomic and electronic structure of materials. Applications range from environmental, material science, and biology.

2. Molecular Foundry is the DOE’s largest nanoscience center, allowing researchers to engineer new materials from fuel cell components to proteins.

3. National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) is the world’s sixth most powerful supercomputer.

4. Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) provides reliable, high-bandwidth connections that link scientists at federal labs, universities, and other institutions.

Too numerous to detail, other notable user facilities include the FLEXLAB, the Joint Genome Institute, the Advanced Biofuels Process Demonstration Unit, and other assets available to government, university, and corporate users.

Recent Headlines

“The Superpowers of Super-thin Materials” – The New York Times, January 7, 2020

“Kill Your Gas Stove” – The Atlantic, October 15, 2020

“Schools (and Children) Need a Fresh Air Fix” – Wired, October 14, 2020

Legislators Say...

Berkeley Lab is home to world- renowned scientific leaders. These brilliant minds are crafting the technology we need — today and tomorrow — to advance our lives, protect our planet, and enhance our economy. Berkeley Lab researchers are on the cutting edge of technological transformation, for California and the world.” — Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley)

“Berkeley Lab is a world leading scientific institution. Its facilities are used by researchers across the state. Its scientists are helping lead the way on new technologies and innovations to tackle big challenges—from climate change, to energy storage and clean water, creating jobs for our state.” — Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland)

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

www.llnl.gov

Livermore, Alameda County (AD-16, SD-07)

Kim Budil, PhD, Director

Scott F. Wilson, State Government Liaison [email protected]

Lynda Seaver, Public Affairs [email protected]

SCIENCE AND SECURITY IN THE ATOMIC AGE

Our founders created Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in 1952 as a “new ideas” lab, a place where innovative science and technical solutions to the nation’s most difficult security challenges and human progress are created. We continue this tradition, living our motto, “Science and Technology on a Mission,” by pushing the frontiers of what is or might be scientifically and technically possible.

Team science is a hallmark of LLNL. Effective team science is enabled through a healthy research culture of respect, openness, workforce diversity and interdisciplinary collaboration. Mission delivery requires talented and committed staff, state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, and robust partnerships with colleagues at other national laboratories, and in government, universities and industry. These factors have been essential to the LLNL’s many achievements, and continue to be indispensable for the Laboratory’s vital missions and the advancement of science and technology.

By the Numbers

No. of

0

Employees

PhD

0

Scientists and Engineers

No. of

0

Post-docs

University

0

Level Students

Annual Budget

$0

Billion

Annual Payroll

$0

Billion

Procured

$0

Million to CA Businesses

Active

0

Commercial Licenses

Impact to the Region and State

LLNL has a robust technology transfer program built on successful, mutually beneficial relationships with private industry. Access to Laboratory technologies, capabilities and intellectual property enables our industry partners to accelerate commercialization of technologies and products that strengthen regional and U.S. competitiveness and innovation. In return, research and development partnerships with industry enable LLNL to develop and sustain capabilities that support its national security mission.

LLNL has deep and longstanding relationships with leading academic institutions, notably the University of California, which serve as research partners and workforce pipelines for many of its most sought-after positions. We in turn seek to inspire the next generation of researchers by providing opportunities for teachers and students to develop new skills and gain experience by participating in our various education and internship programs

Resources and Expertise for California Governance

Our strong science and technology foundation developed for national security missions is applicable to solving many of the challenges we face in California. A sampling of these research areas are listed below, and additional competencies can be found here.

1. Energy Security and Climate Resilience - Secure and expand the supply and delivery of affordable, clean energy with technologies resilient to evolving natural and adversarial risks.

2. Advanced Materials and Manufacturing - With a key focus on additive manufacturing, which is transforming manufacturing by producing novel materials with new structural, thermal, electrical, chemical, and photonic properties with an added goal of revolutionizing the design-build-test cycle. Examples include high-performance optics, biocompatible devices, advanced battery components, and radiation detection materials.

3. High Performance Computing for Manufacturing/Innovation/Energy (HPC4Mfg) Program - Unites the world- class computing resources and expertise of Department of Energy national laboratories with U.S. manufacturers to deliver solutions that could revolutionize U.S.

4. Laser and Optical technologies - Discovering industrial applications that strengthen U.S. economic security, including laser melting, precise material removal, precision heat treatment, mechanical strengthening such as laser peening, and heat-resistant optics.

5. Forensic Science Center - One of only two U.S. laboratories to be internationally certified for identifying chemical warfare agents. The center also develops new tools for intelligence, law enforcement, homeland security, and healthcare

Recent Headlines

“California Can Be Carbon Neutral in 25 years—with Drastic Action” – Scientific American, February 1, 2020

“El Capitan supercomputer to blow past rivals, with 2 quintillion calculations per second” – CNET, March 4, 2020

Legislators Say...

“LLNL is a huge contributor to California’s economy, providing high-end jobs, bringing in federal research dollars, and forming academic and industrial partnerships. I never hesitate to hold up LLNL as a shining example of the technological and entrepreneurial excellence that the Bay Area can offer.” — Senator Steve Glazer (D-Orinda)

“LLNL has been a leader in national security and fundamental science for generations, and its many contributions, inventive technologies, and passion for STEM education have helped shape California’s and the East Bay region’s thriving innovation ecosystems. We’re proud to have such an important institution as part of our community.” — Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda)

Sandia National Laboratories/California

www.sandia.gov

Livermore, Alameda County (AD-16, SD-07)

Andrew McIlroy, PhD, Integrated Security Solutions, Associate Labs Director for California

Patrick Sullivan, Government Relations [email protected]

Michael Padilla, Media Relations [email protected]

NATIONAL SECURITY FROM “A” TO “Z”

From its origins as a single-mission engineering organization for nonnuclear components of nuclear weapons, the Sandia National Laboratories now has multiple programs involved in a broad spectrum of national security issues. One of three National Nuclear Security Administration research and development laboratories, Sandia’s underlying mission is to develop advanced technologies to ensure global peace.

Sandia began in 1945 as the “Z-Division” — the weapons design, testing, and assembly branch of Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. It officially became Sandia Laboratory in 1948, and in 1956 a second site was opened in California’s Livermore Valley. In 1979, Congress made Sandia a Department of Energy National Laboratory. In 1993, Sandia became a government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) laboratory under Lockheed Martin Corporation. Today Honeywell, International, Inc. manages and operates Sandia.

By the Numbers

Number of

0

Employees

Technical Staff

0%

w/ PhD or Masters

Annual Budget

$0

Million

Procured

$0

Million to CA Businesses

Contracts

$0

Million to Small Businesses

Impact to the Region and State

For more than 50 years, the California campus of Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia/California) has delivered essential science and technology to resolve the nation’s most challenging security issues.

Many of these nationwide security challenges — like energy resources, transportation, immigration, ports, and more — surfaced early for the State of California, providing this Sandia campus with a special opportunity to contribute to the first wave of science and technology solutions serving the United States.

In addition to the research performed, Sandia California boosts our state’s regional and statewide economy, with contracts totaling more than $92 million dollars directed to small businesses, and $146 million total in contracts across all California businesses.

Sandia/California is located on the Livermore Valley Open Campus, a 110-acre campus that brings academia and businesses together with researchers from Sandia and its DOE sibling, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Resources and Expertise for California Governance

Sandia/California researchers pursue a variety of security and resource management research.

The lab’s transportation programs are delivering new technologies designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and reduce petroleum use. And its Combustion Research Facility focuses on improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions. Its robust solar, wind, and geothermal research and development programs have contributed to a widespread deployment of renewable energy technology. The lab’s energy storage and grid integration programs also help address California’s efforts meet requirements for its renewable portfolio.

Sandia/California also develops and prepares mitigations plans and technical solutions for natural and man-made disasters. For example, the lab signed a memorandum of agreement with the California Fire and Rescue Training Authority to deliver an emergency response framework to the California Exercise Simulation Center. Their SUMMIT tool aids in preparing for man-made or natural disasters by improving the cycle of activities that emergency response teams undertake. The enhanced, 3-D virtual view of hazard damage creates a new level of realism, and a common operating picture for members in exercises at nation, regional, and local levels.

Recent Headlines

“Can Diesel Finally Come Clean?” – Scientific American, December 19, 2019

“HPE, AMD win deal for U.S. supercomputer to model nuclear weapons” – Reuters, March 4, 2020

"The people who imagine disasters” – BBC, 7th July 2020

Legislators Say...

“Sandia has been an integral part of the East Bay for over 60 years. It engineers solutions for our country’s national security challenges, advances low-carbon energy technologies, and develops clean transportation systems. Sandia’s contributions are felt across California and the country.” — Senator Steve Glazer (D-Orinda)

“For more than 60 years in California, Sandia National Laboratories has built on its reputation for delivering results to address our nation’s most complex national security challenges and developing innovative energy solutions to advance next generation energy technologies.” — Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda)

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

www.slac.stanford.edu

Menlo Park, San Mateo County (AD-24, SD-13)

Chi-Chang Kao, PhD, Director

Erika Bustamante, State Government Relations [email protected]

Melinda Lee, Communications [email protected]

ACCELERATING PARTICLES AND THE FUTURE

The people, expertise and facilities at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) offer potential to transform nearly every sector of our economy.

These include studies of the very small, fundamental processes of chemistry, to the very large exploration and understanding of the cosmos, dark matter, and dark energy. SLAC experts have a long record of developing novel instruments and technologies to provide unparalleled insight into the natural world — and they lead and participate in many large-scale national and international scientific collaborations.

Stanford University operates SLAC for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science. Located in Menlo Park, SLAC is home to the world’s premier ultrafast X-ray science center. Extremely bright and fast X-ray pulses are used to create movies of atomic and molecular structures and interactions with unprecedented precision — driving advances in energy science, human health, industrial chemistry, novel materials, information technology, and more.

By the Numbers

Number of

0

Employees

PhD

0

Scientists & Engineers

Graduate

0

& Undergraduate Students (2019)

Annual Budget

$0

Million (2019)

Annual Payroll

$0

Million (2019)

Procured

$0

Million to CA Businesses (2019)

Contracts

$0

Million to Small Businesses (2019)

Impact to the Region and State

The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) contributes to California’s global reputation as
a hub of innovation. SLAC invents, develops, and operates sophisticated particle accelerator and X-ray technology and other scientific tools, including sensors, detectors, controllers, lasers, and systems for working with torrents of data and images. SLAC also develops novel laser architectures for our own research and work with local laser firms, further securing California as a hub of the optical laser industry. Through CalCharge, SLAC supports California energy storage firms.

Each year, SLAC hosts thousands of researchers who come here to use its sophisticated X-ray facilities for a wide range of basic and applied science — including California companies developing new pharmaceuticals, improving chip manufacturing and developing sensor technology for self-driving cars.

SLAC has deep ties to a major university — their employees are Stanford University employees, and the SLAC director is a dean of Stanford. SLAC’s expertise and ties with Stanford are a powerful combination, and allow them to provide unique educational experiences and serve as a vital training ground for the nation’s future scientific workforce. SLAC educates the public through tours, lectures, and outreach programs, and it also provides internships and fellowships to students and early career professionals.

Resources and Expertise for California Governance

SLAC has world-leading expertise in the design, engineering, and fabrication of advanced electronics, sensors, detectors, instrumentation — in addition to largescale data handling and computing systems, and associated facilities that help advance real-world applications. These include:

1. Structural biology research aimed at understanding disease and developing and improving treatment.
2. Next-generation batteries, improved manufacturing techniques for semiconductors, solar cells and other products.
3. Scientific computing, and control system hardware and software.
4. Improved medical imaging.
5. Electric grid modernization and more efficient catalysts for energy and industry.
6. Tracing and mitigating environmental contamination.
7. Next-generation particle accelerator technology.

On the ground, SLAC has the ability and knowledge to manage major, complex scientific infrastructure projects that require the development of entirely new technologies. And at the edge of human exploration, SLAC’s experts can guide us in understanding the context and importance of dark matter, dark energy, particle physics — and the evolution of the cosmos itself.

Recent Headlines

“Silicon Valley X-ray Laser Used To See Attosecond Electron Movement” – Forbes, Dec 2, 2019

“New Particle Accelerator Fits on a Silicon Chip” –Scientific American, January 4, 2020

“California Scientists Build A Camera To Take Pictures Of Huge Swath Of Sky” – NPR, September 8, 2020

Legislators Say...

“SLAC has long been in the forefront of innovation, pushing the merely imaginable into the realm of reality. SLAC continues to break new ground across its research portfolio. Ranging from preparation and early action solutions to real-time monitoring and response, as well as recovery, the work of SLAC scientists today in disaster resilience research resonates particularly strongly.” — Senator Josh Becker (D-San Mateo)

“SLAC National Accelerator Lab continues to push the frontiers of our fundamental scientific knowledge. Their unique capabilities play a key role in establishing our scientific leadership and laying the groundwork for our progress toward a clean, sustainable energy future.” — Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto)

Related Publications

Mar 31, 2022

2021 CCST Annual Report

Report cover with a view of an open road with mountains and the sun setting or rising over them with shades of sky

Nov 12, 2021

An Assessment of Oil and Gas Water Cycle Reporting in California

Executive Summary Download Cover Letter Download One Pager Download Phase I Report Download

Apr 28, 2021

California’s Federal Labs & Research Centers: A 2021 Impact Report for State Leaders

MENU About Founding and Mission CCST Annual Report 2020 Board Meetings Careers Contact Fellows CCST Science Fellows Program Our Fellows Frequently Asked Questions Application Quick Link Fellows Blog & News Services What We Do Expert Briefings Commissioned Projects & Reports View All Projects and Publications The Costs of Wildfire in California SB 826 – Underground […]

Apr 28, 2021

California’s Federal Labs & Research Centers: 2021 Impact Report

Our Mission

To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.

Projects

Web Search

Social Media Links

2021 Impact Report

California's Federal Labs & Research Centers

Overview

Six federal laboratories and science centers in California have formal partnerships with CCST – the State’s premier resource to connect decision makers with leading scientists in California and beyond – as Federal Laboratory Partners. This Impact Report offers a glimpse of the resources and expertise that each lab can offer to California’s decision makers.

Each federal entity boasts a government relations team able to assist local, state, and federal offices. Together with CCST, these liaisons serve as a resource for community members and officials who want to learn more about federal labs and their broader impact for California. CCST helps facilitate links across the capabilities and talents of these labs and centers, and can help Members and Capitol staff navigate the tremendous resources spread across federal labs and science centers in California.

With this report, we invite you to learn how our federal labs and research centers help make California stronger with science and technology.

Federal Labs Impact Report 2021 Cover Web

Full Report (PDF)

Press Release & More

Introduction

Dear Fellow Californians:

As a state whose motto proclaims proudly—Eureka!—California’s bounty of advanced research institutions is decidedly appropriate. Alongside academic powerhouses such as the University of California, Stanford, and Caltech, we also take pride in our unrivaled collection of federal laboratories and research centers.

Federal labs and research centers are set apart from other institutions by bringing to bear large-scale, mission-based projects and facilities on some of humanity’s most pressing and difficult scientific questions. They represent billions of dollars of federal research investment, providing a wealth of knowledge and expertise that California can draw on. These labs take us deep inside the genetic code, support the foundations of our energy and national security, and even launch us toward the stars.

Today, California is at a crossroads. Complex and intersecting disasters, including wildfires, climate change, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, are radically disrupting the ways in which Californians live and work, and threatening catastrophic loss of life and economic impacts. California’s federal labs and research centers are leveraging their world class expertise and technologies—as well as passionate researchers, students, and support staff—to invest in our resilience to disasters.

The unique nature of our federal labs and research centers puts them in an ideal position to pursue research and development in service of the public good. Whether it is an electricity grid infrastructure that is more resistant to disruptions from extreme weather events, satellite monitoring of developing wildfires to aid our first responders, or new technologies for purifying drinking water in the wake of an earthquake, the breakthroughs developed in these labs continue to benefit millions of Californians every year.

As California continues to move forward and confront big challenges, these labs and centers are ready to help. Here, we invite you to learn about just a few of the many ways that our federal labs and research centers are helping to make California—and the whole nation—more resilient.

Sincerely,

Amber Mace, PhD
CCST
Executive Director

Peter Cowhey, PhD
CCST Board Chair
UC San Diego

Terry Land, PhD
CCST Federal Lab Partners Chair Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory

Accessing California’s Federal Labs

Table of Contents

Add a header to begin generating the table of contents

Benefiting Governance and Livelihoods

California is home to a diverse range of federal labs, science centers, and field stations, spanning several U.S. agencies, departments, and bureaus. Six of these are founding members of CCST’s Federal Laboratory Partners:

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Field Centers

• Ames Research Center

• Jet Propulsion Laboratory

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratories

• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

• Sandia National Laboratories/California

• SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Why Tap into Federal Science?

Uniquely Positioned

Federal agencies such as DOE and NASA are uniquely positioned to contribute to California’s scientific conversation. They leverage the might of federally directed research resources and facilities — bringing mission-oriented research and scientific facilities that complement the wealth of expertise at University of California, California State University, Caltech, Stanford, and other campuses.

Trusted Research Partners

Federal research includes many focal areas that can directly inform policy questions at the state level. Federal labs can partner with state agencies and campuses to conduct studies vital for our understanding of natural and physical processes. These federal-state-university partnerships require time for planning and implementation, but they yield collaborations and important knowledge for lifetimes.

Service to Policymakers

CCST Federal Laboratory Affiliates

Why CCST?

The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization established via Assembly Concurrent Resolution 162 in 1988. The resolution directed CCST “to respond to the Governor, the Legislature, and other entities on public policy issues related to science and technology.” To deliver independent advice to state policymakers, CCST engages science and technology (S&T) experts across California’s research enterprise, including through formal partnerships with the University of California (UC), California State University (CSU), California Community Colleges (CCC), Stanford, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and the six federal laboratory partners described above.

By connecting policymakers with leading scientists in California and beyond, CCST increases policymaker access to S&T advice that is informed by diverse expert perspectives. Over the past three decades, state leaders have requested CCST reports and expert briefings on many issues of policy importance, from natural gas storage safety to sustainable water futures. The connections we facilitate between policymakers and scientists also enhance the ability of our 11 Partner Institutions to transmit S&T information for the ublic good, including by expanding opportunities for experts to participate in the policy arena and by identifying questions that will drive future research and innovation.

About the CCST Partnership with Federal Laboratories

In 2005, there was growing interest by state leaders to improve access to expertise found at federal laboratories and science centers across California, and engage them on issues affecting the Golden State.

The call for advice coincided with conversations and coordination already ongoing between CCST and several federal research institutions in California. CCST welcomed six new Partner Institutions.

Of the six institutions, four came from the U.S. Department of Energy: the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory; and two came from NASA: the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Ames Research Center.

CCST Disaster Resilience Initiative

In 2020, in recognition of a need for more agile science and technology advisory frameworks for the state and the increasing threat of natural disasters in California, CCST launched a Disaster Resilience Initiative, focused on increasing the delivery and responsiveness of the science advisory support provided by CCST’s science and technology experts to California policymakers. This five-year public-private partnership will convene diverse, interdisciplinary experts from throughout CCST’s network to address the State’s most urgent disaster resilience advisory needs through a series of needs- finding workshops, briefings to policymakers, advisory meetings, and other engagements.

When to Contact CCST?

Policymakers should contact CCST:

• During policy development, to obtain data and advice from subject area experts.

• During the legislative process, to find experts for testimony at policy, fiscal, select committee, and other hearings.

• During implementation and regulatory enforcement, accessing current science to review standards, technologies, efficacy, and relevance.

• When analyzing natural disasters and human- engineered catastrophes and planning for prevention, preparation, response to, and recovery from these events.

• If your office is considering legislation, regulations, or other work products that you believe would benefit from science and technology expertise, or if you are seeking data and advice to strengthen your decisions with science, contact CCST — and we will help you navigate the bounty of top scientific minds available to California.

How CCST Can Help

CCST can help Legislators, appointed officials, and Capitol and executive branch staff navigate the tremendous resources spread across federal labs and science centers in California.

CCST’s access to the Federal Laboratory Affiliates has resulted in several high-impact reports that have been useful to state leaders, delivering timely, nonpartisan, scientific analysis on complex issues. Examples include:

Oct 29, 2020

The Costs of Wildfire in California

Jun 7, 2018

Biomethane in California Common Carrier Pipelines: Assessing Heating Value and Maximum Siloxane Specifications

Jan 18, 2018

Long-Term Viability of Underground Natural Gas Storage in California: An Independent Review of Scientific and Technical Information

Jan 14, 2015

An Independent Scientific Assessment of Well Stimulation in California, Vol. 1 (SB4)

Federal Labs Research Benefiting California

In Service to the Nation and Its States

California has a long history of dealing with a wide variety of disasters and threats, from wildfires and earthquakes to pandemics and bioterrorism. Because of their state-of-the-art facilities, longstanding collaborations, and cross-disciplinary organization, the federal labs in California are uniquely positioned to coordinate the large research projects needed to develop technologies and inform strategies to improve the state’s resilience.

Below is a small sample of the labs’ recent and ongoing research with major implications for how California prevents, prepares for, responds to, and recovers from disasters. This overview is not an exhaustive list of all projects and research areas at these institutions, nor does it represent all federal labs and science centers located here in California. However, these highlights do illustrate the amazing breadth of federal research and applications available to policymakers in Sacramento.

NASA Ames NASA Ames Research Center

NASA JPL NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Berkeley Lab Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

LLNL Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Sandia/California Sandia National Laboratories/California

SLAC SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Preparing for Disasters

Berkeley Lab researchers built a numerical model of the Cosumnes River watershed, to study post wildfire effects on water availability (Credit: Berkeley Lab)

Wildfire fuel reduction (Berkeley Lab)

Mechanical thinning of old growth forests is an important strategy to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires in the wildland-urban interface. However, removal of low-value biomass is uneconomic, and most wood piles are burned. With support from CAL FIRE, Berkeley Lab is teaming up with other researchers to develop a mobile biorefinery that can process woody biomass and convert it into biopower, biofuels, and biochar with minimal carbon or airborne emissions. Unlike conventional biorefineries that require large-scale feedstock removal, this mobile unit can be transported by truck to regions where the biomass is located. This technology represents an important step toward a circular bioeconomy, as excess agricultural and forest residues can be converted into valuable products.

Charging portable devices (LLNL)

Building upon previous research, a team of researchers from LLNL, with collaborators from Sun Yat-Sen University and the University of California, Santa Cruz, has developed a novel class of 3D-printed aerogel electrodes that simultaneously boosts energy density and power density. Previous 3D-printed electrodes could achieve either high energy density or high power density but not both, but this new design boosts both parameters in the same device. The resulting supercapacitors could have major implications for ultrafast- charging power storage for a broad range of devices, including cell phones and laptops. Read More.

Climate change projections (NASA Ames)

The NASA Earth Exchange (NEX) is a Big Data initiative using NASA Ames’ supercomputers to help scientists work with huge data sets from Earth-observing satellites. Among the many projects of NEX have been initiatives to understand climate projections on a finer scale and to study how climate changes might affect a single town or region, like the Bay Area. The data from NEX projects becomes available in a NASA archive, helping inform policymakers’, agencies’ and other stakeholders’ decisions about our climate future. Read More.

Predicting landslides (NASA JPL)

Slow moving landslides, in which the earth moves very slowly over a long period of time, can unexpectedly destabilize, causing catastrophic loss of life and property damage. A team of researchers at NASA JPL, collaborating with scientists at University of California, Berkeley and the US Geological Survey, is developing a new 3D mapping technique to predict how these landslides suddenly transition and enable authorities to better prepare for landslide risks. The technique relies on high resolution data gathered using JPL’s Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR), which makes precise measurements of the ground level it flies over. UAVSAR has also provided data for other disasters and ground deformation changes, including burn areas from the 2020 California wildfires. Read More.

Oil Refinery Hazards (SLAC)

For oil refineries in the US, sulfur present in the oil can react with metals in the equipment and cause corrosion, though this important safety hazard can be hard to predict. Researchers at SLAC are using X-rays from the lab’s Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource in order to collect detailed information about the sulfur compounds in the oil. This precise experimental information can be combined with data from corrosion studies and computer modeling in order to help the oil industry more accurately predict and prevent dangerous corrosion of equipment. Read More.

Climate change simulations (Berkeley Lab, LLNL)

Berkeley Lab’s National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) advanced supercomputers are enabling high-resolution climate simulations that help local decision makers quantitatively understand how climate change may intensify extreme weather events and impact water availability and infrastructure. For example, the City and County of San Francisco has partnered with Berkeley lab to assess how climate change could impact San Francisco and its infrastructure, including the San Francisco Airport. Berkeley Lab scientists, in collaboration with LLNL and university labs, are also using NERSC to develop an advanced hydrologic model of the Consumnes watershed to study how climate change and wildfires might affect California’s water availability and help resource managers develop strategies to manage the state’s water resources. This model can be adapted to other California watersheds to explore future scenarios, evaluate risks, and improve planning. Read More.

Modeling hurricanes (NASA JPL)

A team led by NASA JPL scientists, in collaboration with IBM and the National Hurricane Center, is using machine learning to more accurately forecast when hurricanes will intensify suddenly, providing vital time to prepare an adequate emergency response. By analyzing historical satellite data from several NASA missions, the team identified three indicators associated with an increased chance of intensification: the rainfall rate at the storm’s core, the ice water content of clouds within the storm, and the temperature of air flowing away from the eye of the storm. Incorporating these indicators into forecasting models through the use of machine learning resulted in a 60% more likely chance of accurately detecting an intensification event compared to existing models. Read More.

Sea level rise (Sandia/California, NASA JPL)

As we continue to grapple with the long term impacts of climate change, reliably predicting the extent and impacts of sea-level rise is a major component of climate resilience. A team of scientists and Sandia/California has been developing new models to predict the behavior of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. As part of a five year collaboration with other labs and universities known called PISCEES (Predicting Ice Sheet and Climate Evolution at Extreme Scales), Sandia’s team developed an analysis tool to simulate the flow of ice over the Greenland and Antarctic sheets. By combining the insights from these tools with data sets from glaciologists and climate scientists, PISCEES can make more efficient and reliable predictions about ice sheet behavior.

Home to sea level height satellites since 1978, NASA JPL measures and predicts sea level rise. A recently published study, led by JPL scientists, provides valuable insight into the processes that have driven historical global sea level rise, since 1900. The team tracked and accounted for the effects of a number of global factors, including melting glaciers and ice sheets, land bound water storage, and thermal expansion, to not only understand the past but also to improve predictions of future sea level rise and its impacts. This study used data from JPL’s suite of sea level height missions, as well as its pair of gravity-measuring satellites, Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and its Follow-On (GRACE-FO), which have also been used to provide data on drought and groundwater, including in the Central Valley in the context of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Read More.

Protecting our water supply (Berkeley Lab)

With snowmelt projected to decline by two-thirds by 2100, California will need new treatment and recycling technologies to meets its needs for climate-resilient water supplies. Berkeley Lab is leading the National Alliance for Water Innovation, a $130 million, five year initiative aimed at reducing the energy use and cost of desalination by 75%, paving the way for a circular water economy in which inland brackish and waste waters and other non-traditional water sources can be productively used and re-used. The initiative focuses on developing distributed technologies that can be used locally to reduce transportation costs and increase resilience during water delivery disruptions.

Water quality and drought (SLAC)

As California and the western US are expected to face threats of drought and flooding in the coming years, researchers are using SLAC’s Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource to study and anticipate how these hydrological changes will impact water quality. As water levels ebb and flow, nutrients, contaminants, and chemical reactions may all impact surface water quality. This SLAC research is centered in the Colorado River Basin, an important water source for Southern California. Read More.

Outputs from NASA JPL’s Methane Source Finder tool, derived from airborne and surface monitoring networks. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Building Resilient Infrastructure

Greenhouse gas emissions (NASA JPL)

Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases contributing to climate change, resulting from human activity. NASA JPL’s Next Generation Airborne Visible/ Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS-NG) has been flown across the state to identify fugitive methane emissions, as part of its California Methane Survey. Monitoring methane plumes, JPL researchers were able to detect leaks in infrastructure from agriculture, landfills, and oil and gas utilities. By sharing the data with facility operators to aid in repairing these leaks, this campaign has driven significant voluntary mitigation of methane emissions. Read More.

Developing a resilient grid (Sandia/California, SLAC)

Sandia/California recently launched a new, multiyear research portfolio to fund exploratory research to combat evolving threats to the U.S. utility systems and electrical grid. The Research Energy Systems Mission campaign is focused on defending the grid from disasters, both natural, such as hurricanes or solar flares, and man-made, such as hostile cyberattacks. Much of the grid is reliant on antiquated technologies that were not designed to be able to withstand modern threats. Additional benefits from the technology developed as part of the campaign include more efficient electricity generation, more accurate data collection, and better grid management.

SLAC’s Grid Integration, Systems, and Mobility (GISMo) lab explores the intersection of the power grid, building and ambient intelligence, and human mobility. Building upon the lab’s efforts to integrate and utilize large amounts of energy data, the Grid Resilience and Intelligence Project uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify vulnerabilities in the grid and build capabilities to anticipate and recover from grid events. Read More.

Protecting the grid (Sandia/California)

The U.S. electricity grid is a vital part of the nation’s infrastructure and ensuring that it is resilient to both natural and man-made threats is critical to the nation’s security and economy. Sandia California’s Grid Modernization Program is developing technological solutions to address emerging issues to our electricity distribution system. The program works closely with grid operators and local stakeholders to identify and model the most crucial potential threats and consequences in their regions. Major areas of research focus within the program include: integration of solar and wind power, resilience to geomagnetic disturbances, and the development of agile and resilient control systems for large- scale interconnected power systems. Read More.

Building for extreme heat (Berkeley Lab)

With heat waves likely to increase by as much as ten-fold by mid-century, extreme heat represents the most costly, deadly threat to Californians. Berkeley Lab has pioneered the use of solar-reflective surfaces – “cool” roofs, walls, and pavements – to significantly reduce neighborhood temperatures, air conditioning costs, and water consumption in urban areas. Cool roofs could reduce urban heat impacts by almost half of their projected levels by 2050. Berkeley Lab is developing a heat-resilience toolkit with community input for underserved neighborhoods in Fresno for the Strategic Growth Council, leveraging its expertise in cool surfaces and neighborhood- scale modeling using CityBES.lbl.gov. Read More.

Event Spotlight: COVID-19

In December 2019, the novel viral respiratory illness, coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), quickly spread from China across the globe. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March 2020, and since then, all six federal laboratories have rapidly deployed their resources and research capacities to respond to the multifaceted public health crisis. These are just a small sample of the ways in which the labs and research centers stepped up to respond to the disaster.

International Collaboration (NASA Ames, LLNL, Berkeley Lab)

International collaboration: Scientists at NASA Ames, LLNL and Berkeley Lab are contributing to the COVID-19 International Research Team (COV-IRT), an international community of scientists using public data to rapidly understand the virus and develop a vaccine and therapeutics.

Real-Time Health Response (NASA JPL)

Providing the Tools for Research (NASA, LLNL, Berkeley Lab, Sandia/California)

Advanced Imaging (Berkeley Lab, SLAC)

Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source (ALS) rapidly shifted operations initially to run a limited number of beamlines to support structural biology research on therapeutics. Similarly, the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) at SLAC dedicated a subset of stations to provide its powerful X-rays to examine the biomolecules crucial to understanding how the virus replicates in the body, and produce detailed images that can be used in the design of targeted therapeutic interventions.

Advancing Diagnostic Testing (LLNL)

Zika Detection (Sandia/California)

Coronavirus Standards (SLAC)

Developing Medical Countermeasures (LLNL)

Studying Impacts to Inform Decision-Making (Berkeley Lab)

Satellite Imaging (NASA Ames, NASA JPL)

A NASA Ames project is using satellite thermal infrared sensor brightness temperatures to examine how the entire Bay Area’s urban heat flux has changed during the pandemic, and how that change has contributed to a more or less healthy environment for the millions of people living in it. NASA JPL is using satellite-derived synthetic aperture radar data to map changes in activity levels in cities around the world to understand how activity reductions correspond to different cities’ levels of success in controlling virus outbreaks and how those reductions correspond to observed changes in environmental conditions.

Real Time Response and Monitoring

A SLAC researcher working on a compact, low-frequency antenna, for communicating over long distances and through potential obstructions. (Credit: Dawn Harmer/SLAC)

Real-time disaster monitoring (NASA JPL, NASA Ames)

NASA JPL’s Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis (ARIA) project, a partnership with the California Institute of Technology, delivers timely data products for disaster response. ARIA combines near real-time GPS, radar, optical, and seismic observation with state-of-the-art processing to produce damage and flood maps. With satellite data that can see through clouds, ARIA has helped organizations like the UN World Food Programme monitor events, like flooding from the 2020 tropical cyclones in Bangladesh and India. From local California wildfires to the massive explosion in Beirut, ARIA’s openly-accessible maps, produced in collaboration with the Earth Observatory of Singapore, have been used to help identify severely damaged areas where assistance may be required. ARIA’s ground deformation maps have also been used to identify a complex web of fault ruptures and damage from the 2019 Ridgecrest, CA earthquakes.

Through NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research program, California’s Swift Engineering, with support from NASA Ames, has developed a high-altitude, long-endurance uncrewed aircraft to carry science instruments and other small payloads. It is designed to stay aloft for 30 days at 65,000 feet, and its recent first flight provided critical data to prove that design requirements were met. Such aircraft can complement satellites with data on regional scales, and NASA is exploring their use for Earth system science and disaster response. These platforms have the potential to provide imagery similar to a geostationary satellite. During or after a natural disaster, they could gather real-time data or provide a communications relay. Read More.

Communication during disasters (SLAC)

Scientists at SLAC are developing a new type of pocket-sized antenna, that could enable communication in situations where traditional radios do not work, such as rescue missions that require high mobility. The 4-inch-tall device is capable of emitting radio waves with wavelengths as large as tens to hundreds of miles. In contrast to traditional shorter wavelength radio waves, these waves can maintain their strength over longer distances or travel through obstructions such as water or layers of rock. Read More.

Microgrids (Sandia/California)

Sandia/California’s microgrid team is helping communities hit by natural disasters to recover and rebuild with resilience in mind. A microgrid is a decentralized system of electricity generators that can provide power to buildings and infrastructure even if the power grid goes down. They are a powerful tool in responding to natural disasters, particularly in the critical days after a disaster strikes, when access to power is vital to emergency response. In the wake of Hurricane Maria’s devastating impacts in Puerto Rico, Sandia’s team worked alongside local groups to deploy six microgrid demo sites across the island, generating power to key buildings, such as hospitals. Additionally, the team worked with local communities on capacity building and workforce development, paving the way for the deployment of more microgrids across Puerto Rico, increasing the island’s resilience to future events. Read More.

Screening for infections (NASA Ames)

A rapid and non-invasive screening tool could “sniff out” COVID-19 in patients’ breath with a spaceflight-proven, re-usable electronic nose (E-Nose) technology from NASA Ames. Originally developed for trace chemical detection in space, its sensors are being tuned to detect COVID-19 through breath analysis. Using an instrument attached to a smartphone – and NASA expertise in advanced machine-learning methods – the results from the E-Nose will combine with body temperature and other non-invasive symptom screening to provide more accurate on-the-spot answers. The screening results can then be transmitted via cellphone or WiFi networks.

Assessing biohazards (LLNL)

A multidisciplinary team of biologists and engineers at LLNL has developed a 3D “brain-on-a-chip” device capable of sustain and record activity from hundreds of thousands of interconnected, human-derived neurons as they communicate with each other. These devices can potentially be used to study how healthy or sick networks of neurons change in response to disease or infection, toxins, or drugs, without using animal models. The team has recently developed computational tools to analyze the data coming from the devices, bringing brain-on-a-chip devices another large step closer to widescale use. Read More.

Protection from chemical threats (LLNL)

When faced with a chemical or biological threat, the safety of soldiers and first responders depends on protective equipment. Unfortunately, the existing materials that provide protection from these threats also inhibit breathability. A LLNL-led team of scientists have developed a smart fabric that breathes, blocks all biological threats, and dynamically blocks chemical threats by closing its pores only in the presence of organophosphate threats. The team is improving the new fabric by incorporating stretch and protection from additional chemical threats. Read More.

First responder support (NASA Ames)

Drones could help reduce the impacts of natural disasters by assisting emergency responders: they can make interventions faster, more targeted, and better able to adapt to changing circumstances. They can also multitask in unique ways, for instance making logistics deliveries during a wildfire (of water, radio batteries, first aid, etc.) while using onboard sensors to scan the terrain for hotspots and provide near-real-time information to firefighters. NASA Ames’ Scalable Traffic Management for Emergency Response Operations (STEReO) project builds on the center’s expertise integrating these vehicles into the airspace to develop the tools and systems to make this a reality. Read More.

NASA Ames traffic drones in flight in Reno, Nevada undergoing flight tests. (Credits: NASA/Dominic Hart)

Rebuilding with Resilience

As part of its work in developing local urban resilience in Norfolk, VA, Sandia/California developed maps showing varying levels of potential flooding. (Credit: Sandia National Laboratories)

Planning for carbon neutrality (LLNL)

As part of LLNL’s Engineering the Carbon Economy Initiative and other energy programming, LLNL scientists have conducted a study to identify solutions to remove carbon from the atmosphere and help California meet its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. This comprehensive analysis outlines the costs, carbon removal potential, and important co-benefits of a suite of natural carbon removal strategies, biomass conversion technologies, and negative emissions technologies such as direct air capture. This report concludes that carbon neutrality is achievable, and can guide the State as it makes the required investments and policies. Read More.

Social Welfare and Urban Resilience (Sandia/California)

A core aspect of building a resilient community is understanding their unique needs during a disaster event. Sandia/California’s Urban Resilience Planning Process centers the social welfare of communities and has been used in several places such as Norfolk, VA and New Orleans, LA to build more resilient communities. The process is built around two core tenets: engaging community stakeholders at the outset to provide community-specific insights into community needs, and measuring resilience through the consequences to these specific communities. By engaging the community early and gaining a thorough understanding of its needs, Sandia can help design tailored resilient solutions. Read More.

Earthquake recovery (Berkeley Lab)

Major earthquakes in California can destroy or damage many thousands of structures and critical infrastructure. To prepare for future large earthquakes, Berkeley Lab is using its advanced supercomputers to run regional-scale, fault-to-structure simulations of earthquakes and associated infrastructure response to assess the earthquake risk to buildings and infrastructure throughout the entire Bay Area. After a major earthquake occurs, safety assessments and repairs can take many months, disrupting critical operations and delaying economic recovery. To dramatically speed up the recovery process, Berkeley Lab has developed, extensively tested, and deployed a new optical sensor that building managers can use to quickly pinpoint likely damage for assessment. Read More.

Purifying contaminated water (NASA Ames, SLAC)

A personal water- treatment bag developed at NASA Ames can purify contaminated water without power and with minimal interaction. Developed as an emergency technology for astronauts, it has now been used by a group of Antarctic explorers to recycle urine for drinking water. One version containing a powdered supplement can provide all the nutrients and water needed to keep a person alive; another can safely hydrate baby formula with contaminated water. Used in the days following a disaster, the Personal Water Recycling System could save lives until help arrives.

As part of federal efforts to safely handle the legacy of former uranium mines in the west, scientists at SLAC are showing how the radioactive element can continue to cycle through the environment and pose challenges for remediation. While former mines and waste piles were capped decades ago and the remaining uranium was expected to naturally leave the sites as part of groundwater flow, uranium has persisted in nearby groundwater for longer than expected. Researchers have found that the dominant form of uranium in sediments can bind to organic matter and persist in the environment. This work has challenged previous assumptions made in modeling, and will improve the understanding of the dynamics involved in the system in order to enhance groundwater remediation efforts around these former mines.

Developing new vaccines (LLNL)

Francisella tularensis, the bacteria responsible for tularemia, is a potential biothreat agent and is classified as a high-priority priority pathogen by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Current tularemia vaccines use live, attenuated strains of F. tularensis, a strategy associated with high risk profiles, and are not generally available in the US. A team of researchers from LLNL and two other research institutes is developing a vaccine that uses a LLNL-developed nanotechnology to co-deliver F. tularensis antigens, rather than live pathogens, and an additional immunostimulant. This vaccine candidate is expected to be significantly safer than current vaccines without sacrificing efficacy. The LLNL-developed delivery system can used to develop vaccines for additional pathogens. Read More.

LLNL researchers working on the development of a tularemia vaccine. (Credit: Julie Russell/LLNL)

CCST Project

The Costs of Wildfire in California

Publications

The Costs of Wildfire in California

Full Report:

Download

Executive Summary

Download

CCST One Pager: The Costs of Wildfire in California

Download

Video: Public Briefing (10/29/20)

Watch

Press Release: The Costs of Wildfire in California

Read

Related Publications

Aug 28, 2014

Advanced Well Stimulation Technologies in California (BLM)

At the request of the United States BLM, CCST conducted an independent scientific review of oil and gas well stimulation technologies in California.

Aug 28, 2014

Advanced Well Stimulation Technologies in California Project (BLM)

This study was commissioned by the Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and will inform BLM's oil and gas policies in California.

Our Mission

To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.

Projects

Web Search

Social Media Links

Executive Summary

Download

CCST One Pager: The Costs of Wildfire in California

Download

Video: Public Briefing (10/29/20)

Watch

Press Release: The Costs of Wildfire in California

Read

CCST Project

The Costs of Wildfire in California

Process

Learn More

Authors

The report is being written by lead author Teresa Feo, PhD, Senior Science Officer at CCST, and Samuel Evans, PhD, Assistant Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at Mills College.

Steering Committee Members

CCST study steering committees oversee the report authors, reach conclusions based on the findings of the authors and draft an executive summary.

Committee Selection and Approval

Careful steps are taken to convene committees that meet the following criteria:

Expertise

Perspectives

Screening

Point of View

Considerations

Membership in CCST is taken into account in SC selection. The inclusion of women, minorities, and young professionals are additional considerations.

Committee Selection

Specific steps in the committee selection and approval process are as follows:

Step 1: Nominees

Step 2: Provisional Committee

Step 3: Board Approval

The Program Committee of CCST's Board formally approves the committee. Committee members continue to be screened for conflict of interest throughout the life of the committee.

Committee Members' Bios

Michael Wara (Chair) Ph.D

Steering Committee Chair

Director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program and a senior research scholar

Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment

Michael Wara is a lawyer and scholar focused on climate and energy policy. Wara is Director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program and a senior research scholar at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, where he provides fact-based, bipartisan, technical and legal assistance to policymakers engaged in the development of novel climate and energy law and regulation. He also facilitates the connection of Stanford faculty with cutting edge policy debates on climate and energy, leveraging Stanford’s energy and climate expertise to craft real world solutions to these challenges.

Wara’s legal and policy scholarship focuses on carbon pricing, energy innovation, and regulated industries. He collaborates with economists, engineers and scientists in research on the design and evaluation of technical and regulatory solutions to climate and energy challenges. He is also an expert on international environmental law with a particular focus on the ozone and climate treaty regimes.

Wara conducts research, advises and has testified before California and US Congressional legislative committees on issues related to wildfire and utilities. Wara served as a Commissioner on the Commission on Catastrophic Wildfire Cost and Recovery that proposed creation of a Wildfire Insurance Fund. He currently serves on the California Catastrophe Response Council, which oversees the Wildfire Fund created by AB 1054.

Prior to joining Woods, Wara was an associate professor at Stanford Law School and an associate in Holland & Knight’s government practice. He received his J.D. from Stanford Law School and his Ph.D. in Ocean Sciences from the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Michael Wara has served as a CCST Steering Committee member for the report, Long-Term Viability of Underground Natural Gas Storage in California, released in 2018.

Judson Boomhower Ph.D

Assistant Professor, Department of Economics

UC San Diego

Judson Boomhower is an assistant professor in the Department of Economics at the University of California San Diego and a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He is an applied microeconomist who studies environmental and energy economics and policy. He received his PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford.

Current work in progress includes:

Mitigating and Managing Extreme Wildfire Risk in California

A multi-campus research effort focused on understanding and managing wildfire risk and electricity infrastructure.

Moral Hazard, Wildfires, and the Economic Incidence of Natural Disasters (2019)

This study measures the degree to which large public expenditures on wildfire protection subsidize development in harm’s way. Using administrative firefighting data, we calculate geographically-differentiated implicit subsidies to homeowners throughout the western USA. We first examine how the presence of homes affects firefighting expenditures. These results are used to reconstruct the implied historical cost of protecting each home and to perform an actuarial calculation of expected future protection cost. The expected net present value of this subsidy increases with fire risk and decreases surprisingly steeply with development density. A simple conceptual model is used to explore effects on expansion of developed areas, density, and private risk-reducing investments.

Boomhower was lead author on the CCST report, Orphan Wells in California, released 2020.

Kate Dargan

Co-Founder, Chair of the Board, and Chief Strategist
Former California State Fire Marshal

Intterra

Kate Dargan began her career as a firefighter at age 18 and worked her way up, becoming a fire chief and State Fire Marshal (CAL FIRE), the first woman to serve California in that capacity. She has responded to emergencies and disasters around the state and worked on boards, committees, councils, and task forces to advance wildland-urban interface fire safety. Dargan is widely recognized for her consensus-building style and innovative approaches to old problems.

In 2010 Dargan co-founded Intterra, a successful situational awareness and analytics software company for firefighters, holding the position of CEO until 2016. She currently serves as Chief Strategist and Chair of the Board.

She is currently a Board Member of the California Firesafe Council (CFSC), a nonprofit formed as a project of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) in 1993.

Peter Larsen Ph.D

Staff Scientist and Deputy Leader
Electricity Markets & Policy Department
Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts Division

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Peter Larsen is a Research Scientist and Deputy Group Leader in the Electricity Markets and Policy Group at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He conducts research and analysis on electricity reliability and resiliency, energy efficiency, and regional electric system planning including: Energy Services Company Industry and Market Trends; Utility Resource Planning Practices and Trends; Western Electricity and Natural Gas Markets; Societal Impacts from Abnormal Weather; and the Reliability of the U.S. Power System.

Larsen’s work includes Project Lead for Berkeley Lab’s Interruption Cost Estimate Calculator, and he is interested in the economic impact of past and future Public Safety Power Shutoffs.

Larsen has published his research in a number of reports, book chapters, and peer-reviewed journals including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Global Environmental Change, Annual Review of Environment and Resources, Energy Policy, and Energy Economics. Previously, he worked at the Institute of Social and Economic Research in Anchorage, Alaska, the Societal Impacts Program at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and Stratus Consulting (now Abt Associates).

Larsen holds a Ph.D. in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University; M.S. degrees from Stanford University (Management Science and Engineering) and Cornell University (Natural Resource Economics); and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Montana at Missoula.

Mary Prunicki Ph.D

Director of Air Pollution and Health Research

Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy & Asthma Research, Stanford University

Since coming to the Nadeau immunology laboratory at Stanford University in 2014, Dr. Prunicki has designed and executed numerous innovative air pollution and wildfire projects. Lab studies have primarily focused on Fresno, CA, a city always in the top four in the nation for ozone and particle pollution and also exposed to the wildfire smoke from forest fires in Yosemite. Research findings have resulted in publication in high-impact journals, shaping of public policy and extensive media exposure. Dr. Prunicki is especially passionate about helping at-risk populations, such as children and the underserved, who disproportionately share the burden of air pollution exposure. Prunicki received her PhD from Northwestern University and her MD from Southern Illinois University.

Dr. Prunicki’s research involves the investigation of the impact of environmental exposures on the immune system. Overall findings indicate that ambient air pollution exposures to CO, NO2, and PM2.5 mediate epigenetic alterations of Foxp3 and IL-10, key genes known to be associated with T cells and atopic disease. Similar epigenetic associations have been found with wildfire smoke exposure, in addition to increases in inflammatory cytokines.

Recent publications include:

Prunicki M, Kelsey R, Lee J, …, Nadeau K. The Impact of Prescribed Fire versus Wildfire on the Immune and Cardiovascular Systems of Children. Allergy 2019 Oct;74(10):1989-1991. PMCID: PMC6801011.

Prunicki M, Dant CC, Cao S, …, Nadeau K. Immunologic effects of forest fire exposure show increases in IL-1β and CRP. Allergy. 2020 Feb 28. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 32112439.

Prunicki, M, Miller, S, Hopkins, A, Poulin, M, Movassagh, H, Yan, L and Nadeau, K. Wildfire smoke exposure is associated with decreased methylation of the PDL2 gene. J Immunol May 1, 2020, 204 (1 Supplement) 146.17.

Alexandra Syphard Ph.D

Chief Scientist

Versus Wildfire Insurance Services

Adjunct Professor

San Diego State University

Associate

Conservation Biology Institute

Alexandra D. Syphard, Ph.D. is chief scientist at Vertus Wildfire Insurance Services, Senior Research Scientist for the Conservation Biology Institute and an adjunct professor at San Diego State University. As a researcher, she has spent more than two decades analyzing the ecological and social drivers and impacts of landscape change, particularly focusing on wildfires in California, USA and other Mediterranean-climate ecosystems. Syphard uses a variety of geospatial, statistical, and modeling approaches to investigate how and why change has occurred in the past, how it is likely to occur in the future, and how different policy or management decisions may impact ecological and social well-being. Her extensive research on wildfire risk to communities forms the scientific basis for underwriting homeowners’ insurance in fire-prone ecosystems. Dr. Syphard’s work also focuses on the interactions among wildfire patterns, land use change and urban growth, climate change, vegetation dynamics and biodiversity, invasive species, and plant species’ range shifts.

Syphard earned her PhD in Geography from San Diego State University and the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2005. She also received a BA in English from the University of Mary Washington, a Masters of Public Health at the Medical College of Virginia, and a Masters in Environmental Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. Syphard also completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in the Department of Forest Ecology & Management at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Biology at San Diego State.

Peer Review

The process of peer review is the cornerstone of the research evaluation process in the physical sciences, life sciences and engineering.

Learn More

Our Mission

To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.

Projects

Web Search

Social Media Links

CCST Project

Orphan Wells in California

Publications

Orphan Wells in California – An Initial Assessment of the State’s Potential Liabilities

Full Report:

Download

CCST One Pager: Orphan Wells in California – An Initial Assessment

Download

Press Release: Orphan Wells in California

Download

Cover Letter: Orphan Wells in California

Download

Related Publications

Jan 23, 2020

Orphan Wells in California – An Initial Assessment of the State’s Potential Liabilities

An initial assessment of the state of California's potential liability to plug and decommission oil and gas wells.

Jun 7, 2018

Biomethane in California Common Carrier Pipelines: Assessing Heating Value and Maximum Siloxane Specifications

A study analyzing regional and gas-corporation-specific issues relating to the minimum heating value and maximum siloxane specifications.

Jan 18, 2018

Long-Term Viability of Underground Natural Gas Storage in California: An Independent Review of Scientific and Technical Information

CCST was instructed to provide an independent technical assessment in response to Governor Brown's January 2016 state of emergency proclamation regarding the Aliso Canyon gas leak.

Aug 28, 2014

Advanced Well Stimulation Technologies in California (BLM)

At the request of the United States BLM, CCST conducted an independent scientific review of oil and gas well stimulation technologies in California.

Our Mission

To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.

CCST Project

COVID-19 Workstream

Publications

White Paper | May 2022

Full Report:

COVID-19 Workstream News

Contact Info

People

Our Mission

Projects

Web Search

Social Media Links

CCST Project

COVID-19 Workstream

Overview

Workstream Goals

Steering Committee:

CCST Staff:

Steering Committee Members

Committee Selection and Approval

Expertise

Perspectives

Screening

Point of View

Considerations

Committee Selection

Step 1: Nominees

Step 2: Provisional Committee

Step 3: Board Approval

Committee Members' Bios

Michael Kleeman

Steering Committee Chair

Senior Fellow

Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola MD, PhD

Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine

Jesús G. Alvelo Maurosa PhD

Engineer/Science Analyst

Arleen Brown MD, PhD

Professor of Medicine

Richard M. Carpiano PhD

Professor of Public Policy and Sociology

Michael Kurilla MD, PhD

Director of Clinical Innovation

Meetings

June 14 and 17, 2022

Contact Info

People

Our Mission

Projects

Web Search

Social Media Links

CCST Project

COVID-19 Workstream

Overview

COVID-19 Workstream News

Calls for Expertise

Contact Info

People

Our Mission

Projects

Web Search

Social Media Links

CCST Project

Linking Forest Health, Wildfire Smoke, and Public Health

Process

Study Team

Steering Committee

Authors

Steering Committee Members

Committee Selection and Approval

Expertise

Perspectives

Screening

Point of View

Considerations

Committee Selection

Step 1: Nominees

Step 2: Provisional Committee

Step 3: Board Approval

Committee Members' Bios