CALIFORNIA’s FEDERAL LABS: 2020 IMPACT REPORT

CCST One Pager: The Costs of Wildfire in California

Video: Public Briefing (10/29/20)

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Press Release: The Costs of Wildfire in California

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CCST Project

The Costs of Wildfire in California

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.

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

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

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.

CCST Project

Orphan Wells in California

Publications

Orphan Wells in California

Full Report:

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

Press Release: Orphan Wells in California

Cover Letter: Orphan Wells in California

Related Publications

Jan 23, 2020

Orphan Wells in California

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

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.

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

Press Release: Orphan Wells in California

Cover Letter: Orphan Wells in California

CCST Project

The Costs of Wildfire in California

Overview

This report, undertaken by CCST and made possible with support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, summarizes the state of knowledge regarding wildfire losses and their associated costs across key sectors. It challenges the assumptions underlying current fire management policies and proposes a novel framework for understanding the total cost of wildfire in California.

The results of this study suggest opportunities for policymakers to improve the effectiveness of wildfire management in California by enabling regional approaches, increasing investments in mitigation and resilience strategies, and accounting for the cumulative public health impacts of exposure to multiple fire events—including the interacting effects of wildfire smoke and COVID-19. In delivering a comprehensive framework to assess wildfire costs in California, the study finds that a full statewide calculation of wildfire costs is not possible with currently available data. Furthermore, the study finds that the costs associated with unquantified categories of loss (e.g., health impacts, loss of ecosystem services) likely exceed the reported costs. A more accurate accounting may result in more than double the currently reported costs.

Project Description

The economic burden of wildfires on the State of California and its residents is a wide-ranging topic, so correctly framing the scope of work is a crucial step in the study process.

The overarching question for the report is:

What are the key considerations concerning costs and losses from California wildfires, and what information already exists to answer them?

Elements that were considered for the report scope:

(1) Pre-Incident and Ongoing Activities
Efforts carried out to prevent unintentional human-caused wildfire ignitions or to mitigate the negative outcomes of wildfires.

1. Education/training (public and fire department)
2. Ignition Detection
3. Enforcement/Permitting/policing/inspections
4. Monitoring and Forecasting of conditions (e.g. wind events, fuel loads)
5. Infrastructure and Home Hardening
6. Public Safety Power Shutoffs
7. Fuels management (e.g. mechanical thinning, prescribed burns)
8. Insurance
9. Disaster Assistance Funds

(2) Active Incident
Suppression and emergency response efforts in response to active wildfires, wildfire smoke plumes, or related incidents (e.g. landslide, flooding).

1. Firefighting activities
2. Evacuations
3. Emergency Shelter
4. Closures (Schools, Hospitals, Roads, work stoppages, etc.)

(3) Incident Outcomes and Recovery

Direct and indirect losses caused by wildfires, wildfire smoke, related incidents (e.g. landslide, flooding), or suppression efforts (e.g. impacts of fire retardants). Losses may be incurred during or after an active incident and may occur within the footprint of the wildfire or at a distance from the wildfire perimeter.

1. Death and injuries, including psychological impacts
2. Loss of structures and infrastructure
3. Loss of natural resources
4. Loss of agriculture
5. Environmental impacts (vegetation loss, watershed and soil impacts, etc.)
6. Remediation and cleanup
7. General economic impacts (business interruption, population decline)
8. Supply chain impacts
9. Interruption of services (utilities, transportation, government)
10. Housing market impacts
11. Decrease in Tax Base

CCST Project

Makerspace Movement

ISAM Publications

As part of CCST's engagement with the Makerspace Movement, CCST's Brie Lindsey, PhD, co-authored four publications with makerspace leaders for ISAM — the International Symposium for Academic Makerspaces.

An image of the first page of an academic report.

ISAM 2019 | Paper No. 14

Hacking Maslow: Assessment, Scale, and Survival of a Statewide Community College Makerspace Network in California

Deborah Bird and Brie Lindsey

ISAM 2018 | Paper No. 11

Making Across the Curriculum: Multidisciplinary Making at Folsom Lake College

Zachary J. Dowell and Brie J. Lindsey

ISAM 2018 | Paper No. 10

Santa Maria's Central Coast Makerspace Collaborative: A Network of Internal and External Partners

Robert D. Mabry, Suzanne M. Valery, and Brie J. Lindsey

ISAM 2018 | Paper No. 09

Growing A Network of Makerspaces in California Community Colleges: Moving Towards Implementation and Adoption

Carol Pepper-Kittredge,M.H.R.O.D., B.S., Deborah Bird, M. Arch, Dip. Teach., Brie Lindsey, Ph.D.

https://www.uidaho.edu/president/direct-reports/mcclure-center/istpf

COVID-19 Workstream News

Aug 18, 2022

(Update: Call Closed) 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

(Update: Call Closed) CCST Seeks Expert Participants for Workshop on “Reimagining a 21st Century Public Health System”

CCST Project

Science & Policy Beyond California

COMPLETED: January 2016

State Fellowships Planning Grant

State legislators and policymakers around the United States are encountering increasingly complicated science- and technology-related matters — pertaining to water, agriculture, energy, privacy, health, natural resources, food security, and other pressing issues. Policy decisions on these topics have widespread and long-term impacts, so it is valuable for state government lawmakers to have rapid access to trusted, impartial experts who can provide advice on and help decipher these complex issues.

Since 2009, our own CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows Program has placed PhD-level scientists annually in the California State Legislature for one-year appointments. These CCST Science Fellows gain valuable real-world experience working directly in the policymaking process as legislative staff, while California state legislators gain access to impartial, science-savvy staff to help them make critical decisions.

CCST has learned a great deal from offering this public service and government leadership training experience for scientists and engineers. Encouraged by this success, in summer 2016 CCST announced a new grant to encourage other states to replicate or adapt our CCST Science Fellows program. Funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (#GBMF5943) and the Simons Foundation, this planning grant would support each grantee in completing landscape analyses, feasibility studies, and other strategic steps towards creating their own state-based, immersive science and technology policy fellowship.

In early 2017, proposals from nine states were awarded grants. CCST invited all nine teams to participate in a grant launch workshop co-hosted with the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship program. Indeed, the CCST modeled its state fellowship program after that of AAAS, which places scientists in congressional offices and federal agencies.

The collective social impact of the AAAS and CCST policy fellowships has come full circle with this planning grant: of the nine awarded teams, three are led by former CCST or AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellows. We hope this is a sign of even farther-reaching impact in the years to come.

Grant Recipients

Alaska

Host Institutions

University of Alaska System, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Points of Contact

Gwen Holdmann
Director, Alaska Center for Energy and Power, University of Alaska Fairbanks
[email protected]

George Roe
Research Professor, Alaska Center for Energy and Power, University of Alaska Fairbanks
[email protected]

Progress Update

The team was awarded a strategic planning grant from CCST in early 2017, and participated in the CCST grant launch workshop at the 2017 AAAS Annual Meeting. Grantee teams participated in a planning workshop held during the 2018 AAAS Annual Meeting.

Colorado

Host Institutions

University of Colorado, Boulder – Center for Science and Technology Policy Research

Points of Contact

Matthew L. Druckenmiller, PhD
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder
[email protected]

Progress Update

Fellowship Legacy

Matthew Druckenmiller was a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow from 2013 to 2015, serving the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Connecticut

Host Institutions

Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering

Points of Contact

Richard Strauss
Executive Director, Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering
[email protected]

Progress Update

The team was awarded a strategic planning grant from CCST in early 2017, and participated in the CCST grant launch workshop at the 2017 AAAS Annual Meeting. Grantee teams most recently participated in a planning workshop held during the 2017 NCSL Legislative Summit and during the 2018 AAAS Annual Meeting.

For More Information:

http://www.ctcase.org/fellowship.html

Idaho

Host Institutions

University of Idaho

Boise State University

Idaho State University

Points of Contact

Katherine Himes, Ph.D.
Director, McClure Center for Public Policy Research

Progress Update

In 2020, the Idaho Science & Technology Policy fellowship launched with its inaugural class of fellows placed within Idaho State Agencies aiding decision makers in a broad swath policy issue areas.

For More Information:

Massachusetts

Host Institutions

Boston University

Points of Contact

Nathan Phillips, PhD
Professor, Department of Earth & Environment, Boston University
[email protected]

Progress Update

On July 12, 2018, Massachusetts State Senate President Harriette Chandler (First Worcester) introduced a resolution where the Commonwealth of Massachusetts “invites and encourages non-partisan, non-profit science, engineering, technology, and scholarly societies; institutions of higher learning; not-for-profit philanthropic foundations; and allied organizations to convene a planning process and engage with legislators in Massachusetts for the establishment of a non-partisan science and technology legislative fellows program for the purpose of informing science and technology policy development in the Commonwealth.” Senate President Chandler presented the resolution to Dr. Nathan Phillips on the Massachusetts State Senate floor session that day. (Video at 34:20 mark, courtesy of The General Court)

Fellowship Legacy

Nathan Phillips was a CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellow in 2014, serving the California State Senate Transportation and Housing Committee under then-Chair Mark DeSaulnier. Read Phillips’ fellowship Q&A here.

Michigan

Host Institutions

Michigan State University

Points of Contact

David W. Bertram
Associate Vice President of State Affairs, Michigan State University
[email protected]

Progress Update

New Jersey

Host Institutions

Rutgers University – Eagleton Institute of Politics

Points of Contact

John Weingart
Associate Director, Eagleton Institute of Politics
[email protected]

Progress Update

In 2020, the first class of Eagleton Science and Politics Fellowship fellows were placed within legislative offices and executive agencies for a full year experience in New Jersey Government.

For More Information:

https://eagleton.rutgers.edu/eagleton-science-and-politics-initiative/

North Carolina

Host Institutions

Duke University Science & Society Initiative, Duke University Sanford School for Public Policy, Duke University Government Affairs Office, and North Carolina Sea Grant

Points of Contact

Andrew George
PhD Candidate, Duke University
[email protected]

Daniel Keeley
PhD Candidate, Duke University
[email protected]

Twitter: @NCSTEMPolFellow

Progress Update

In 2020, the NC STEM Policy Fellowship placed its inaugural class of fellows in the NC Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Commerce. These and future fellows will spend a year in service to North Carolina State Government aiding decision makers and providing insight on state matters.

For More Information:

https://ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/funding-opps/fellowships/nc-stem-policy-fellowship/

Washington

Host Institutions

Washington State Academy of Sciences, Washington State University William D. Ruckelshaus Center

Points of Contact

Donna Gerardi Riordan
Executive Director, Washington Academy of Sciences
[email protected]

Melanie Roberts, PhD
ST4S Consulting
[email protected]

Progress Update

Fellowship Legacy

Melanie Roberts was a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow from 2006 to 2008, serving in the U.S. Senate and the National Science Foundation. Roberts is also the founding director of Emerging Leaders in Science & Society (ELISS), a program hosted by American Association for the Advancement of Science, which recruits graduate students to lead cross-sector dialogues on a range of science policy issues.

Donna Gerardi Riordan is the former Director of Programs at CCST, playing a leading role during the establishment of the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship program.

Timeline

(July 2016)

Original Call for Letters of Intent

(February 2017)

Awarded Proposals Press Release

(Other)

Resources for Applicants and Awardees

Media

2017

MIRS, August 9 — Michigan Legislators May Soon Get Their Own Science Advisors”

CCST, July 24 — CCST to Talk State-Level Science Advice at NCSL 2017 Legislative Summit in Boston

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, April 4 — Strengthening Connections Between Scientists and Policymakers

Inside Philanthropy, April 3 — A Foundation Aims to Strengthen Connections Between Scientists and Policymakers

SSTI, February 23 — Nine States Explore Science Policy Fellowships

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, February 16 — Local and Global Connections Between Scientists and Policymakers

CCST, February 16 — CCST Awards Grants to Nine States to Explore Potential for Science Policy Fellowships

CCST Project

Technology to Prevent Cell Phone Use in California Prisons

COMPLETED: May 2012

Project Team Members

The Contraband Cell Phones in Prison project is fortunate to have an outstanding set of participants. The overall project is led by Charles Harper. Below are details on the project team members.

name	affiliation	position
Charles Harper (Chair)	Strategy and Systems Innovation Group, Semtech	Senior Vice President
S. Pete Worden	NASA Ames Research Center	Director
Don Beddell	NASA Ames Research Center	Network Engineer
Bobby Cates	NASA Ames Research Center	External Interface Network Engineer
Deb Feng	NASA Ames Research Center	Deputy Center Director (acting)
Ray Gilstrap	NASA Ames Research Center	Network Engineer, Information Technology Directorate
William Hunt	NASA Ames Research Center	RF/IT Technician
William Notley	NASA Ames Research Center	ARC RF Spectrum Manager
James Williams	NASA Ames Research Center	IT Director and ARC Chief Technology Officer
Brian W. Carver	University of California, Berkeley	Assistant Professor
Pat Diamond		Consultant
David Goldstein	Draper Laboratory	Sr. Systems Engineer
Pat Mantey	UCSC and CITRIS
Susan Hackwood	CCST	Executive Director
Lora Lee Martin	CCST	Government Affairs

CCST Project

innovate 2 innovation

COMPLETED: March 2011

Innovation Action Team

The primary recommendation of the Innovate 2 Innovation project is to bring together public and private leaders who are given a specific charge to focus on California's innovation and competitiveness infrastructure. An Innovation Action Team (IAT), comprised of leaders from universities, industry, and government, has been tasked to develop an Innovation Roadmap that will include specific recommendations for Improving Critical Innovation Infrastructure in California. This Innovation Action Team would be convened for this specific purpose over a defined period of approximately 12 months. Facilitated and staffed by CCST, this team would provide their recommendations to the Legislature.

Two key strategies essential to achieve this task are:

Developing and leveraging public-private partnerships linking California's assets in education, research, technology, finance, and philanthropy to create social and technical innovations that competitors with less complete infrastructure cannot match.
Enlisting California's S&T community in finding solutions to two of the state's major challenges, education and water, and, in so doing, enhancing California's international competitiveness.

name	affiliation	position
Randolph Hall	University of Southern California	Vice President of Research
William F. Miller	Graduate School of Business, Stanford University	Herbert Hoover Professor of Public & Private Management, Emeritus
Bob Sullivan	Rady School of Management, University of California San Diego	Dean
Sam Traina	University of California Merced	Professor of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Ted and Jan Falasco Chair in Earth Sciences and Geology, Vice Chancellor for Research, Graduate Dean
Steve Zornetzer	NASA Ames Research Center	Associate Center Director

Education Action Team

As a component of the overall i2i assessment and recommendations requested by the Legislature, CCST facilitated several discussions around the state, explored the opportunities in new technologies created for education, and the Education Action Team will produce recommendations offering more radically effective approaches to educate California's workforce.

There still is a need and a real opportunity to look at different models to inspire excellence in education. Utilizing public/private partnerships, a new, innovative approach could leverage the technology base in California to create educational opportunity; a new, transformative approach targeted at worker training and advanced education with access for all Californians. Investing in digitally designed education is, in effect, using the technological supremacy of the state to "reboot" the state's education delivery system and would be designed for the digital native generation - the state's future workforce.

name	affiliation	position
Dede Alpert	California State Senate	Former State Senator
Anne Marie Bergen	Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo	Teacher in Residence, Biological Sciences
Mohammad Qayoumi	San Jose State University	President
Stephen Rockwood	Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)	Former Executive Vice President and Director

Water Action Team

Water continues to be the most fundamental resource challenge facing California. Water issues have shaped California's politics and economy since its founding. While the North has the water and the South needs water, the Central Valley must have water to grow its crops. Historically, these water resource challenges were solved by engineering solutions including building massive water systems based on canals and dams.

While these investments remain urgent today, California faces a more complex range of resource challenges including inter-related issues of water, energy, agriculture, climate change, and environmental stewardship that can be addressed through the state's significant science and technology community, represented by its universities, research institutions, and innovative companies.

name	affiliation	position
Jude Laspa	Bechtel Group, Inc.	Former Executive Vice President and Director
Soroosh Sorooshian	Center for Hydrometeorology & Remote Sensing (CHRS), UC Irvine	Distinguished Professor and Director
Robert Wilkinson	Water Policy Program, University of California Santa Barbara	Director
David Zoldoske	California Water Institute and the Center for Irrigation Technology CSU Fresno	Director

CCST Project

innovate 2 innovation

COMPLETED: March 2011

Publications

Innovate 2 Innovation – An Assessment of California’s Innovation Ecosystem (Phase I)

Full Report:

Innovate 2 Innovation – An Assessment of California’s Innovation Ecosystem (Phase II) California’s Water Future

Full Report:

Innovate 2 Innovation – An Assessment of California’s Innovation Ecosystem (Phase II) Digitally Enhanced Education

Full Report:

Innovate 2 Innovation – An Assessment of California’s Innovation Ecosystem (Phase II) Executive Summary

Full Report:

Legislative Request

(May 17, 2010)

Request Letter

(Jan. 22, 2011)

Interim Report to Legislature

innovate-2-innovation-project-accent

Data Sources

U.S. Commerce Department Announces Members of New Innovation Advisory Board
Governor's Guide on State Research & Development Funds: NGA Center on Best Practices & Pew Center on the States
State Profile - California by Collaborative Economics
Science and Technology Index 2010: Enduring Lessons for the Intangible Economy
January 2011
Issues In Science and Technology
Spring 2010
Regional Innovation Initiative
Compete.org (page no longer available)
Innovation in America: Investing in Innovation (1.8MB)
National Governors Association/Pew Center on the States
Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy (3.0MB)
Massachusetts Technology Collaborative/John Adams Innovation Institute, 2009
Innovative Solutions for California's Future Briefing Book (6.1MB)
Milken Institute State of the State Conference, October 2008
Innovation Driven Economic Development Model: A Practical Guide for the Reginal Innovation Broker (1.9MB)
Collaborative Economics, September 2008
Best-Performing Cities 2008: Where America's Jobs Are Created and Sustained (2.5MB)
GreenStreet Partners/Milken Institute, September 2008
California's Position in Technology and Science: A Comparative Benchmarking Assessment (7.4MB)
Milken Institute, June 2008
State Technology and Science Index: Enduring Lessons for the Intangible Economy (1.3MB)
Milken Institute, June 2008
Overview of California State-Funded R&D, 2004-2007: Understanding the State's Role in Shaping R&D Spending California Council on Science and Technology, November 2008
The Innovation Economy: Protecting the Talent Advantage (975KB)
Bay Area Economic Forum, February 2006
Open Business Models: How to Thrive in the New Innovation Landscape.
Henry William Chesbrough, 2006
California State Science and Technology Policy: Applications, Implications, Recommendations (7.0MB)
Joint Committee on Preparing California for the 21st Century, November 2004
Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology.
Henry William Chesbrough, 2003
Clusters of Innovation Initiative: San Diego
Council on Competitiveness, May 2001
The Rise of the Network Society: The Information Age: Economy, Society, and Culture Volume I
Manuel Castells, 2000

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CCST Project

Orphan Wells in California

Process

This report will be researched and written by principal researchers and select CCST staff within a project team, with an appropriate range of expertise, a balance of perspectives, and no conflicts of interest (unless a conflict is deemed unavoidable and is promptly and publicly disclosed). As the report is drafted, it will be submitted for feedback from identified experts and CCST Council Members for review based on their expertise.

CCST strives to produce reports through a transparent process to ensure that the final product is responsive to the questions of the sponsor, while maintaining full scientific independence. Transparency is achieved by engaging the sponsor in dialogue about the nature of the information they need and informing the sponsoring agency of our progress. 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.

Project Team

Dr. Judson Boomhower is the primary analyst for the study and will be assisted in writing the body of the report by CCST staff members Dr. Mikel Shybut and Dr. M. Daniel DeCillis. Terence Thorn serves as the project team's lead expert advisor.

Terence Thorn, JKM Consulting
Judson Boomhower, UCSD
Mikel Shybut, CCST
M. Daniel DeCillis, CCST

The following institutions are subcontractors and are not responsible for the final content of the report, which rests with CCST and the Project Team:

UCSD
JKM Consulting

Peer Review

Peer review is the process of the evaluation of the scientific and technical merit (and likelihood of success) of the proposed research project/program by a panel of reviewers with direct expertise in the area of research to be evaluated who have no personal stake or interest in the outcome of the evaluation process. The salient features of the peer review process are the evaluation of the research program by "peer" experts in relevant fields who are deemed qualified to evaluate the product based solely on the scientific and technical merit of the content. It is standard practice to keep the identity of peer reviewers confidential as well as all of the comments and deliberations.

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 Science, adapted to be appropriate for California. It is standard practice to keep the identity of peer reviewers confidential as well as all of the comments and deliberations.