C. Judson King Council Chair Karl S. Pister Board Chair

CCST's mandate is to advise state leaders on public policy issues significantly related to science and technology, and to make accessible the scientific expertise of both California and the nation. We are working to leverage our unique partnership of California's industry and academic leaders in addressing the critical education and research planning issues facing the state.

2003 has become a time of cautious optimism: California remains the nation's leader in innovation and, despite the significant economic challenges the United States has been facing, managed to create more high-tech jobs in 2002 than any other state. Scientists and engineers make up a higher percentage of its workforce than in most states, and it is cited as the strongest state in the country for growing new fields such as nanotechnology.

It is hard to think of a component of our lives that is not affected by science and technology. From genetically modified food products to ubiquitous computing, the size of our high-tech sector means that fluctuations in the high-tech world, such as we saw in 2000 and 2001, have a disproportionate effect on the state.

Understanding the scope and impact of the scientific advances and innovations that power our economy is critically important. State policymakers, industry leaders, and citizens need to be better informed about science and technology related issues to make policy decisions on energy production and distribution, transportation infrastructure, water management, agriculture, and education - all California's lifeline issues.

California's industries understand this need. Our high-tech companies have realized that scientific literacy is necessary for a skilled and capable workforce as well as informed decision-making at the state and local levels. As the California Council on Science and Technology's research has demonstrated, the state's production of workers capable of filling the high-tech jobs California creates is seriously inadequate.

We are actively developing our relationship with the National Academies, working to make their immense reservoir of cutting-edge research both accessible and California-specific. California's challenges are significant, but CCST's existing and developing partnerships among the state's scientific communities are important steps towards ensuring a bright future for the state.

C. Judson King, Council Chair