Career & Tools

The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is seeking graduate students, postdocs, and early-career faculty in California for the CCST Science Translators Showcase, held as part of their 2019 Science & Technology Week at the California State Capitol. Applications are due November 27, 2018. Read on for more!

By Daina Tagavi, Professional Development Peer
Friday, November 2nd, 2018 - 8:00am


The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is excited to seek graduate students, postdocs, and early-career faculty in California for the CCST Science Translators Showcase, held as part of our 2019 Science & Technology Week at the California State Capitol!

The chosen presenters will get a chance to explain their research to legislative staffers, agency managers, and senior policy leaders during a networking event at the California State Capitol. We're looking for candidates who are eager to learn and practice science communication skills and convey the relevance of their research to public policy applications. The goal of this experience is to improve their skills in offering impartial, nonpartisan advice to policymakers, to meet other amazing researchers, and to proudly represent their home institution.

Applicants must satisfy the following criteria:

  1. Must be a current masters or PhD student, or a postdoc, in a science or engineering field at one of the following education systems: University of California, California State University, Stanford, Caltech, or California Community Colleges. Graduate students and postdocs at NASA and U.S. Department of Energy laboratories in California are also eligible. Early-career faculty (within three years of first hire) from California Community Colleges are also invited to apply.
  2. Must be available to travel to Sacramento for the day-long event on Wednesday, February 6th, 2019. Chosen presenters will receive reimbursement for mileage or airfare and ground transportation. Selected applicants will also participate in four separate hour-long training webinars ahead of the event (scheduled for Thursday Jan. 10th, Jan. 17th, Jan. 24th, and Jan 31st at 2pm PST).

Showcase applications are due by 11:59 p.m. PST, Tuesday, November 27, 2018. Instructions and application form can be accessed here.

Additional program information FAQ are availabl​e here.

A critical component of the application process is a 60-second audition video. In it, applicants must explain their research and how it helps inform potential policy solutions in California. This is the applicant's chance to demonstrate their ability to engagingly and concisely translate technical information, tailoring their message and delivery to a senior policymaking audience and staff. Selection will take place in early December, and candidates will be chosen based on the quality of their auditions, and to represent a diversity of research topics, home institutions, and personal experiences.

The California Council on Science and Technology is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization established via the California State Legislature in 1988. CCST engages 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. Discover how CCST makes California's policies stronger with science here.