California Council on Science and Technology Envisions Resurgent California With 'Innovate 2 Innovation'

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A report prepared by the California Council on Science and Technology at the request of the California Legislature — "Innovate 2 Innovation," or "i2i" — calls for strengthening collaboration between industry and higher education in the state, transforming California K-12 education into a robust and digitally-driven learning environment and applying technology to resolving California's water issues at a level unknown today.

A California Innovation Corporation, or CIC, would provide a cohesive setting for academic and industry leaders to work more closely together. Funded privately, the Corporation would promote the commercialization of innovative products and development while nurturing talent.

The i2i report paints a stark picture of California's current status. California trails other states in rates of growth. In 2004, the combined 39 million population of Texas, Virginia and Washington included 213,000 engineers. By 2008, the number of employed engineers had grown by 43,000. California, with roughly the same population, introduced about half as much engineers into its workforce, despite its longtime role as the epicenter of global high-tech industry.

If adopted, i2i's recommendations on K-12 education would likely make the most visible and widespread difference in day-to-day life in California. It calls for every California child to have access to broadband capability. Under this scenario, students would interact with teachers and explore subjects through mobile phones and laptops inside and outside of a classroom.

Achieving this would require revamping California's Education Code, which actually works to block advances in digitally enhanced education, according to i2i. Related to this is removing a roadblock to complete implementation of new standards adopted in 2010 for math, English, science and social science literacy.

In addition to radical changes in education, the California economy requires an innovative, more high-tech approach to what's become a perennial no-win dilemma — water. However, i2i envisions a way out through a 10, 25 and 50-year road map.

Again calling for a mixture of public and private funding, i2i outlines how science and technology should play a bigger role in forecasting water availability and demand, ensuring water quality and restoring watersheds and riparian habitats. This can be accomplished through a more aggressive use of satellite monitoring, membrane and filtration technology and sensor technology.

The CCST is a nonpartisan, nonprofit created in 1988 by the California Legislature. To learn more, visit www.ccst.us.

SOURCE California Council on Science and Technology