Assemblymember Bill Quirk will be our keynote speaker on Monday, Nov 30. Bill has an undergraduate degree in engineering and applied physics and a PhD in Astrophysics, both from Columbia University. He had a 35 year career as a computational hydrodynamicist.
 
After a postdoctoral fellowship at CalTech, he went to NASA Goddard, where he developed one
of the first Global 3-dimensional models of the earth's climate. He joined Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory in 1978, where he continued his work on climate and became the Nation's
foremost technical expert on foreign nuclear weapons. Bill played an instrumental role in the
successful negotiations for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. He retired from
Lawrence Lab in June 2005.
 
Bill was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2012. Since then, he has worked
on issues addressing energy, climate change, transportation and public safety. He is Chair of the
Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials (ESTM). As the only scientist
in the Legislature, data and research play a major role in his approach to legislation. Since
becoming Chair of ESTM, Bill has authored legislation on lead among children, recycled water,
contaminants of emerging concern in drinking water and harmful algal blooms.