The aerospace industry plummeted in the ‘90s and now a Cal State Long Beach dean said he hopes to revive aerospace as a newly appointed adviser for the Assembly Select Committee on Aerospace.
College of Engineering Dean Forouzan Golshani who was appointed by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), said he is excited about his new position because “aerospace is everything in Southern California.”
“If I asked you about the key identifiers of SoCal back in the ‘70s, how people thought of Southern California, all of those had those roots in aerospace industry,” he said. “It was that influential.”
Golshani said aerospace is his “passion,” and that he is excited to take on his position, especially since aerospace has yet to recover in the Southern California industry.
According to the California Economic Summit, an organization that strives to “harness regional collaboration to spur economic innovation and growth,” the aerospace industry has been in a rapid decline within the past 20 years with California only representing roughly 9 percent of the global market share. It also noted how one of the biggest complaints within the organization is the lack of government support or involvement with “aerospace and defense companies as compared to other states” such as Texas, Florida and South Carolina.
“There’s quite a bit that has been done in order to resurrect and nurture a once very strong industry — that is my interest, it ties into renewed industry at a federal government level at bringing manufacturing level at the U.S,” Golshani said.
Although it would be Golshani’s first time advising a committee of the state assembly, he said he’s more excited than nervous because of his various trips to Capitol Hill to discuss aerospace with congressmen under his belt.
“The more engineering and scientists that participate in policy settings, the [better] it will be in science and technology,” Golshani said. “The gap needs to be filled. My involvement as an engineer will impact policy very significantly, so I definitely have a passion for it and I was very pleased.”
While the position is still relatively new to Golshani, he said a committee generates some items that the assembly and state review such as regulatory and environmental issues and assessing if laws need revision. He said the committee will evaluate how they impact California’s economy and industry.
As a dean and administrator at CSULB, Golshani said this opportunity will positively impact the school with a prestigious title, but it will also help him stay up-to-date with aerospace to better help his students.
“I need to be aware of what is happening everywhere especially at a state level. It gages me on where we should be going and how we can best respond to what’s being discussed at a state level,” he said. “It’s a big thing and help as an administrator.”
Golshani said that he hopes to substantially contribute to the committee.
“I’m excited because of what can be done is timely and in line with the national agenda and the revival of aerospace in Southern California,” he said. “It’s extremely important to the life of Southern California that is why I consider this committee to be impactful and my membership on it to be meaningful to me personally.”