Biologist, biotech entrepreneur and Marshall resident Corey Goodman does not hesitate to lend his expertise to problems great and small. Before he became involved in the Drakes Bay Oyster Company debate, he helped locate the source of a virus contaminating Tomales Bay oysters and exposed a surreptitious plan to allow the expansion of Point Reyes National Seashore to the east shore of the bay. His determination will come in handy in a new role announced last week as chair of the California Council on Science and Technology. The 23-member council, established by legislative decree in 1988, advises the state government on issues ranging from energy policy to science education to how information technology can better inform health care laws. Mr. Goodman has worked with the council since 2006, when he chaired a task force investigating technological innovation, and has served as a member since 2007. “I won’t be shy about the questions and policies we will tackle,” he said. During the George W. Bush administration, when he chaired the National Research Council’s Board on Life Sciences, he continued, “we tackled such thorny issues as human stem cells, human cloning, the E.P.A.’s analysis of waterborne pathogens, and the reorganization of the National Institutes of Health, just to name a few.” As the council’s new leader, Mr. Goodman said he will welcome investigations of substantive scientific concerns, including fracking and climate change; the council is also poised to issue a timely report on the management of California’s water resources. Mr. Goodman will serve as C.C.S.T. chair for a three-year term, at which point he is eligible to be re-appointed for a second term. — Samantha Kimmey