The Townes Award

The Governor's School for Science and Mathematics Foundation presents an annual Townes Award that honors individuals or institutions that have gone beyond the basic requirements of their professional positions to raise the quality of science, mathematics and technology education in South Carolina.

Past winners have hailed from academic, business and political sectors.

Since 1993, the Governor's School for Science and Mathematics has presented the Townes Award, named for Dr. Charles H. Townes, native South Carolinian, Furman graduate and Nobel Laureate in physics. In 1964, Dr. Townes received the Nobel Prize for his work in quantum electronics leading to the invention of the laser. This breakthrough revolutionized not only science, but also our everyday lives. The laser now is a ubiquitous part of the modern landscape in everything from supermarket bar code scanners to compact disc players, as well as surgery, fiber optic communication, laser printers and weapons guidance systems.

Here is a video from the 2010 Townes Award Dinner:

Past Townes Award Recipients

1993 - Governor Carroll A. Campbell Jr. and Mr. Charles W. Coker
1994 - Dr. John R. Carpenter and Dr. Doris R. Helms
1995 - Professor Elizabeth M. Martin
1996 - Dr. Walter D. Smith
1997 - Mr. Fred Sheheen
1998 - Dr. Peggy W. Cain
1999 - Mr. Roger Milliken and Dr. Ruth Patrick
2000 -  Mr. Rudy Mancke and Dr. John Michener
2001 -  Dr. Larry A. Jackson
2002 - The Honorable Richard W. Riley
2003 - Major General and NASA Astronaut Charles F. Bolden Jr.
2004 - South Carolina's Three Research Universities: Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina
2005 - Former Senator Ernest F. Hollings
2006 - Mr. Don Herriott, head of Roche Global Chemical Manufacturing
2007 - The Honorable Robert W. Harrell, Jr., Speaker of the House, SC House of Representatives
2008 - Steve Swanson, Automated Trading Desk
2009 - Harris E. DeLoach, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sonoco Products Company
2010 - Darla Moore, Vice President, Rainwater, Inc. and Founder, Palmetto Institute