Dr. Joshua Witten Named Hartsville Rotarian of the Year
July 2, 2021
On June 22, Dr. Joshua Witten was named Rotarian of the Year by the Hartsville Rotary Club. The Hartsville Rotary Club is a philanthropic organization supporting Hartsville area schools and Rotary International’s worldwide initiatives.
In a recent writeup by SCNOW, some of his many accomplishments have included participating in trash cleanup on Fourth Street, operating Zoom during Sunrise Club meetings, and operating all of the social media and tech platforms. He also coined the term “sunrise at sunset.”
“He’s a gift to Hartsville Rotary, overall,” said Hannah McCain, the outgoing Hartsville Rotary president.
Dr. Witten continues to enhance a vast majority of research initiatives since joining GSSM in 2015. This includes the Summer Program for Research Interns (SPRI), which is a 6-week research program required for all residential seniors. This summer, there are 20 different programs spread across 20 different universities and businesses.
Dr. Witten is also the staff sponsor of the GSSM Interact Club, a student service club that is sponsored by the Hartsville Rotary Club. The GSSM chapter has been active for several years and has done several volunteer projects around the area. Their most recent project was refurbishing the bins at the Darlington County Habitat for Humanity, while the students were still working from home.
About the Summer Program for Research Interns (SPRI)
The Summer Program for Research Interns (SPRI) and the international Research Experience Scholars Program (RESP) are exciting programs unique to GSSM. For six weeks during the summer between junior and senior years, GSSM students join research groups at university and corporate R&D labs in South Carolina, the United States, Europe or Asia. Students work with their research mentors and Governor's School faculty during their senior year to compile and analyze their research findings, prepare formal research papers, and present their work at the GSSM Annual Research Colloquium and at the SC Junior Academy of Science annual meeting.