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Townes Award
About the Townes Award
Since 1993, the Governor's School for Science & Mathematics has presented the Townes Award to honor individuals, businesses, or institutions that have transformed South Carolina and the world. Past winners have hailed from academic, business and political sectors.
Dr. Charles H. Townes (1915-2015) was a 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 transformed 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 Blu-rayTM players, as well as surgery, fiber optic communication, laser printers and weapons guidance systems.
The 2021 Townes Award Celebration
The 2021 Townes Award was presented to Lou and Bill Kennedy of Nephron Pharmaceuticals. Watch the program on YouTube:
| Order of the Event | |
|---|---|
| MC: Alicia Barnes, Anchor, WIS News 10 | |
| Welcome | Beth Dinndorf Executive Director, GSSM Foundation |
| Recognition of Sponsors | James Gergen President & CEO, CPM Federal Credit Union President, GSSM Foundation Board of Directors |
| GSSM Greetings | Danny Dorsel '90 Interim President & Senior Vice President for Residential, GSSM |
| Board of Trustees Greetings | Bob Brown President, Integrated Systems Chair, GSSM Board of Trustees |
| Convection Currents Experiment | Devin Laye '21 and Elena Morgan '21 |
| Alumni Speaker | Dr. Shelley Elvington '96 Director of Analytical Operations, Genentech |
| Student Speaker | Payton Baggott '22 |
| Introduction of Honorees | Dr. Ashley Daugherty Chief Scientific Officer, Nephron Pharmaceuticals GSSM Foundation Board Member |
| Presentation of Townes Award | Beth Dinndorf and Danny Dorsel |
| Honoree Remarks | Lou and Bill Kennedy Co-owners, Nephron Pharmaceuticals |
Townes Award Presentation 3
Celebration 3
Celebration 1
MC 2
Welcome 2
Welcome 3
Celebration 2
Celebration 4
Welcome 1
Recognition of Sponsors 1
Recognition of Sponsors 2
Celebration 5
Celebration 6
GSSM Greetings
Convection Currents Experiment 1
Convection Currents Experiment 2
Celebration 7
Celebration 8
GSSM Alumni Speaker
GSSM Student Speaker 1
GSSM Student Speaker 2
GSSM Student Speaker 5
GSSM Student Speaker 4
Celebration 9
Celebration 10
MC 1
Introduction of Honorees
Townes Award Presentation 2
Honoree Remarks 1
Honoree Remarks 6
Honoree Remarks 3
Honoree Remarks 7
Honoree Remarks 2
Honoree Remarks 4
Honoree Remarks 5
Congrats Videos 3
Congrats Videos 1
Congrats Videos 2
Beth Dinndorf
Congrats Videos 4
Alicia Barnes and the Kennedys
Celebration 11
Celebration 12
The Baggott Family
Celebration 13
GSSM Student Speaker 3
Celebration 14
Celebration 15
GSSM Alumni Photo
Celebration 16
GSSM Staff Photo
Townes Award Presentation 1