The South Carolina Academy of Science gratefully recognizes the contribution of
MeadWestvaco, and the South Carolina Research Authority
for their support of the
Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Science
1985-1988 Drug Science Foundation Award for Excellence in Science
1989-Present Governor’s Award for Excellence in Science
The award was established in 1985 by the Drug Science Foundation to honor specifically an
individual or team within the state whose achievements and contributions to science in
South Carolina merit special recognition and to promote wider awareness of the quality and
extent of scientific activity in South Carolina. Since 1989 the award, named the
“Governor’s Award for Excellence in Science”, has been under the joint sponsorship of the
Governor’s office and the South Carolina Academy of Science. In 1993 these groups were
joined by the Dewees Development Corporation and Harbor Watch of Charleston. In 2015,
MeadWestvaco and the South Carolina Research Authority join in sponsorship of the
Governor’s Awards.
Beginning in 1990, two of these awards were given annually to include an award for
scientific discovery and/or an award for scientific awareness. In 2005 the Academy, in
conjunction with the Governor’s Office, initiated the sponsorship of a third award directed
to a gifted young researcher (only those individuals who have completed no more than 12
years beyond the Ph.D.). The award is called the Governor’s Young Scientist Award for
Excellence in Scientific Research and was sponsored by Michelin North America. The
awards are presented to the recipients at a special awards ceremony held in the spring in
conjunction with the South Carolina Academy of Science’s annual meeting.
Candidates should be currently working in South Carolina or have conducted a substantial
portion of their work within the state. Contributions may be in any area of science and may
be for service to science through non-formal education in the various media, for exemplary
exposition at the college or university level, or as an acknowledgement for significant
outstanding formal research. The award may be given to an individual or a team. If the
award is made to a team, the honorarium will be distributed equally.
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2015 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Scientific Research
is awarded to
Dr. Asif Khan
Carolina Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and
Founder/Director of the Photonics & Microelectronics
Laboratory, University of South Carolina
Dr. Asif Khan, Carolina Distinguished Professor and Founder/Director of the Photonics &
Microelectronics Laboratory at USC, is author or co-author of more than 350 refereed
publications, over 200 conference presentations, and has attracted research and
development grants and contracts for an average funding level of over $4 Million per year.
Dr. Khan’s pioneered the development of Gallium Nitride (GaN) Light-Emitting Diodes
(LEDs) and Power Electronics Devices which are now used in every new traffic light, TV, or
scoreboard across the globe. Dr. Khan’s laboratory produced spinoff companies such as
Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. and Nitek Inc., which together employ over 120 people in
Columbia, SC.
Dr. Khan's group was the first to demonstrate AlGaNbased deep ultraviolet light emitting
diodes. His work in this area led to major research activity around the globe, and to new
commercially available products. The deep UV LEDs can potentially revolutionize air/water
purification, germicidal, power curing and bio-medical instrumentation applications. Solidstate deep uv lighting based on Dr. Khan's pioneered DUV LEDs has been forecasted to be
a billion dollar market. The entire GaN power electronics industry is founded on Prof.
Khan's pioneering research. Research activities following from this work currently involve
many thousand researchers around the globe with major national research programs in US,
Europe, Korea, Japan, Singapore and China.
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2015 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Scientific Awareness
is awarded to
Dr. Perry Halushka
Distinguished University Professor and Dean Emeritus, Medical
University of South Carolina
Dr. Halushka joined the Medical University of South Carolina faculty as an Assistant
Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine in 1974, ultimately rising to the rank of full
Professor and then Distinguished University Professor. The hallmarks of his career are
outstanding research and a passion for mentoring and teaching. Throughout his career, he
has always demonstrated a strong desire to act as an ambassador for the STEM disciplines
by promoting an awareness of the excitement of discovery and research.
Dr. Halushka became Dean of the College of Graduate Studies in July, 2000. As Dean, he
transformed the College of Graduate Studies, creating a common application and entry
pathway into the graduate degree programs. This approach included an entirely new
unified core curriculum for first-year students as well as courses in professional
development, diversity awareness, grant-writing and new research training opportunities.
As Dean, he created a series of programs to enrich the opportunities for students ranging
from middle school through graduate school to gain awareness of the possible career paths
available to them in the biomedical sciences. He helped start and foster with the graduate
students the extraordinarily successful Graduate Students Reaching Out With Science
(GROWS) program. The students created a series of modules representing major areas of
science and used these in middle schools in the Charleston area to conduct science
demonstrations for the students.
For 27 years, Dr. Halushka has also directed the Medical Scientist Training Program at
MUSC. Of particular note, in a national survey conducted in 2013, the Medical Scientist
Training Program ranked third per capita in the nation in the number of highly competitive
NIH National Research Service Award fellowships.
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2015 Governor’s Young Scientist Award for Excellence in
Scientific Research
(Dual Award)
is awarded to
Dr. Matthew Carpenter
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Hollings
Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina
Dr. Carpenter received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Vermont in
2002, and relocated to Charleston for internship and postdoctoral training. He joined the
MUSC faculty in 2006 and is currently an Associate Professor with a primary appointment
within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and a secondary appointment
in the Department of Public Health Sciences. His principal affiliation is with the Hollings
Cancer Center, Cancer Control Program.
His primary research interests relate to tobacco use across a broad methodological
continuum: from lab-based studies of craving and nicotine dependence, to clinical trials for
smoking cessation, to public health policy for effective tobacco control. He is principally
funded through NIH, and is the prior/current recipient of a Career Development Award
(K23) and three R01s (NCI & NIDA), and a R21, all as Principal Investigator. He serves as
co-investigator or consultant on numerous other grants, all tobacco related. His research
and expertise has been cited by local, state and national media.
He is credited with over 75 peer-reviewed publications, and has reviewed manuscripts for
many journals, as well the 2008 Public Health Service Guidelines for Treating Tobacco Use
and Dependence (published by the US Public Health Service). He serves on the editorial
board of both CNS Drugs and the Journal of Behavioral Medicine.
As a Board Member of the Smokefree Lowcountry Coalition, he frequently advises on local
and state efforts to promote smokefree ordinances. Dr. Carpenter is a frequent guest
lecturer on smoking cessation to medical and dental students, as well to community groups,
and provides practice implications from the current evidence base. Dr. Carpenter is a
previous recipient of a New Investigator Award from the Society for Research on Nicotine
and Tobacco.
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2015 Governor’s Young Scientist Award for Excellence in
Scientific Research
(Dual Award)
is awarded to
Dr. Brenda Garcia-Diaz
Savannah River National Laboratory Aiken, South Carolina
Dr. Garcia-Diaz received her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of South
Carolina in 2007. Subsequently, she joined the staff of the Savannah River National
Laboratory (SRNL) as Senior Scientist in Materials Performance and Corrosion.
At SRNL, Dr. Garcia-Diaz successfully developed methods for the electrochemical synthesis
of hydrogen storage materials for fuel cells. In addition, she conducted corrosion
investigations to increase the safety envelope of the high level waste tanks at the Savannah
River Site and developed an electrochemical fluorination method for processing spent
nuclear fuel that greatly reduces the volume of the waste to be disposed. In 2012 she was
named Principal Investigator for the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative and
currently leads a team of scientists and engineers from SRNL, University of South
Carolina, and University of Alabama in this $4M collaborative national effort that seeks to
lower the cost of solar power to be cost-competitive with other energy sources by 2020.
Her work has led to 3 patents that are pending and 2 invention disclosures. She has
published 10 articles in major scientific venues since 2007. She has received the SRNL
Special Recognition Award 3 times, currently serves on the Industrial Research Advisory
Board for the Chemical Engineering Department of the University of South Carolina, and is
a member of the 2013 Leadership Energy Carolinas Class of 2013.
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2015 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Scientific Research at
a Predominately Undergraduate Institution
is awarded to
Dr. John Wheeler
Professor of Chemistry and Director, Office of Integrative
Research in the Sciences, Furman University
Over his 23 years at Furman University, John Wheeler has developed a research program
that applies analytical techniques to a diverse group of chemical problems. Through this
work, he has served as research mentor for over 160 undergraduate students resulting in
more than 25 student co-authored peer reviewed publications and over 150 student
presentations.
Since 2008, John has served as Director of the Office of Integrative Research in the
Sciences (OIRS). Under his leadership, OIRS has been instrumental in acquiring nearly
$7M in funding through multiple NSF, NIH and HHMI awards. Wheeler’s innovative
management has helped strengthen the research programs of faculty across the sciences,
supported the purchase of new instrumentation and provided research opportunities for
Furman students as well as underserved college and high school students from around the
State.
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