Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics Partner for International Research Exchange Scholars Program
September 2, 2009
COLUMBIA, HARTSVILLE, SC – August 31, 2009 – The South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics (GSSM) Foundation’s new collaborative with Roche Carolina, Roche Mannheim and the Johanna Wittum School in Germany to create the Research Exchange Scholars Program has become a reality.
The program was launched with support from research-based healthcare company Roche to provide six-week internships abroad for high school students. Emily Harruff of Columbia, Lily Elsner of Due West and Alice Chang of Summerville lived with local host families and conducted college-level research in areas including applied microbiology, botany and cyto- and neurophysiology this past summer.
In August, three students from Germany’s Johanna Wittum school, a high school specializing in biotechnology education, traveled to South Carolina, where they are residing on GSSM’s Hartsville campus and work as research interns alongside established professors at the University of South Carolina whose projects cover a broad spectrum of topics in cell and molecular biology.
About GSSM
GSSM is a two-year, public, residential high school in Hartsville, S.C., specializing in the advanced study of science and mathematics. GSSM celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2008–09, having graduated more than 1,100 alumni from every county in South Carolina. Many are now leaders in such critical fields as engineering, medicine, education, law, science, technology, research and business. Our residential program serves 128 high school juniors and seniors a year with a concentrated study of science and math, alongside rigorous courses in the humanities, to prepare graduates to excel as leaders in the state’s 21st-century economy. Newsweek and The Washington Post have ranked GSSM among the Top 20 public elite high schools in the country. Construction is under way on two new wings that will allow GSSM to more than double the size of its student body, expanding this unique learning program to even more of the state’s promising young minds.
About Roche Carolina
Roche Carolina Inc’s mission is to develop the chemical manufacturing technology for new chemical compounds and, manufacture pharmaceutical intermediates and active ingredients for research purposes and commercial sales. Roche Carolina Inc. is part of the Roche Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. For more information on Roche Carolina, visit the company’s website at www.rochecarolina.com
About the University of South Carolina
For two centuries, the University of South Carolina’s scholarship, research and outreach efforts have contributed to the greater good of society. With 39,000 students on eight campuses and more than 350 degree programs—including law, engineering, public health and medicine—and 240,000 alumni, the University is improving the lives of individuals in South Carolina and around the world. South Carolina has received the highest research designation awarded by the Carnegie Foundation, and the University’s undergraduate international business program is ranked best in the nation in U.S. News & World Report.
About the Johanna Wittum School
The Johanna Wittum School (JWS) has 1,250 pupils, including 180 in its biotechnology track, and since it was first founded has become a competence and mentoring center of national standing for biotechnology in schools. It is one of four high schools specializing in biotechnology that were founded in 2001-02 in response to the impending skills shortage in Baden-Württemberg. The number of biotechnology high schools in that state has since risen to 28, while other German states such as Hesse, Saarland, Saxony, Berlin and Bremen have since followed suit.
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a leader in research-focused healthcare with combined strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is the world’s largest biotech company with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, virology, inflammation, metabolism and CNS. Roche is also the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics, tissue-based cancer diagnostics and a pioneer in diabetes management. Roche’s personalized healthcare strategy aims at providing medicines and diagnostic tools that enable tangible improvements in the health, quality of life and survival of patients. In 2008, Roche had more than 80,000 employees worldwide and invested almost $9 billion Swiss francs in research and development. The Group posted sales of 45.6 billion Swiss francs. Genentech, United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche has a majority stake in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information: www.roche.com.
