SOUTH CAROLINA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE (SCAS) &
SOUTH CAROLINA JUNIOR ACADEMY OF SCIENCE (SCJAS) Annual Meeting
Saturday, March 28, 2026 at Furman University, Greenville, SC
Furman University will be hosting the 2026 SCAS/SCJAS Annual Meeting and looks forward to welcoming you to their campus on March 28th. Details of this year’s meeting can be found below. Additional details will be added when available.
Registration is open.
Abstract Deadline for SCAS (undergraduate and graduate presentations): March 1, 2026
Abstract Deadline for SCJAS (High School written and oral presentations): February 15, 2026
Registration and Payment Deadline*: March 15, 2026
*Registration is not complete until payment is received.Links to:
SCAS Annual Meeting Registration Page
SCJAS Annual Meeting Registration Page
Annual Meeting Registration Online Payment
Annual Meeting Registration Mail in Payment
- SCJAS Submission Guidelines document
Plenary Speaker:
Sex Differences in Feeding: The Role of the Gut Microbiome
Dr. Linnea R. Freeman
Associate Professor of Biology and Neuroscience, Furman University
Dr. Linnea Freeman graduated from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst Commonwealth College (Honors College) in 2006 with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. At UMass, she completed an undergraduate thesis project on protein folding in the laboratory of Dr. Lila Gierasch. Just after graduating, Dr. Freeman began her graduate research at the Medical University of South Carolina. She joined the laboratory of Dr. Lotta Granholm to study nutrition, aging, and Alzheimer’s Disease. Dr. Freeman’s dissertation was entitled: “Damaging Effects of a High Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Diet to the Brain”. She received a Predoctoral NRSA Award (F31) grant from the National Institute of Aging for this research. After receiving her Ph.D. in Neuroscience in 2011, Dr. Freeman moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to pursue a postdoctoral position with Dr. Jeffrey Keller. There, she continued her research interests in Nutritional Neuroscience and Alzheimer’s disease. Next, Dr. Freeman accepted a second postdoctoral position back at the Medical University of South Carolina with Dr. Gary Aston-Jones. In the Aston-Jones Laboratory, Dr. Freeman expanded her research interests to investigate food addiction and sex differences in seeking of palatable food rewards. She received a grant from the K12 Career Development Program in Neurosciences – Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) to study: “Sex Differences in Demand for Highly Palatable Food Rewards: Role of Orexin Neurons”. She was also an Adjunct Professor at the College of Charleston in the Biology and Psychology Department. In Fall 2015, Dr. Freeman started as an Assistant Professor of Biology and Neuroscience at Furman University. She teaches Biochemistry, Nutrition, Neurochemistry, and a first year writing course. She was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2021. Dr. Freeman is continuing her Nutritional Neuroscience research and received an R15 from NIDDK in 2023 entitled, “Sex differences in hedonic feeding: the role of the gut microbiome”.
Hotel Information
The following links provide two options for lodging in Greenville, SC. For each of these, there is a courtesy block of 15 rooms available with the cut-off dates indicated below. There are certainly many additional hotel options within the Greenville area.
Crowne Plaza Greenville
851 Congaree Road. Greenville, South Carolina 29681
Phone: 1-864-297-6300
Booking Link: SCAS Annual Meeting at Furman Group Code: SCI
Group Room Rate: $109.00 per room, per night, plus taxes
Cutoff date: March 13, 2026, 12:00 p.m. local time
Hampton Inn Travelers Rest
593 Roe Center Ct
Travelers Rest SC 29690
Phone: 864-934-5550
Booking link : https://group.hamptoninn.com/5wzh21
Group Room Rate: $194.00 per room, per night, plus taxes
Booking link : https://group.hamptoninn.com/5wzh21
Cutoff date: All reservations need to be booked by February 27, 2026
Registration is open.
Abstract Deadline for SCAS (undergraduate and graduate presentations): March 1, 2026
Abstract Deadline for SCJAS (High School written and oral presentations): February 15, 2026
Registration and Payment Deadline*: March 15, 2026
*Registration is not complete until payment is received.
Links to:
SCAS Annual Meeting Registration Page
SCJAS Annual Meeting Registration Page
Annual Meeting Registration Online Payment
Annual Meeting Registration Mail in Payment
- SCJAS Submission Guidelines document
Registration fees:
SCJAS (Junior)
- Annual Meeting registration students presenting research – $35 (includes registration and student membership)
- Annual Meeting registration non-presenting students/teachers/parents – $25
SCAS (Senior):
- Annual Meeting registration students presenting research – $35 (includes registration and student membership)
- Annual Meeting registration non-presenting attendee – $35
SCAS (Senior) PROFESSIONALS:
- Annual Membership Dues – $40.00
Campus map showing parking locations and location of meeting events
Driving directions to campus may be found at:
For more information on the 2026 Annual Meeting, please contact Dr. John Kaup at john.kaup@furman.edu