Insider Brief

• IonQ announced the launch of its new Faculty & Researcher Learning Series in partnership with South Carolina Quantum (SCQ).
• The Learning Series, which will initially launch at Clemson University,  is part of an agreement between IonQ and SCQ to accelerate the introduction of quantum technologies in academia and business across South Carolina.
• Members can partner with SCQ to gain access to IonQ’s quantum systems as they familiarize themselves with the technology, begin exploring research opportunities and design coursework around quantum computing.

PRESS RELEASE — IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), a leader in the quantum computing industry, today announced the launch of its new Faculty & Researcher Learning Series in partnership with South Carolina Quantum (SCQ). The Learning Series is the first event following the March agreement between IonQ and SCQ to accelerate the introduction of quantum technologies in academia and business across South Carolina. Learning Series’ members can partner with SCQ to gain access to IonQ’s quantum systems as they familiarize themselves with the technology and begin exploring research opportunities and designing coursework around quantum computing.

“The State of South Carolina is taking meaningful strides in training its quantum workforce of the future, and we are pleased to bring IonQ’s leading edge quantum computing expertise to these initial Learning Sessions,” said Peter Chapman, President and CEO of IonQ. “The coursework and curriculum developed as a result will prove invaluable for other universities worldwide as they ramp up their quantum programs and turn to SCQ and Clemson University for guidance. We look forward to having IonQ become the trusted quantum hardware platform for these institutions.”

In 2023, the State of South Carolina set aside millions in funding for SCQ to accelerate workforce development, economic development, and applied research in quantum computing. One component of this venture was the creation of quantum-specific academic coursework for training future members of the quantum economy. The Learning Series is designed to support faculty and researchers who have an interest in quantum computing by providing them with free, expert-led training covering topics like:

• Quantum 101 and best practices for incorporating quantum computing into coursework and research;

• industry insights on quantum applications;

• technical presentations and demonstrations; and

• guidance on accessing quantum resources and funding opportunities.

 “We are very excited to kick-off our Faculty Learning Series with Clemson University as their reputation for preparing and leading students to success is unmatched,” said Joe Queenan, Executive Director, South Carolina Quantum. “IonQ brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this initiative and will set the conditions for faculty to understand the importance of bringing quantum into the classroom and creating a learning environment that sparks innovation and creativity for University students. This collaboration with IonQ and Clemson is the first step to a pathway for education in developing a quantum-smart workforce, inspiring entrepreneurship that will help attract, and settle, quantum talent and technology to South Carolina.”

Clemson University will host the first Learning Session on June 11, 2024. The workshop, titled, “An Introduction to Quantum Computing and Applications,” will provide Clemson faculty and researchers with an orientation on quantum technology. Scientists from IonQ will lead the session and expand faculty members’ knowledge about accessing quantum resources, developing applications, and integrating quantum computing into academic coursework.

“We are excited to host SCQ’s inaugural Faculty & Researcher Learning Series,” said Dan Noneaker, Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences at Clemson University. “Quantum computing will have a transformative effect on research, industry, and the world. Partnering with South Carolina Quantum and IonQ will help our faculty and researchers learn about this emerging technology and ensure Clemson University and the State of South Carolina are at the cutting edge.”

For more information on SCQ’s Faculty Learning Series, please visit www.scquantum.org. To learn more about IonQ’s latest system news and business developments, visit https://ionq.com/.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC/AP) – Voters who did not take advantage of the state’s two-week early voting period can cast their ballots in the South Carolina primaries Tuesday.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. across the state.

Click here to find your polling location and see your sample ballot.

Some voters will select candidates for Congressional races as well as local races that include state lawmakers and sheriff’s races.

You may vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary, but not both. Whichever party’s primary you vote in on Tuesday, if there is a runoff, you can only vote in that same party’s runoff.

Click here to check out the Live 5 Lowcountry voter’s guide to the 2024 primaries.

While most people’s attention naturally goes to the presidential race in November, South Carolina’s primaries carry a lot of weight. While there are no statewide races in the Palmetto State this year, all 170 seats in the legislature will be up, along with many county and local races, for positions like sheriff and solicitor.

Just in the last few months, decisions made at the State House have affected how much South Carolinians pay in taxes, how much money goes toward fixing their roads, and whether they need any training to carry a gun.

For those who want a say in who makes the choices that impact South Carolinians’ day-to-day lives, the primary elections will very likely be their chance.

Two incumbent U.S. House members who represent portions of the Lowcountry will be watching the results of the primaries closely.

For the First Congressional District, Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina is seeking a third term. This time, she has the backing of someone who tried to stop her from getting a second: former President Donald Trump.

The Trump endorsement after he called her crazy and terrible in 2022 is just one of many ways Mace has attracted a spotlight far greater than a typical second-term member of Congress.

Mace has said her positions and beliefs aren’t erratic — she is just reflecting the values of the 1st District, which stretches from the centuries-old neighborhoods of Charleston down the coast to Beaufort County’s booming freshly built neighborhoods of retirees moving to South Carolina from somewhere else.

Mace has two Republican opponents in Tuesday’s primary. Her chief rival, Catherine Templeton, ran South Carolina’s health and environmental agency to some angst a decade ago and in her only political race finished third in the 2018 GOP gubernatorial primary won by Gov. Henry McMaster.

Templeton argues that by seeming to land everywhere, Mace is nowhere. Templeton promises to be a more reliable Republican voice in the U.S. House.

There is a third Republican in the race. Marine veteran and financial planner Bill Young has been campaigning hard too and the race could easily end in a two-week runoff sprint on June 25. Candidates have to get a majority of votes to win Tuesday’s primary outright.

The Democrats have a primary in the First District, too. Businessman and former International African American Museum CEO Michael Moore faces Mac Deford, a Citadel graduate and lawyer for a couple of the larger bedroom communities in the district.

In the Sixth District Republican primary, attorney Duke Buckner is taking on welder Justin Scott. The winner faces Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, who is seeking a 17th term in the state’s majority-minority district that is bounded by areas around Charleston, Beaufort and Columbia.

In Charleston County, four GOP candidates — Rocky Burke, Rick Keys, Greg Kitchens and Carl Ritchie — are running for their party’s nomination for the sheriff’s race. The winner will face Democratic incumbent Sheriff Kristin Graziano.

Dorchester County voters will decide between a pair of sheriff’s candidates in either party. Republicans Sam Richardson and Mike Turner hope to secure the Republican nomination to take on the winner of the Democratic nomination, which is between Charles T. Frederick III and Trumaine Moorer.

And in the Orangeburg County sheriff’s race, Democratic incumbent Leroy Ravenell is hoping to defeat challenger Bubba Johnson.

Any necessary runoff elections will take place on June 25.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.

Here’s something I never thought I’d write: Paul Mainieri is back in the coaching game.

Monday afternoon it was reported that the former Tiger skipper has been lured out of retirement to take the head coaching position at South Carolina. Teddy Cahill of Baseball America and Kendall Rogers at D1 Baseball were among the first to have the scoop.

If we’re looking at this from just purely a credentials standpoint, this is a home run hire by South Carolina. Mainieri has amassed over 1,500 wins in his 39-year career. He’ll be the active leader in wins (1,505) when the 2025 season begins. At LSU he led LSU to the 2009 national championship and took the Tigers to Omaha on four other occasions, including a runner up finish in 2017. LSU won the SEC West six times, the SEC regular season title four times, and the SEC Tournament six times in the Mainieri era.

Mainieri posted a 641-285-3 record in his 15 seasons at LSU and his .692 winning percentage is the third best in league history behind only Skip Bertman and, fittingly enough, former South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner. Tanner is now Mainieri’s AD at South Carolina. The Tigers earned a national seed for the NCAA Tournament nine times, including a run of six consecutive seasons from 2012-2017. Stanford is the only other program to accomplish a similar feat, doing so between 1999-2004.

There is no doubt in the world that Mainieri is qualified to be a head coach of an SEC program. But Carolina tapping Mainieri now, heading into the 2025 season, is…interesting to say the least.

Mainieri will be 67 years old by the time first pitch rolls around next February. He also of course retired following the 2021 season and has been out of the game in each of the past three seasons. His 2009 national championship is going on 16 years ago and his last Omaha trip will have been eight years ago.

Mainieri also got out of college athletics before NIL became a thing and the transfer portal has turned into what it is now. And for a man who by his own omission retired because of health issues, is this really something he wants to do?

Who knows, maybe the three years away has recharged Mainieri’s batteries. Remember, a year ago his name was being floated for the head coaching job at Miami, and the year before that he was being linked to Notre Dame, where he spent 11 years at before coming to Baton Rouge. Maybe he truly misses coaching and getting to return to the SEC was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Mainieri will replace Mark Kingston, who was fired after the Gamecocks were knocked out of the NCAA Tournament. And if you’re wondering, yes LSU will play the Gamecocks in Columbia next season. Sorry Coach, but you’ll be Tiger Bait when that weekend comes around.