The South Carolina Academy of Science (SCAS) was organized in 1924 under the direction of G. C. Mance, Professor of Geology at Winthrop College. In 1927, the academy affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Publication of the Bulletin of the Academy began in 1935, and in 1973, the Newsletter was established as a vehicle for communication among members. Beginning in the 1960s, industry and business joined academic institutions in support of the Academy and have helped to set goals to aid and improve the development of science in South Carolina. 

In 1969, Dr. John Michener, Vice-President of the South Carolina Academy of Science, worked with students from Spartanburg High School to establish the South Carolina Junior Academy of Science (SCJAS). The first meeting, in Columbia, was attended by 150 high school students. In the late 1980s, a trust fund was developed to help financially sustain the SCJAS operations. SCJAS has a current membership of over 2500 student members and 100 affiliate science clubs. SCJAS provides two workshops annually at colleges and universities in South Carolina.