Dr Bernard Harris, president and founder of The Harris Foundation, visited Lamar University today to meet with campers attending the 2007 ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp.
Campers presented their work to Dr. Harris and participated in an activity where he witnessed the teamwork and organization skills they have learned. The exercise demonstrated the scientific concepts of Archimedes’ principle of buoyancy and its relationship to density. The campers built a raft using aluminum foil and straws, and then tested its buoyancy by floating the raft in water and weighing it down with pennies.
Crediting his own achievements to self-empowerment and self-determination, Dr. Harris used his visit to help inspire the campers with the idea that they can do anything, if they only set their mind to it.
“When I show up, as an astronaut, it really underscores what an education in math and science can do for them.” Dr. Harris stated, “They get real excited about that. And that’s my main goal.”
Dr. Bernard Harris Jr. is an accomplished NASA astronaut, physician and businessman who describes himself as a “dreamer who believes nothing is impossible.” A native Texan born in 1956, Harris earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Houston and later obtained a doctorate of medicine from Texas Tech University School of Medicine.
In 1990, Harris was selected as a NASA astronaut and flew his first mission three years later. A payload commander of STS-63, the first flight of the joint Russian-American space program, Harris accomplished his childhood dream by completing a walk in space, becoming the “First African American to walk in Space.” At the time of his retirement from NASA in 1996, he had logged more than 438 hours in space and traveled over 7.2 million miles.
After his space career, Harris developed a broad range of business interests. He served as vice president of SPACEHAB, Inc., where he was involved in business development and marketing of the company’s space-based products and services. He also was vice president of business development for Space Media, Inc., establishing an international space education program for students. In addition, he is a member of the board of some of the leading technology companies in the world. Harris has 37 years experience in research, management and hardware/product development.
