The first African American to walk in space returns to the New Jersey Institute of Technolgy campus on July 19, 2011 to inspire fifty-five middle school students from New Jersey and New York City to seek a career in science.
The event will launch the free, annual 2-week ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp for middle- school students.
Bernard Harris, MD, of Houston, veteran of two space shuttle missions and founder of the camp, will assist students in a hands-on activity led by the summer science staff and representatives from ExxonMobil Corporation, Clinton.
Teachers are calling this year’s activity the space suit challenge. Students will investigate how an object’s kinetic energy affects the impact it has upon a surface. Students will work in teams to make and test a durable space suit sample capable of withstanding the impact of micrometeoroids.
The program is based on studies showing that the United States faces a critical shortage of engineers, scientists and other technically trained workers. To help address this crisis, Harris and ExxonMobil provide thirty free two-week summer camps across the country. The camps offer math and science programs to encourage middle-school students to develop their knowledge and foster their interest in engineering and other areas in science.
New Jersey students are from: Bayonne, Belvidere, Bergenfield, Butler, Camden, Carteret, Cranford, East Orange, Englewood, Fair Lawn, Forked River, Fort Lee, Great Meadows, Harrison, Haskell, Hoboken, Jersey City, Kearny, Lodi, Mercerville, Metuchen, Montclair, Newark, North Bergen, Old Bridge, Orange, Pemberton, Piscataway, Plainfield, Point Pleasant, Princeton, Somerset, Teaneck, West Orange and Willingboro.
New York students are from: Brooklyn, Forest Hills, Hollis and Manhattan.
Harris is a great champion of science education and an inspiration. He’ll teach the class at approximately 10:30 a.m. At 12:30 p.m., he will address students.
NJIT is the only college campus in the New York metropolitan region to offer the program. See students happily participating in a fun and exciting science adventure, and who are excited to learn more about science careers from ExxonMobil engineers and scientists.
