Rice College continued its celebration of Black Historical past Month with a particular installment of the Ion’s “Visionary Voices” speaker sequence that includes Dr. Bernard Harris Jr., a NASA astronaut and the primary Black American to stroll in area. He’s additionally a doctor, firm founder, CEO, philanthropist and enterprise capitalist.
President Reginald DesRoches hosted the hearth chat with Harris to discover his outstanding life, experiences and contributions.
The query of what ignited his curiosity for area exploration set the tone for the dialog.
“I’m a child of the 60s, so I grew up watching the area program develop proper earlier than my eyes,” Harris stated. “Once we landed on the moon, I stated I wished to be an astronaut.”
He then spoke concerning the bifurcated world he skilled in his childhood and the way he views the significance of Black Historical past Month.
“I might see a few of the best accomplishments for human beings going to the moon, however I might flip the channel on the black and white tv, and I might see Black folks combating for his or her rights,” he stated. “I noticed the dichotomy of nice achievements however struggles on the identical time.”
Harris finally labored at NASA for 10 years, the place he carried out analysis in musculoskeletal physiology and scientific investigations of area adaptation and developed in-flight medical gadgets to increase astronaut stays in area. A veteran astronaut for over 20 years, he has logged greater than 438 hours and traveled over 7.2 million miles in area.
“Wanting down on the Earth, you don’t see traces of latitude or longitude,” the astronaut stated of his journeys within the cosmos. “You don’t see letters that say Germany, Russia or the USA on it. It provides you an excellent sense of togetherness and this notion that we shouldn’t be involved about our variations however as an alternative the issues which are our commonality.”
He additionally made remarks about his hopes for the way forward for innovation, particularly because it pertains to STEM schooling and Rice’s position in selling the long run era of entrepreneurs and inventors inside minority teams.
“The factor I would like is for all our communities to have the chance to be priceless residents, to contribute financially and in any other case to this nation,” Harris stated. “That’s one of many areas that we aren’t but as much as par. The best way we rise up to par as a neighborhood is to be concerned within the innovation of the brand new applied sciences which are going to create the brand new jobs of the long run.
“Sadly, the pipeline popping out of our faculty system [shows] college students aren’t adequately educated for STEM jobs and later to grow to be STEM entrepreneurs. That’s one thing that’s so necessary. It’s not only for our neighborhood, it’s for the nation.”
Rice is already mitigating this subject by investing in STEM schooling and efficiency with its many strong analysis facilities, the Workplace of STEM Engagement and packages that attain each the Okay-12 and faculty pupil inhabitants just like the Take Flight STEM Pathway and the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen.
The dialog wrapped up with questions from the group of greater than 500 folks, which ranged in subjects from profession recommendation to area exploration.
Harris’ considerate last observe to the viewers was considered one of inspiration. “We’re altering the world, and we’re doing it collectively.”
Extra occasions and alternatives for engagement and dialog will proceed via Black Historical past Month at Rice. For extra info, go to Rice.edu/BHM.
