June 1, 2007 11:54 AM PDT
Bernard Harris, the first African-American to walk in space, became involved with tech camps through a pilot camp at his alma mater, the University of Houston. When funding ran dry, Harris' foundation took over the camp with help from NASA. This year, due to funding from ExxonMobil and NASA, the ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp has been able to expand to more than 20 camps on 19 campuses.
Kids "leave with the idea that science is spoken here," Harris said.
"They are getting that at a time when being smart for a lot of kids is a cultural issue right now. We say, if you're a geek that's great, cause guess what--the owner of Microsoft was a geek and look where he is. I was a geek and look where I am," he said.
Photo by NASA
