The Harris Institute / The Harris Foundation

About The Harris Institute / Foundation

The Harris Institute/Foundation are a 501 (c) (3), non-profit organization founded by former NASA Astronaut Dr. Bernard A. Harris, Jr., to serve socially and economically disadvantaged communities locally and across the nation striving to reach the most underserved populations in the areas of Education, Health, and Wealth.

We utilize our "Pillars of Success" to empower students and communities throughout the nation and the world.

What We Do

We support interventions for school districts or organization from motivational speeches by Dr. Bernard A. Harris, Jr. to full-blown workshops for teachers and science camps for students from elementary to high school.

Professional Development

Professional Development is available to assist teachers with enhancing their content knowledge and pedagogy by focusing on specific concepts and designing content-rich, student-centered materials using a variety of instructional strategies and resources, including technology. In addition, THI supports teachers in planning, implementing, and evaluating student-centered activities and programs.

Curriculum Design

The Harris Institute believe that curriculum frameworks for education programing is critical to student achievement. In designing these frameworks, THI support organizations that utilizes processes that will result in activities, experiences and events designed to enhance teachers' content knowledge and pedagogy and to boost students' academic success.

Community Outreach

The Institute champion initiatives designed to address several aspects of life in Houston, the state of Texas, and beyond. They include youth development, education, financial literacy, and information for a balanced, healthy life.

Scholarships

The Institute is proud to have granted scholarships throughout the years to individuals who demonstrated drive and tenacity to achieve their goals. This scholarship is awarded to the top eighth grade students of the Dr. Bernard A. Harris, Jr. Middle School in San Antonio, Texas.

Let's Change These Statistics!

Education: Stats in Science & Engineering

^%Percent of the U.S. population are underrepresented minorities (Hispanic, Black, American Indian or Alaska Native)

^%Percent of S&E bachelor's, 24% of S&E master's, and 16% of S&E doctoral degrees in the U.S. are earned by underrepresented minorities

^%Percent of those in STEM occupations in the U.S. are women. Women comprise 51% of the population

^%Percent of S&E U.S. engineering doctorate recipients in 2021 were women

National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities 2023: ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf23315/.

Health: Disparities and Inequalities

^%Non-Hispanic Black adults had the highest age-adjusted prevalence of obesity, followed by Hispanic adults (45.6%), non-Hispanic White adults (41.4%) and non-Hispanic Asian adults (16.1%)

^%Obesity prevalence among Hispanic children, 24.8% among non-Hispanic Black children, 16.6% among non-Hispanic White children

^%Percent of the Hispanic population is uninsured in 2022 versus 6% of white

^%Percent of U.S. population with obesity - up from 30.5% in 1999

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Adult Obesity Facts: cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
KFF, Health Coverage by Race and Ethnicity, 2010-2022: kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/health-coverage-by-race-and-ethnicity/

Wealth: The Gap Continues To Grow

^$kMedian income in 2020 for Blacks or African Americans in S&E; $75k for Hispanics or Latinos; $90k for Whites; $107k for Asians

^$kMen's median earnings in S&E, S&E-related, and middle-skill occupations. Compared with $76k for women

^%Homeownership rate for blacks in 2020 (blacks make up 12.1% of the total population)

^%Homeownership rate for whites in 2020 (whites make up 57.8% of the total population)

U.S. Cencus Bureau, Homeownership by Race and Ethnicity of Householder: census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/homeownership-by-race-and-ethnicity-of-householder.html
U.S. Cencus Bureau, Examining the Racial and Ethnic Diversity of Adults and Children: census.gov/newsroom/blogs/random-samplings/2023/05/racial-ethnic-diversity-adults-children.html

All numbers above are rounded to the nearest whole number.

Introducing students to STEM, transforming healthcare & teaching financial literacy.

Education

Health

Wealth