James Andrew Harris

James Andrew Harris (March 26, 1932 – December 12, 2000) was an American radiochemist who was involved in the discovery of elements 104 and 105 (rutherfordium and dubnium, respectively). Harris was the head of the Heavy Isotopes Production Group, part of the Nuclear Chemistry Division of the University of California, Berkeley. Harris is known for being the first African American to contribute to the discovery of new elements.

Personal life James A. Harris was born on March 26, 1932, in Waco, Texas. Harris' parents divorced when he was young, after which he moved to Oakland, California with his mother. His hobbies included golf, traveling, and community activities.

Education James A. Harris graduated from McClymonds High School in Oakland, California. After high school, Harris returned to Texas where he attended Huston-Tillotson College in Austin. He initially entered college on a music scholarship, but switched to studying chemistry and received a bachelor of science degree in 1953. Harris left Tracerlab Inc. to work on isotope division in the nuclear chemistry department of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at University of California-Berkeley. Harris' colleagues praised his work, saying that it was high quality and very good for heavy element research.

As head of the Heavy Isotopes Production Group, Harris and his team continued the search for other heavy elements which might be more stable and therefore useful for medicine, energy, or other purposes. Six years after discovering elements 104 and 105, Harris took a position with the Berkeley Lab Office of Equal Opportunity. There he worked with Benjamin Pope to recruit more women and minorities to work at the lab, focusing on outreach at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and forming partnerships with engineering colleges. In 1977, Harris was promoted to Head of Engineering and Technical Services Division. He retired in 1988.

During his career and after retirement, Harris worked with students in grade school and at the university level to encourage African Americans students into the sciences. This work earned him numerous awards from organizations including the National Organization for Equal Opportunity in Education, the Urban League and the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers.

Awards Honorary PhD from Huston-Tillotson College (1973) Scientific Merit Award from the Mayor of Richmond, CA Certificate of Merit from the Black Dignity Science Association

Organizations Harris was a part of the following organizations:

National Society of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers Nuclear Target Society American Chemical Society AEC Transplutonium Program Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity