More than 50 middle school students took part in a recent "Space Day" competition as part of the Exxon Mobil Bernard Harris summer camp program in Harlem.

Students built their own space suits using different materials like foam and plastics, then tested them to see whose was the most durable.

The students also got to meet an astronaut -- Dr. Bernard Harris, the first African-American to walk in space.

"If you look at the jobs these days, 90 percent of the jobs, in fact I say 100 percent of the jobs, require expertise in math and science and we want them to be prepared," said Harris.

"I really love discussing the universe. I really want to be a cosmologist, someone who discusses the fate of the universe," said a program participant. "So I love learning about what I could be and what I could do with that unique idea."

For more information on programs about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), visit connectamillionminds.com.