Ernest James Harris was an accomplished entomologist known for his work on breeding Biosteres arisanus, a species of wasp that parasitizes fruit fly eggs. Thanks to the work done by Harris, B. arisanus has been bred on a large scale for the purposes of pest eradication. More than twenty nations have adopted use of the ''Harris strain" of the wasp for fruit fly eradication. During more than forty years with the USDA, Harris served in a number of research capacities, including as research leader of the Biology and Ecology Research Unit of the Tropical Fruit and Vegetable Research Laboratory and research entomologist at the Pacific Basin Agriculture Research Center. Harris received an official commendation from the Chilean government in 1996. He has been the recipient of several other honors, including induction into the Royal Entomological Society of London in 1989, the Entomological Society of America, the International Organization of Biological Control, and the African Association of Insect Scientists, among other organizations. He published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles in a variety of scientific journals. After retirement, Harris continued to serve as the Biological Science Collaborator at the Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Honolulu. The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity offers a scholarship in his name. On January 14, 2012, Harris received the NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Service. This founders memorial lecture this year will honor a black entomologist for the first time in the history of ESA.
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