New Pilot Program-BSA STEM, NOVA Award

[SeattlePioneer]

My council has arranged partnerships with Boeing for a program on a specific merit badge that put the technical resources and personnel of the company behind a first class program for Scouts. I'll bet they had a terrific program.

 

The CEO of Alaska Airlines did the same kind of thing with an aviation related Merit Badge. Scouts had a chance to talk with employees from mechanics and pilots to executives to get an understanding of aviation and complete Merit Badge requirements.

 

If a company wants to get behind a first class program for Scouts, I welcome it! These were both terrific opportunities for Scouts!

 

A former CEO of Boeing sits on the council executive board, and he may have been on the exsecutive board when he was Boeing CEO. Boeing remains warmly supportive of Scouting in this area.

[Twocubdad]

I agree with NJ's post regarding the "new program syndrome." Yeah, great. Who's running it?

 

This is something that if a parent or ASM gets excited about and wants to pick it up, fine. I don't have time. I'm doing well to deliver the basic program to 62 boys. But honestly, I don't think anyone else in the troop follows stuff like this closely enough to ever find out about these sorts of programs. If they're waiting for me to do the research and try to recruit a coordinator, it will have to wait until after the next troop meeting (and there is always a next troop meeting.)

[RememberSchiff]

In an earlier thread, I characterized this "program" as vaporware. I see little vision and just another cluster award, i.e., get a bunch of these merit badges, talk it up, and get yet another award...What was accomplished?

 

I think we can bring science into our scout camps, after all are not outdoor sciences about fieldwork? I cannot recall seeing a microscope or telescope at a scout summer camp, yet Nature, Environmental Science, and Astronomy merit badges are offered. I have seen microscopes and telescopes at 4-H camps.

 

As mentioned, there are many volunteers and companies who genuinely want to interest youth in sciences and recognize youth work without phony publicity programs. Personally, I would rather a scout join a Environmental, Chemistry, Computer, Robotics ... club and then earn the respective BSA merit badge. The problem is few science merit badges are challenging and rewarding. Environmental Science, Computer, Electronics are too watered down. Robotics and Chemistry merit badges are better challenges.

 

I read today "3-D mapping...Philmont Scout Ranch" by Northrop Grumman. Interesting read. Science is cool stuff as Bill Nye says.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705376159/3-D-mapping-provides-cool-view-of-Boy-Scouts-Philmont-Ranch.html

 

My $0.01 for rambling

 

[shortridge]

SP -

 

If a company wants to get involved and share its resources, that's GREAT. More power to them!

 

But BSA started going down the corporate customization road in 2005/6 with Composite Materials. There's no real reason that should be a merit badge. The last statistics I saw showed that not a single Scout had earned it by 2007; if there was any sort of interest, anywhere, at least one Scout would have notched it on their belt by that time.

 

The Geocaching requirement that is linked to a specific for-profit company's website also concerns me, as do these requirements here that single out the NOVA television program. Why is BSA promoting specific companies?

 

A new program or badge should be rolled out to meet demand by Scouts - not to promote or puff up a private entity.(This message has been edited by shortridge)

[NJCubScouter]

RememberSchiff:

 

A Boy Scout camp with a telescope... and another telescope, and a planetarium, and a weathercam, and more, in it's science center donated by General Electric:

 

http://www.bma2.org/Ockanickon/FOSC.html

 

http://www.bma2.org/Ockanickon/Weather.html

 

I was never actually in the science center, though my son was, many times. My car was parked partially within the "vision" of the weathercam a few times. I think there are some computers in there, too.

[RememberSchiff]

NJ, Thanks much! This is a very pleasant surprise. I was impressed to read that an Explorer Post staffs the science center during camp. Maybe Camp Ockanickon's science "program" should be adopted at other camps?

 

Need to learn more about this. Thanks for the pointers.

 

 

 

[OwntheNight]

OK, We finally have the full material available. The pdf has been put on our council website, for everyone's perusal.

 

www.circle10.org

 

I haven't read every page yet, just kind of glossed over it. Will try and read it tonight to see if it's still something we might be interested in. I also have one of my techie parents reading it as well to give input, or maybe coordinate it.