STEM/Nova Resources for Boy Scouts

Below is a tiered list of merit badges related to the Boy Scout Nova & Supernova Awards. Tier 1 includes merit badges that are STEM related in their entirety, whereas Tier 2 includes merit badges that have only a few STEM related requirements.

Tier 1 Merit Badges

Animal Science	Astronomy	Bird Study	Chemistry
Chess	Computers	Drafting	Electricity
Electronics	Energy	Engineering	Environmental Science
Forestry	Geocaching	Geology	Insect Study
Inventing	Mammal Study	Medicine	Model Design & Building
Nature	Nuclear Science	Oceanography	Personal Management
Photography	Plant Science	Reptile & Amphibian Study
Robotics	Soil & Water Conservation	Space Exploration
Surveying	Veterinary Medicine	Weather

Tier 2 Merit Badges*

American Business	Archeology	Architecture	Aviation
Backpacking	Canoeing	Collections	Communication
Composite Materials	Dentistry	Entrepreneurship	Farm Mechanics
Finger Printing	Fire Safety	Fish & Wildlife Management	Genealogy
Golf	Horsemanship	Law	Pioneering
Public Health	Radio	Railroading	Salesmanship
Scuba Diving	Welding	Whitewater

*Click Here for specific STEM/Nova requirements for Tier 2 Merit Badges

Other Resources

NESA STEM SCHOLARSHIP

NEW SCHOLARSHIP Promotes Science and Math Education -
As the economy struggles and college costs rise, scholarships are becoming more important than ever. So the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) is proud to announce that it has permanently funded a new annual Eagle Scout scholarship.

The NESA STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Scholarship will be awarded annually to an Eagle Scout who intends to major and pursue a career in one of those fields. Applicants must submit the Eagle Scout Academic Scholarships application (available from www.NESA.org/scholarships.html). The application must include a signed statement—one the applicant has written—that details his education and career goals in a STEM-related field, as well as a signed reference letter from a high school teacher in that field. The first NESA STEM Scholarship was awarded on June 1, 2012, at the Boy Scouts of America’s National Annual Meeting.

The new scholarship aligns with the BSA’s renewed emphasis on promoting science and technology, fields where American students seriously lag their counterparts around the world. (Three-fourths of America’s fastest growing occupations require significant math and science preparation, yet less than 15 percent of high school graduates are prepared to pursue scientific or technical training in college, according to one study.)

BLASTCAR™

The new Blastcar™ racing activity is a merit-badge-driven activity intended for Boy Scouts. Scouts can use their knowledge to experience the engineering design process through sketching an idea for their racer, laying out a design, constructing the car, conducting trial tests, modifying their design, and adding finishing details. Scouts design their racers for optimum performance on the course(s) they’ve engineered as a team.

Kit contains a pine wood block measuring 10" x 2 1/4" x 1 7/8", four racing slick wheels, axle screws, eyelets, axle key, and instruction guide. The position for the CO2 cartridge is pre-drilled into each block.

Activity can be used toward requirements for Model Design & Building, Woodworking, and Wood Carving merit badges. Blastcar kits are available in the local Scout Shops or online at www.scoutstuff.org

For Blastcar guidelines and instructions, please go to this link:

http://www.scoutstuff.org/media/content/docs/pdfs/5239_Blastcar_GuideFNL.pdf

PBS NOVA ONLINE PROGRAMS

Attached is a list of PBS Nova Online Programs that apply to Shoot!, Start Your Engines! and Designed to Crunch. You can click on the title to take you to the web page.