Wed, Apr 13, 2011
Partnering To Help Youth Learn About Robotics
Boy Scouts now have the opportunity to work with NASA and other
technology professionals to design, build, and demonstrate a robot
to earn the new Robotics merit badge.
NASA and BSA developed the badge because of the wide-reaching
impact of robotics and its role in science, technology,
engineering, and math, or STEM careers. The badge is now part of
the BSA's new curriculum emphasizing STEM activities and will help
young men develop critical skills relevant and needed in today's
competitive world. The new merit badge is one of 31 STEM-related
merit badges. Scouts will have access to engineering software and
work with professional mentors worldwide to earn the
badge.
"This unique partnership is another clear example of NASA
looking at new and creative ways to inspire our youth to consider
STEM careers," said Lyndon Bridgwater, NASA aerospace engineer and
lead badge contributor from NASA's Johnson Space Center in
Houston.
The badge involved approximately 14 months of development and
input from 13 organizations and more than 150 BSA youth members and
leaders and industry professionals from across the nation. To earn
the Robotics merit badge, a scout is required to understand how
robots move, sense the environment and understand how to perform an
operation. Scouts will spend approximately 14 hours meeting the
requirements of the badge, during which they will design a robot
and demonstrate how it works. The BSA anticipates more than 10,000
Robotics merit badges will be earned the first year.
"While the guiding principles of Scouting -- service to others,
leadership, personal achievement, and respect for the outdoors --
will never change, we continue to adapt programs to prepare young
people for success in all areas of life," said BSA Chief Scout
Executive Bob Mazzuca.
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