RememberSchiff 3687 Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2016/03/21/wvu-boy-scouts-team-up-to-develop-stem-program-at-summit-bechtel-reserve March 21,2016 ... An interdisciplinary team of researchers from West Virginia University will join with the Boy Scouts of America to establish an environmental science, technology, engineering, and math education and research program at Bechtel Summit Reserve near Oak Hill. The team from WVU’s Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design and the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences will introduce scouts and their adult leaders to the environmental STEM field, particularly the aquatic sciences, while using the site as an ecology observatory and laboratory, said Paul Ziemkiewicz, director of the West Virginia Water Research Institute. ... Through the program, scouts will earn merit badges while learning about ecology, biology, water science, wildlife and wetlands. Scouts will receive hands-on training through taking measurements, entering data and plotting simple graphs to see the results. ... Federal funding of this project is provided through the U.S. Geological Survey’s section 104b program. The USGS awards 104b grants to State Water Research Institutes that have been established in each of the 50 states, three U.S. territories and the District of Columbia under the provisions of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984. The West Virginia Water Research Institute, a program of WVU’s National Research Center for Coal and Energy, serves as a statewide vehicle for performing research related to water issues. WVWRI is the premiere water research center in West Virginia and, within selected fields, an international leader. Link to post Share on other sites
NJCubScouter 1389 Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 Sounds like a winner all around to me. It looks like all of the funds are coming from federal grants and/or the University and not the BSA. Link to post Share on other sites
RememberSchiff 3687 Posted March 26, 2016 Author Share Posted March 26, 2016 Hopefully, this program will help raise 2017 Jamboree scout attendance. Link to post Share on other sites
fleur de lis 2 Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 Wow, very promising news. I know first hand that programs such as this one, and merit badge courses, do influence career choices. Link to post Share on other sites
vumbi 44 Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 The key will be whether or not this is a long-term committment. If so it could be a very good program. If not it could be just one more example of the academy making and breaking promises. Link to post Share on other sites
qwazse 4346 Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 Oh, the opportunity to get boys (especially from out of state) singing "Country Road" before they even think about college applications? You bet they will try to keep this going. Fact is scouts whose first love is the outdoors would be ideally suited for many of WVU's branch campuses. In addition, college students improve their science skills dramatically if they have someone to teach those skills to. By the way, your USGS and state survey offices are great resources for materials (and possibly presenters) of interest to many of your boys. Link to post Share on other sites
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