We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Archives for March 2022

Pack 278 Celebrates First Townes Supernova in 70 Years

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As Pack 278 enters its 70th year as a chartered BSA Pack serving boys and girls in the FSK District, leaders are excited to award it’s first Dr. Charles H. Townes Supernova to an Arrow of Light Scout, Finn H. The Dr. Charles H. Townes Supernova honors Dr. Townes’ many achievements. While working on the Townes Supernova, Finn was given the challenge to research 5 different scientists and engineers. Finn chose to research Ralph Baer, Jane Goodall, Katherine Johnson and Alan Turing. He found they had similarities to Townes and his ability to believe in himself despite others telling him his ideas would never work. The fifth innovator Finn researched was Walt Disney. Walt Disney believed that if you could dream it then it was possible. Throughout his life, Disney pushed the boundaries of what was possible by inventing a multi-plane camera to create the first full-length animated motion picture, Snow White. Walt Disney inspired his Imagineers to combine their imagination with technology to create incredibly life-like animatronics and innovative theme park rides. Like Disney, Supernova Mentors strive to inspire youth to believe in themselves and push the boundaries.

Finn’s parents would say that Finn has an overabundance of imagination. That imagination routinely materializes through Lego creations and occasionally scotch tape. While working on the Townes Supernova, Finn interviewed John Morin, a mechanical engineer responsible for designing and building the equipment and hardware that attaches rockets to the launch pad on the Northrup Grumman’s Antares and Omega programs. Finn continued to investigate his interest in engineering while completing other Townes Supernova requirements. Finn designed and built a birdhouse out of PVC drainage pipe. He spoke with his den leader, Adam Fogle, about the importance of angles when building and discussed why a tool that looks like a triangle is called a square. He completed a science experiment to better understand the structural design of bridges. He tested how different shapes like triangles, squares, and trapezoids can add to their strength. Finn has proven through his hard work over the past 18 months that he has potential as a future engineer if he continues to believe in himself and his imagination. Finn will continue Scouting with Troop 1066 in Jefferson, Maryland.

Goshen Vets: Older Scout Adventures

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Offered to Scouts at Camp Bowman, Camp Marriott, and Camp Olmsted, the Goshen Vets program is Goshen’s sampler plate program for Older Scouts. For Scouts that have done most of the Merit Badges offered at camp, Vets is an all day opportunity for those seeking an extra challenge. Each week, the Scouts signed up for Vets create their own schedule from a variety of activities offered all around the lake.

Based out of Camp Bowman, Vets is recommended for Scouts ages 14 and up. Activity options range from competitions between Vets in a chili cook off or a canoe race, exploring Goshen with day hikes or visiting outposts with a Taste of Lenhok’sin, or just hanging out with new friends on an overnighter.

Get the Goshen Vets Activity Menu for Summer 2022 and learn more about the Vets program in Goshen’s Scout Camp General Downloads: www.gotogoshen.org/forms

Training session for Outdoor Ethics Guides & their Advisors

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We all know about the Outdoor Ethics Guide position and have seen the Handbook, but how do you actually operationalize this position of responsibility to have the greatest positive impact in your unit? Join Outdoor Ethics Guides and adult advisors for an in-person session on Saturday March 26 at 4-6pm to learn best practices, meet other Outdoor Ethics Guides and adult advisors, share experiences, discuss ways to overcome challenges, and create a network of Outdoor Ethics Guides across NCAC.

This session is open to current and future Outdoor Ethics Guides and their adult advisors. Ideally scouts and their advisors will attend together but attendance of both is not a requirement to attend.

Saturday March 26
4-6pm
Vale United Methodist Church, 11528 Vale Rd, Oakton, VA 22124

Register: https://scoutingevent.com/082-57314

Supernova Awardee Cub Scout Speaks at MD Senate Committee

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Cody W. of Troop 793 of Lexington Park, Maryland, is an exceptional Cub Scout who achieved his AOL as well as the Dr. Charles Townes Supernova Award. The Dr. Townes Supernova is the highest STEM Award in Cub Scouting, and Cody was one of only 45 Cubs in NCAC to earn it in 2021. On February 24, 2022, Cody read his testimony, part of his award-winning essay and personal testimony, to the Maryland Senate Committee in Annapolis.

After testifying, Senator Reilly personally talked to Cody, gave him a challenge coin and his business card, and told Cody that he would help him achieve his Citizenship Merit Badge. The legislators were amazed by the kids’ testifying and exercising their citizens’ rights and civic duty. While there, Cody and his mother Prescy met many Eagle Scout moms and dads, which was very exciting. Some shared with Cody inspirational experiences of their journey in Scouting, and some shared their children’s Scouting achievements.

Cody went to the event with his short testimony yet desire to be a good citizen; then, he came home with so much more than he expected. His words were, “Mom, this is the best experience I have ever had so far. I love Scouting. I am proud of my uniform. I love to perform my duty as a citizen. Thank you!” Prescy W. said, “As a mom, I am beyond grateful how Scouting helped Cody so much! Scouting has been a blessing to him.”

 

 

 

 

Cubic Bubbles made in STEM Scouts

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When you think of bubbles, what do you think of?

How about cubic bubbles? Do you think of economic bubbles or liquid or gaseous bubbles? How about glow in the dark bubbles?

In STEM Scouts Lab 605, sponsored by the Burke Centre Conservancy, we just finished a module called Bubbleology.

As the fanciful words suggests, STEM Scouts studied all aspects of bubbles, and experimented with manipulating the composition of their bubbles by going thru the engineering design process.

An underlying goal in each module is to introduce the youth to STEM careers. In this module, we learned about materials engineers are people who use their understanding of different materials (such as metals, plastics or wood) to make things that solve problems. STEM Scouts ‘stepped in to the shoes’ of materials engineers by experimenting with many different materials that can be used to make bubble wands and solution. We explored the chemistry behind the bubbles!

Scouts were guided thru experiments to design glow-in-the dark bubbles, and then given the challenge to demonstrate their own innovative bubble designs. Pictured here are Olivia’s creation of a hole in a bubble and David demonstrating his cubic bubble!

 

Pi Lab

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This week, STEM Scout Lab 314 in Powhatan District celebrated their namesake (or numbersake) Pi Day with gorgeous cookies!

Last September, we shared photos of the Lab’s first activity – wildlife sciences. They had just started out – a couple cub scout leaders with initiative – and launched the first STEM Lab in their district!

Today, we check in with Lab 314’s Lab Manager, Dr. Washow and hear how it’s going.

My name is Dr. Renee Washow, I am the Lab Manager for Lab 314. I run the Lab with David Lieu, a Chemist. We did little to no advertising this year because the Leadership team wanted to learn about the program and get a grasp on how to run it. We started with 5 Scouts. Through word of mouth and some people searching the web, we ended up with 16 Scouts; 6 of whom were not active in BSA before STEM Scouts.

I can only speak from my Lab’s experience but the kids have had a great experience. They have enjoyed the hands-on activities and have been able to learn a good deal about research design, how to run an experiment, and how to continue trying different approaches when one approach fails. They are learning about STEM but they are also learning valuable lessons in education and life, that you can make a mistake or fail but pick yourself up, try again, and succeed.

One of the things I love most about STEM Scouts is that it approaches STEM differently than other programs. The modules include far more than the traditional STEM classes, like robotics and coding, but dive into the science behind archeology and eco systems. They explore topics like chemistry in a fun away, through bubbles, and aerodynamics with a ton of different experiments. The kids favorite activity so far has been building the water filtration system in the Engineering module. They had a chance to experiment and talk through why different layers were not working or why they were working more slowly. Kids were comparing someone else’s super thick, mud mixture to their messy but not thick leaf and dirt mixture. They could see how the systems worked or didn’t work based on the changes they were making.

This is a program with huge potential. STEM Scouts is a great option because it is more cost effective for many parents than traditional STEM activities. It is also interesting because it covers a variety of STEM fields and not just one. If we can attract 6 kids who have never participated in BSA activities before without any type of advertising, imagine what we can do with some real effort.