• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
The Scouter Digest

The Scouter Digest

News from NCAC BSA

  • Home
  • Submit Your News
  • About The Scouter Digest
  • NCAC Main Site
You are here: Home / Scouting At Home / Cryptology and Codes in STEM@Home

Cryptology and Codes in STEM@Home

March 4, 2021 by NCAC STEM

On February 6, NCAC kicked off the first STEM@Home of 2021! STEM@Home is a online Nova program that enables Cub Scouts to learn Novas from the comforts of their homes! To start off the year we had two cub scout Nova classes:

Nova 1-2-3 Go!

Cub scouts had the tremendous opportunity to learn about secret codes with the NSA National Cryptologic Museum. Ms. Jen Wilcox and cameraman Mr. Craig taught live from the museum, demonstrating the NSA cipher, Navajo Joe, and railroad codes. The NSA National Cryptologic Museum in Annapolis Junction in MD has taught the 1-2-3 Go Nova on-site pre-pandemic.  Thankfully NCAC Nova Counselor Ms. Plano-Faber made the connection to Ms. Wilcox who practiced and tweaked the museum’s program for our STEM@Home virtual format, and together they guided cubs through a fantastic worksheet deciphering codes! (Have you ever heard of a rail fence cipher? ) We can’t wait to visit once the museum reopens!

In another section, the Senior Director of Innovation Research & Development from Intelligent Waves LLC, Mr. John Hammes taught cub scouts about the history of secret codes. Mr. Hammes was a cub scout as a youth and volunteered to give back as a SME (subject matter expert) guiding these cubs through the emergences and industry uses of codes.

NCAC Nova Counselor Dr. Jason Kralj then met with the combined cub scout group to teach the other elements of the 1-2-3 Go Nova Award: statistics! Cub scouts had submit survey questions in advance, which we ran as a poll in ZOOM so everyone could collect data from their peers to meet requirement 2 of the Nova. They then learned how to display the results before moving into the fun coin toss experiment!

 

Cub Scouts Can Code

In another class, cub scouts learned to code with NCAC Nova Counselor Mr. Mark Bruno. This is the second time Mr. Bruno taught this class in STEM@Home and the screenshot is from a step-coding game that he created and facilitated for the whole group! As you might imagine, this Nova Award covers a different type of codes than those in 1-2-3 Go. These cub scouts walked away with a better understanding of binary codes and algorithms; and those who completed the post-requisites even earned their full Nova Award!

Thank you to our guests, Mr. Hammes, Ms. Wilcox and Cameraman Craig as well as our very own NCAC Nova Counselors Dr. Kralj, Ms. Plano-Faber and Mr. Bruno for putting on this excellent event! 


The next STEM@Home will be on April 17, 2021. This event will include Novas for Cub Scouts as well as Scouts BSA — be sure to check it out! https://scoutingevent.com/082-stemnova

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Filed Under: Scouting At Home Tagged With: Cub Scouts, STEM

You Might Also Like…

  • Director David Henrie Invites NCAC to Digital Movie Premiere

    August 26, 2020

  • Missing Summer Day Camp or Resident Camp?

    June 25, 2020

  • Microscope + Camping = FUN !!!

    June 15, 2020

  • Family – Fun – Flag – FOURTH!

    June 14, 2020

  • Guidance on Resuming In-Person Scouting Activities

    June 12, 2020

  • NCAC Scouting at Home 2020 Award for Unit Scouters!

    May 29, 2020

  • Introducing the NCAC Scouting at Home 2020 Award!

    May 11, 2020

  • NCAC Response to COVID-19

    April 4, 2020

  • Scouting At Home Challenge!

    March 19, 2020

  • Scout Service Center Closing

    March 17, 2020

  • Help Celebrate NCAC Camping Centennial at Camp Snyder’s Work Days for All

    March 5, 2020

  • General David L. Goldfein Receives the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award

    February 25, 2020

  • TUSKEGEE AIRMAN RECEIVES NCAC LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

    February 14, 2020

  • Assistant Cubmaster, Pack 380, NCAC Washington DC District

    April 13, 2021

  • Astronaut Charlie Duke to talk to Scouts in STEM Speaker Series

    February 11, 2021

  • Update on Resuming In-Person Scouting Activities

    February 9, 2021

  • Cub Scout Novas in STEM@Home

    January 29, 2021

  • Week 5 – Variety Week!

    January 22, 2021

Primary Sidebar

NCAC Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Latest Issue

TSD Summer '18 is on Issuu

Archives

  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • October 2018
  • July 2018
  • May 2018

Director David Henrie Invites NCAC to Digital Movie Premiere

Missing Summer Day Camp or Resident Camp?

Microscope + Camping = FUN !!!

Family – Fun – Flag – FOURTH!

Guidance on Resuming In-Person Scouting Activities

NCAC Scouting at Home 2020 Award for Unit Scouters!

Introducing the NCAC Scouting at Home 2020 Award!

NCAC Response to COVID-19

Scouting At Home Challenge!

Scout Service Center Closing

Help Celebrate NCAC Camping Centennial at Camp Snyder’s Work Days for All

General David L. Goldfein Receives the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award

TUSKEGEE AIRMAN RECEIVES NCAC LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Thank You To Our Friends of Scouting!

Camp Snyder Merit Badge Week Class Registration is Open

13 Year Old Eagle Scout To Be Honored On April 24th

New Girls Troop In Aldie, VA

Footer

Categories

Adventure
At Camp
Leaders
Scouting At Home
Scouting Programs

Subscribe for Scouting News!

Follow Us!

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2021 · Genesis Elk on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in