Last week, NCAC’s STEM programs participated in the Rockville Science Center (RSC) grand “re-opening” celebration. Our STEM Scouts and STEM Explorers joined dignitaries, including Rockville Mayor, representatives from the Rockville City Council, Montgomery County Council, and Rockville Chamber of Commerce, to present Post 1010’s Advisor and RSC President, Bob Ekman, with six awards. NBC anchor Melissa Mollett emceed the event, spoke of her own children’s interest in science, and chatted with our representing Explorers, Scouts, and advisors.
The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation brought a film crew and will feature our STEM Explorers in their “Be Next” campaign – stay tuned!
The RSC’s Explorer Post 1010 has over 40 youth and participates in four national engineering competitions. Their Explorers have won several national awards; most notably their drone and rocketry teams placed at the top in national competitions. Proudly displayed from the ceiling of the Rockville Science Center is a 6’ model rocket that these Explorers designed in a program with NASA last year; this year, the Explorers are building a 7’ model rocket. The Montgomery County representatives expressed interest in expanding the STEM Explorers program within the County.
During the event, RSC proudly portrayed all the ways NCAC partners with their program and our STEM Explorers were staples of the exhibition. RSC holds physics of Pinewood Derby classes for Cub Scouts, STEM Merit Badge workshops, and they sponsor three NCAC units. In addition to Explorer Post 1010, and the STEM Scouts Lab, RSC recently charted Scout BSA Troop 1325 with the help of a Seneca District volunteer and RSC employee, Howard Lichtman. Eagle Scouts from Troop 1325 have participated in building projects for RSC including designing and assembling bookshelves. The NCAC thanks the Rockville Science Center for the many Scouting opportunities -in and out of STEM – that they provide.
Any girl or boy in grades 3-8 is welcome to be a part of NCAC’s STEM Scout Program. To read more about the different labs and opportunities to explore STEM, go to www.ncacbsa.org/stem.
