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Nova

Art and Science Find Parallels within the Fearful Symmetry NOVA

December 13, 2022 by Jennifer Hansen

If you were to look up the meaning of Symmetry, you would find definitions that relate to mathematics, physics, and art. The Fearful Symmetry NOVA award highlights these parallel concepts between Art and Science by investigating symmetry found within different cultural art forms. Pack 278 Cub Scouts visited the Gandhi Memorial Center in Bethesda, Maryland to attend a Kolam workshop taught by Shanthi Chandrasekar and her daughter, Aishwariya Chandrasekar. Kolam are passed down generationally and compose of a series of dots and lines creating patterns with varying motifs and forms of symmetry.

Cub Scouts learned about the history and cultural significance of the Kolam and explored the many forms of symmetry found within them. While learning to draw different Kolam, they also gained a better understanding on the concept of fractals. Aishwariya demonstrated the traditional way Kolam are created using rice flour and sand and had the Cub Scouts do their best at creating their own. Following the workshop, Cub Scouts viewed Aishwariya’s art collection called Thalaimuraigal, Three Generations of Kolam, displayed within the Gandhi Memorial Center. The collection showcases Kolam created by Aishwariya’s grandmother, mother, and herself.

Shanthi describes Kolam as, “a versatile tool for her to explore topics she is curious about, such as cosmology, neuroscience, and math.” The connection between the art form and STEM concepts is especially clear at her art installation, Singularities and Infinities, displayed at the Katzan Art Center at American University. Pack 278 Cub Scouts ventured to the Katzan Art Center following the workshop to continue their investigation into the parallels between Art and Science.

Experimental Particle Physicist, Michael Albrow, combined prose and poetry with Shanthi’s artwork to explore and express concepts of the cosmos. Found within the Artists’ Statement, the following best explains the goal of the Fearful Symmetry NOVA; “While artists and scientists view the universe through different disciplinary lenses, there is much in common – a sense of wonder and beauty, a fascination with the unknown, the boundaries of our knowledge, the perfect symmetries and broken symmetries.” Pack 278 Cub Scouts, parents, and leaders left the day with a better understanding of how symmetry can be found within their everyday life.

Filed Under: Scouting Programs Tagged With: Nova, STEM

Woodbridge Cub Scouts Visit Water Treatment Facility

September 28, 2022 by Cheryl McBeth

Last month, Prince William District’s Cub Scout Pack 295 had the opportunity to visit their local water treatment facility to learn about the technology used there as part of NOVA STEM’s Tech Talk adventure!

The Virginia American Water staff were extremely generous with their time, information sharing, and PPE during the tour. Youth and adults alike learned a ton about the treatment process on this amazing outing!

 

To learn more about the Tech Talk Nova, read the requirements on BSA’s STEM page.

Filed Under: Scouting Programs Tagged With: Nova, STEM

Five PACK 1280 Scouts Complete NOVA WILD! Award

January 7, 2022 by Debra DeRuyver

Congratulations to the five Pack 1280 Scouts who participated in the NOVA WILD! program in Fall 2021.

The Scouts kicked off their NOVA WILD! experience with a boat tour around Clopper Lake where they observed local wildlife and talked with a ranger. Next they learned about weather forecasting, food webs, and native vs. invasive species and shared what they learned during virtual check-in meetings.

The program closed with an in-person gathering where Scouts shared their final reports with the NOVA counselor and played a spirited game of EcoFlux.

Filed Under: Adventure Tagged With: Nova, STEM

Astronaut, NASA, Out of this World, Nova

March 29, 2021 by NCAC STEM

Brian Hoffer is a Den Leader of Pack 129 in NCAC as well as a graduate of the United States Naval Academy. In other words, he went to the same academy as Astronaut Charlie Duke! How cool is that?! Even cooler, Brian reached out to NCAC in February to suggest that we invite Astronaut Duke to STEM Speaker Series. We did, Astronaut Duke agreed to participate, and on March 18th STEM Speaker Series hosted a great chat with Astronaut Duke and a few thousand scouts.

In case you’re wondering, astronauts have a strong connection to scouting. In fact, all but one astronaut to walk on the moon were in BSA at some rank or another (ranging from Cub Scout, to Tenderfoot… to Eagle Scout). Only two of those astronauts earned the rank of Eagle and they are Astronaut Charlie Duke and Astronaut Neil Armstrong.

STEM Speaker Series

Needless to say, we were delighted to host Astronaut Duke in STEM Speaker Series. This webinar series was designed by the NCAC STEM Committee in spring 2020 as a way to encourage youth to learn about STEM careers during the pandemic. We invite STEM professionals to present about their career and education, and to then answer questions live from the youth.

This special edition featuring Astronaut Duke was even broadcast across National BSA’s channels! You can rewatch the talk here, and check out the NCAC STEM Facebook page for future STEM Speaker Series.

 

Brian Hoffer’s Den from Pack 129 tuned in for the chat, and even submit a few questions for Astronaut Duke! This wasn’t their first interaction with the incredible world of space exploration. These cubs earned a Nova Award, “Out of this World” during the past year.

Nova Awards

Each Nova Award generally follows a format that encourages a myriad of activities: read/watch an hour on the topic, do some hands-on activities in the subject area, visit a museum/laboratory, talk to an expert, discuss what you learned.

The requirements of the Out of this World Nova Award included a field trip. Thus, for requirement 4A, Brian had organized a field trip for his den to visit the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD.  They were lucky to have visited pre-pandemic, but NASA offers some interactive virtual tours even now.

For another requirement, one of the webelos created this vibrant digital  art of a Mars base.

Congratulations to the following Webelos in Pack 129, in National Capital Area Council, for earning the Out of this World Nova Award:

Ben
Bastian
Xavi
Murphy
Sam
Max

Here’s the photo of them at the NASA Goddard Space Center eating Astronaut Ice Cream. All in all, what a cool way to learn about space, and have a capstone event!

Filed Under: Scouting Programs Tagged With: #CubScouts, Nova, STEM

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