STEM Activities

Many of the activities and awards offered in Cub Scouting, Scouts BSA, and Venturing focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) topics.

There are some special STEM awards you can earn in Cub Scouting, Scouts BSA, and Venturing called Nova Awards. These have two levels: the Nova and the Supernova.

The Nova level award is meant to be an age-appropriate introduction in detail to STEM topics; you can earn these by working with your parent’s or leader’s supervision.

The Supernova level award requires that you work with a registered Supernova Mentor who has specialized, professional knowledge in certain STEM areas.

Of course, you don’t have to pursue a Nova Award to explore STEM-related topics. Many of the Adventure Loops you’ll earn in Cub Scouts (elementary school) include basic STEM concepts. The Scouts BSA (middle and high school) merit badge program offers dozens of topics ranging from Astronomy to Environmental Science to Space Exploration and more.

Our STEM in Scouting Committee maintains a separate website with additional information about Nova Awards and STEM-specific activities; visit it at www.bsastemnova.org.

Our council offers some annual events with a STEM-focused program:

TechLab (for Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, and STEM Scouts)

Our premiere STEAM (the “A” stands for Art) camp provides engaging, exciting, and hands-on activities. You can learn more at this page on our website.

STEMboree (for all Scouts and Scouting families)

This is a one day event with several short learning opportunities where Cub Scouts or Scouts BSA Scouts can earn one or more Nova Awards that same day! There’s also a midway of activities and displays just for fun and for all ages. You can learn more information by visiting our STEMboree page, located at this link.

STEM Adventure Weekend (for Scouts BSA)

This weekend STEM event is designed to get Scouts BSA youth started on earning the prestigious NOVA Award and start learning STEM skills, such as Robotics, Welding, Engineering, Automotive Maintenance, and more. You can learn more by visiting this page.

Conservation Awards Weekend (for Scouts BSA)

The Conservation Awards Weekend provides Scouts BSA youth a path toward earning Scouting’s highest conservation award, offering all qualifying merit badges, Leave No Trace classes, and conservation project opportunities. You can learn more information by visiting our Awards Weekend page, located at this page.

Geology Merit Badge Day

The day-long program takes you on a guided tour by bus of geological hot spots in the Austin area. Geologists/subject matter experts lead the trip and give you a chance to complete many requirements for Geology Merit Badge. To learn more and register, visit this page.