We come to your troop meeting, campout, or event with everything needed.
Tell us the badge — we'll build the session around the requirements.
Scouts BSA Merit Badges
We can help Scouts complete requirements for these STEM-related merit badges. We don't sign off on badges (that's the merit badge counselor's job), but we provide the hands-on instruction, equipment, and guided experience that makes the requirements real.
Robotics
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 2: Describe what a robot is and 3 different applications. Discuss what differentiates a robot from remote-control, telerobots, and autonomous robots.
- Req 3: Design, build, program, and test a robot with at least 2 degrees of freedom that uses sensors and programming.
- Req 4: Demonstrate the robot, share the engineering notebook, discuss performance and improvements.
- Req 5: Identify 3 career opportunities in robotics.
Our Programs:
Brush Bots (intro), Battle Bots (advanced — full design-build-test cycle), Arduino Robotics (sensors + programming). We bring all equipment and materials.
Engineering
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 3: Do experiments to show differences in strength and heat conductivity of wood, metal, and plastic.
- Req 4: Find out how sound, video, text, or images travel between locations using an electronic device.
- Req 6: Visit an engineer or engineering facility (we can serve as the industry visit).
Our Programs:
Compressed Air Rockets (aerodynamics + design iteration), 3D Printing (CAD + manufacturing), Build a Radio (signal transmission), any PBL unit (engineering design process).
Electronics
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 4: Draw a schematic diagram and build a circuit using a breadboard.
- Req 5: Discuss how electronic devices are used in everyday life, industry, and the military.
- Req 6: Build a circuit that does something useful (LED project, radio, etc.).
Our Programs:
Intro to Soldering (LED trees, circuits), Tesla Coil Workshop, Build a Radio, Paper Circuits, Arduino Basics. Real soldering with real components — not a breadboard simulation.
Radio
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 3: Explain how NOAA Weather Radio alerts you to danger.
- Req 5a: Explain safety precautions for working with radio gear, including grounding.
- Req 6: Visit a radio installation and discuss equipment and licenses.
- Req 9: Build a crystal or simple radio receiver.
Our Programs:
Build a Radio — students build a working AM radio from components. Paper Circuit Radios for younger Scouts. This directly fulfills Req 9 and supports several others.
Inventing
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 3: Apply the inventing process: identify a problem, brainstorm, select a solution, build a prototype, test, and redesign.
- Req 4: Create a model or prototype of your invention.
- Req 5: Document your invention process in a logbook.
Our Programs:
Any PBL unit (design-build-test-iterate cycle), 3D Printing (prototype anything), Compressed Air Rockets (engineering design with measurable outcomes). We provide design notebooks.
Programming
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 3: Explain what a program is and how it's developed.
- Req 5: Write a program in a language (Scratch, Python, Arduino C++).
- Req 6: Discuss programming careers.
Our Programs:
Arduino Basics (programming a microcontroller to read sensors and control outputs), Ethical Hacking (Python scripting). Real code running on real hardware.
Weather
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 5: Explain the difference between a watch and a warning.
- Req 7: Make a simple weather station (anemometer, rain gauge, thermometer).
- Req 9: Record weather data for a week and discuss patterns.
Our Programs:
Weather Station Builder — students build real instruments (barometer, thermometer, anemometer, wind vane, rain gauge) and take them home to collect data. Directly fulfills Req 7.
Aviation
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 4: Explain the four forces of flight (lift, drag, thrust, gravity).
- Req 5: Build and fly a model aircraft.
- Req 6: Explain how an airfoil generates lift.
Our Programs:
Paper Planes (four forces, iterative design), Powered Paper Planes, Compressed Air Rockets (projectile flight), Drone Pilot Training (real flight experience). Our Flight Lab PBL includes a wind tunnel and drop tower.
Space Exploration
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 4: Build, launch, and recover a model rocket.
- Req 6: Design a robotic mission to another planet that will return surface samples.
Our Programs:
Compressed Air Rockets — design, build, launch, measure. Students collect altitude and distance data. Our Rocket Engineering PBL unit goes deep into the engineering design cycle over 4 weeks.
Digital Technology
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 5: Create a web page or digital presentation.
- Req 7: Discuss online safety and cybersecurity.
- Req 8: Discuss careers in digital technology.
Our Programs:
Ethical Hacking (cybersecurity fundamentals), Arduino (programming + digital I/O), 3D Printing (CAD software). Quincy's background is in software engineering — this is home turf.
Electricity
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 3: Make a simple electromagnet and explain how it works.
- Req 4: Explain the difference between direct and alternating current.
- Req 6: Make a simple electrical circuit, explain how it works, and identify components.
- Req 7: Explain what overloading a circuit means and demonstrate how a fuse or circuit breaker works.
Our Programs:
This is what we do every day. Soldering LED trees (circuits), Tesla Coil Workshop (AC/DC, electromagnets), Build a Radio (components, tuned circuits), Paper Circuits (intro level). Our Power & Motion PBL unit builds an electromagnet, a motor, AND a generator — that's half the badge in one session.
Chemistry
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 3: Describe how matter changes states (solid, liquid, gas) and give examples.
- Req 4: Do experiments demonstrating chemical reactions (acid-base, precipitation, etc.).
- Req 5: Discuss the difference between chemical and physical changes.
Our Programs:
Forensic Science (mystery powder analysis with vinegar, iodine, water — real chemical reactions used to identify unknowns), Oobleck Adventure (non-Newtonian fluids — is it a solid or a liquid? both.), Metal Casting (solid → liquid → solid phase changes with real aluminum).
Game Design
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 4: Design an original game (board game, card game, or video game).
- Req 5: Make a playable prototype of your game.
- Req 6: Playtest, get feedback, and revise.
Our Programs:
Arduino Basics — build a physical electronic game (reaction time tester, Simon Says clone, buzzer quiz game). Students write the code AND build the hardware. This isn't designing a board game — it's designing a game AND building the console it runs on.
Geocaching
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 3: Explain how GPS works and the difference between GPS accuracy levels.
- Req 5: Use a GPS receiver to find at least three geocaches.
- Req 8: Discuss careers that use GPS technology.
Our Programs:
We can set up a geocaching course at your meeting location or campout and combine it with a rocket launch — find the cache, then launch rockets from the coordinates. GPS + projectile science in one session. Works beautifully as an outdoor activity.
Surveying
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 4: Use a compass and tape to measure angles and distances.
- Req 5: Use triangulation to determine the height of an object.
- Req 7: Discuss careers in surveying and mapping.
Our Programs:
This is exactly what we do during rocket launches. Students use inclinometers, measure baseline distances, and calculate altitude with trigonometry. They're surveying every time they launch a rocket — we just don't call it that. We'll bring the tools and teach the math.
Composite Materials
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 3: Describe the different types of composite materials (fiberglass, carbon fiber, Kevlar).
- Req 5: Make a composite layup using fiberglass or carbon fiber.
- Req 6: Test your composite for strength.
Our Programs:
Build composite rocket fins or reinforced nose cones using fiberglass cloth and epoxy. Students do a real layup, cure it, and test it on an actual rocket launch. This connects our flagship rocket program to materials science in a way nobody else offers.
Photography
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 3: Explain how a camera captures an image (optics, sensors, exposure).
- Req 5: Take photographs demonstrating different techniques (action, night, macro, etc.).
Our Programs:
We already do long-exposure night launch photography with LED rockets — it's stunning. A session combining rocket launches with photography instruction (shutter speed, ISO, aperture, long exposure techniques) covers both action and night photography requirements in one unforgettable evening.
Nuclear Science
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 2: Explain how a Geiger counter works and demonstrate its use.
- Req 3: Describe the types of radiation (alpha, beta, gamma) and how they differ.
- Req 5: Measure background radiation and test common household items.
- Req 7: Discuss how nuclear energy is used to generate electricity.
Our Programs:
We bring a Geiger counter and test everything: bananas (potassium-40), granite countertop samples, smoke detectors (americium-241), Brazil nuts, vintage Fiestaware. Students measure background radiation, then hunt for "hot" items. Genuinely eye-opening — and nobody else brings a Geiger counter to a Scout meeting. Pairs with our Power & Motion unit (how nuclear plants generate electricity = spinning a generator).
Welding
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 3: Describe the different types of welding (MIG, TIG, stick, oxy-fuel).
- Req 4: Demonstrate proper safety procedures and protective equipment.
- Req 6: Make practice welds using at least one welding process.
Our Programs:
We already do blacksmithing (forging at a real anvil) and metal casting (pouring molten aluminum). Welding is the natural next step in our metalworking lineup. Students learn safety, practice on scrap, and join real metal. Same "real tools, not toys" philosophy — just with more sparks.
Environmental Science
Requirements We Help With:
- Req 3: Conduct an experiment on environmental factors (soil, water, air quality).
- Req 6: Investigate an environmental issue and propose a solution.
Our Programs:
Weather Station Builder (atmospheric monitoring), Water Cycle World (filtration, water treatment), Vermiculture partnerships (soil science, composting, nutrient testing). Our sensor-based monitoring systems (ESP32 + environmental sensors) turn any ecology project into a data-driven investigation. This is an Eagle-required badge — high demand.
Cub Scouts
Cub Scout adventures are hands-on by design — they're a natural fit for what we do. We can run a den meeting, pack meeting activity, or a standalone event around these adventures.
Baloo the Builder
What It Covers:
- Learn about basic tools and safety practices
- Practice using tools correctly
- Choose a building project, plan it, and build it
Our Programs:
Any of our build projects work here — rockets (measuring, cutting, assembling), brush bots (simple tool use), weather station instruments. We bring age-appropriate tools and supervise every step.
Engineer
What It Covers:
- Learn about basic tools and proper use of each
- Understand the need for safety when working with tools
- With guidance, select a carpentry or engineering project and build it
Our Programs:
3D Printing (design in CAD, build with a real tool), Compressed Air Rockets (engineering design cycle), any PBL unit. Webelos are the perfect age for our core programs.
Build It
What It Covers:
- Learn about materials and how structures support loads
- Design and build a structure that can hold weight
- Discuss how engineers solve problems
Our Programs:
Compressed Air Rockets (structural design under stress — fin placement, nose cone shape), Parachute Engineering, 3D Printing. All involve designing something that has to actually WORK.
Code of the Wolf / Computing Wolves
What They Cover:
- Introduction to how computers work and basic coding concepts
- Create a simple program or game
- Discuss how computers are used in everyday life
Our Programs:
Arduino Basics (simplified for Wolf age — LED control, button inputs), Ethical Hacking (age-appropriate intro to how computers think). Quincy's background is in software engineering — coding instruction is a specialty.
Race Time / Air of the Wolf
What They Cover:
- Race Time: Build and race a vehicle, explore motion and speed
- Air of the Wolf: Explore how air moves and affects objects
Our Programs:
Brush Bots (Race Time — build and race), Paper Planes (Air of the Wolf — aerodynamics at the simplest level), Compressed Air Rockets (both — air-powered racing into the sky).
BSA STEM Nova Awards
Nova awards are the BSA's dedicated STEM recognition. They're earned alongside (not instead of) regular advancement. Each requires completing a related merit badge plus additional STEM activities. These are some of the most natural fits for what we do.
Shoot!
What It Requires:
- Earn one of: Astronomy, Chemistry, Nuclear Science, Physics, or Space Exploration merit badge
- Complete additional STEM activities related to projectile science and space
Our Programs:
Compressed Air Rockets (projectile science + data collection), Weather Station (atmospheric science), Space Exploration merit badge work. The rocket program is a perfect centerpiece for this award.
Whoosh!
What It Requires:
- Earn one of: Aviation, Composite Materials, Electricity, Engineering, Inventing, or Robotics merit badge
- Complete activities related to engineering, motion, and simple machines
- Visit an engineering facility or meet with an engineer
Our Programs:
Engineering, Robotics, or Aviation merit badge work + our PBL units. The visit/engineer requirement can be fulfilled through our sessions — Quincy is a Georgia Tech-trained engineer. This is our strongest Nova match.
Designed to Crunch
What It Requires:
- Earn one of: Chess, Geocaching, Programming, or Surveying merit badge
- Complete math-focused STEM activities
Our Programs:
Programming merit badge work (Arduino), rocket data analysis (trig for altitude, graphing launch data), 3D Printing (spatial math, CAD coordinates). Our Rocket Engineering PBL is math-heavy by design.
Start Your Engines!
What It Requires:
- Earn one of: Animation, Digital Technology, Electronics, Game Design, Programming, or Radio merit badge
- Complete technology-focused STEM activities
Our Programs:
Electronics, Radio, Programming, or Digital Technology merit badge work. Build a Radio, Arduino, Soldering, Ethical Hacking — technology is our core.
Supernova Awards
Supernova awards require earning multiple Nova awards plus an extended STEM research project with a mentor. If a Scout is pursuing Supernova, we can serve as the STEM mentor and help design the research project. Our PBL units (especially the 4-week deep-dive formats) map directly to the Supernova research requirement.
Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts have an excellent STEM badge lineup — especially in robotics, cybersecurity, and engineering. We can run badge sessions for individual troops or larger service unit events.
Think Like an Engineer Journey
This journey takes girls through the engineering design process: identify a problem, brainstorm solutions, design, build, test, and improve. Available at every level from Brownie to Ambassador.
Our Programs:
Every one of our programs follows this exact cycle. Compressed Air Rockets, 3D Printing, Paper Planes, Weather Station — all are design-build-test-iterate. We can frame any session around the Think Like an Engineer journey requirements.
Think Like a Programmer Journey
Girls learn computational thinking: how programmers break down problems, create algorithms, and design technology for users. The Cadette level explores user-centered design.
Our Programs:
Arduino Basics (write real code that controls real hardware), Ethical Hacking (how systems work and how to think like a programmer/hacker). Quincy's professional background is software engineering.
Designing Robots
By Level:
- Brownie: Design a robot, plan and build a prototype, share feedback like an engineer
- Junior: Plan and build a prototype robot that solves a global problem
- Cadette: Build a prototype robot that helps someone overcome a daily obstacle
Our Programs:
Brush Bots (Brownies — simple, everyone succeeds), Battle Bots (Juniors/Cadettes — full design cycle), Arduino Robotics (Cadettes — programmable). We scale the complexity to the level.
Cybersecurity Badges
Three Badges at Each Level:
- Basics: Learn fundamentals of cybersecurity
- Safeguards: Understand what protections exist and how to use them
- Investigator: Put knowledge into practice
Our Programs:
Ethical Hacking covers all three levels of thinking: how attacks work (Basics), how to defend (Safeguards), and hands-on practice (Investigator). Lockpicking adds a physical security dimension. Quincy coached CyberPatriot teams to national competition.
STEM Career Exploration
Girls explore STEM career paths — discovering how everyday interests connect to real careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Our Programs:
Any session doubles as career exploration. Soldering → electronics technician. 3D Printing → product designer. Rockets → aerospace engineer. Drones → UAV pilot. We talk about real careers during every session.
Trail Life USA
Trail Life organizes advancement around seven "Frontiers" — including Science & Technology. We can help with badges in that frontier as well as general STEM enrichment for troop meetings and campouts.
Science & Technology Frontier
The Science & Technology frontier covers STEM-related skills and knowledge. Trail Life badges in this frontier align well with hands-on building, electronics, engineering, and outdoor science.
Our Programs:
Compressed Air Rockets, Soldering, Build a Radio, 3D Printing, Weather Station, Arduino — all fit the Science & Technology frontier. We can review specific badge requirements with your Troop Master and tailor the session to match.
Outdoor Skills & Hobbies Frontiers
Several badges outside the Science & Technology frontier also connect to our programs — woodworking skills, fire safety (relevant to blacksmithing), and navigation (compass building).
Our Programs:
Mini Blacksmithing (metalworking + fire safety), Weather Station (compass building + meteorology), Forensic Science (observation + investigation skills). We're happy to cross-reference any specific badge requirements.
Freedom Award & Ridgeline Award Projects
Trail Life's capstone awards (Ridgeline for Navigators, Freedom for Adventurers) require demonstrated mastery of skills and a service project. If a Trailman's project has a STEM component — building something for a community, creating a teaching tool, designing a solution to a local problem — we can provide technical mentorship and equipment.
Any Troop, Any Organization
Don't see your specific badge listed? We work with all scouting organizations and can tailor sessions to any set of requirements. Tell us the badge and we'll build the session around it.
Our programs are also great for troop meetings, campouts, and special events even when you're NOT working on a specific badge. Sometimes kids just need to launch rockets, solder LEDs, or forge a sword — no paperwork required.
Popular "just for fun" programs for Scout troops:
- Compressed Air Rockets — the #1 most requested Scout program
- Mini Blacksmithing — forge a real mini sword at a real anvil
- Intro to Soldering — build an LED tree to take home
- Lockpicking — learn how locks work (and how to open them)
- Drone Pilot Training — learn to fly quadcopters