Scouts learn STEM and trades on BC3 campus Saturday
Local scout troops spent Saturday, March 16, working toward merit badges in the STEM and trade fields during an educational event at Butler County Community College.
Whether programming robots, soldering electrical wires or mixing chemicals, the students were earning something more important than a badge, according to district executive Caelan Hinterlang of Moraine Trails Council for Scouts BSA.
“This is a good opportunity for them to learn about a science they wouldn’t necessarily learn about in school curriculum,” he said. “It’s a snapshot into an industry they might not get otherwise.”
Most children ages 11 to 17 would spend their Saturday in other ways, according to plumbing instructor John Reilhan. As a former scout, he said he was impressed by the enthusiasm his pupils showed.
“I know the value of having some free time … everyone loves sleeping in,” he said.
The students in his classroom were invested, one of theme being Ardan Oniboni, a senior student at Butler High School and a scout with the Herman troop. He said he was surprised by how many materials were involved in setting up plumbing systems in houses.
“It teaches life skills,” he said. “You don’t really learn about this outside of here or technical school.”
He said he was enjoying the process, and even could see himself using the knowledge in the near future.
“One thing my dad wanted me to take away was how to fix the leak in our bathtub,” he laughed.
Scout executive Ray Tennant said the BC3 campus was perfect for their academy purposes, providing materials like beakers, soldering irons, and other high-tech utensils that would have been expensive to obtain.
“It’s like they built the facility for the merit badge program,” he said.
Matt Kovach, dean of STEM at BC3, said this was the 13th time the scouts have been in the facility, and it is always a joy to have them.
“It’s a pleasure for us to be able to host and have them experience the different aspects of STEM,” he said.
In one part of the building, students learned how to create and wire an electrical coin toss machine. The device could fit into the palm of your hand, but instructor Wayne Noah said it took 300 PowerPoint slides and a safety talk before the scouts could get their own hands on the material.
“We try to explain it in layman's terms,” he said. “They can ask questions. We learn the safety of electricity, the rules of using electrical components.”
In another classroom, scouts like Miles Bindernagel of the Chicora troop put their minds to the test programming a robot. The machines were modified by the scouts using sensors for proximity, touch, push and color recognition, all for the goal of pushing other robots out of a fighting ring.
Miles said building the robot was the easiest part of the course, whereas programming was a challenge.
“You had to program it almost all by yourself. They gave us the basics and let us extend onto it,” he said. “It’s trial and error. Sometimes we’ll win, sometimes we’ll lose.”
He said his robot was modified to have a front bumper, which helped it knock other contestants out of the ring.
Anna Critchlow, a scout with the Hyde Park, Westmoreland County troop, said she was interested in earning the robotics badge because of the opportunity it presented.
“We can build things, it’s more hands-on,” she said.
These types of experiences were extremely valuable to scouts, according to Tennant, and hopefully would foster their interest in careers in STEM or the trades.
“That’s the whole purpose of the merit badge program: exposure and skill set,” he said.
