SM tips - Robot Merit Badge

Scouting's newest merit badge, Robotics, debuted this week, just in time for National Robotics Week. It made quite a splash, too. Hundreds of newspapers ran a wire-service story about it, and the merit-badge pamphlet even showed up in lights in New York's Times Square.

Robotics is being billed as the first interactive merit badge. At http://boyslife.org/section/about-scouts/merit-badge-resources/robotics/, your Scouts can find extensive resources to help them earn the badge. 

Robotics is just one aspect of the BSA's new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) initiative, which is designed to promote tech topics among Scouts. Besides spurring interest in these disciplines-where America falls far behind other countries-the STEM initiative could help you attract or retain Scouts who'd rather spend time building robots that fires.

So where do you find a Robotics merit badge counselor? Check with the science teachers at local high schools and colleges. Chances are good you'll find someone who leads a robotics team and would love to work with your Scouts.

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