Associate Professor of Physics James McLean (blue shirt, back row) and Distinguished Service Professor of Education Dennis Showers (black shirt, second from from back) helped Boy Scouts earn their nuclear science and energy merit badges April 21 on campus.
When it comes to energy, Distinguished Service Professor of Education Dennis Showers wrote the book — the Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA) Energy merit badge book, that is. In a pre-Earth Day celebration, Showers and colleague James McLean, associate professor of physics, teamed up with BSA’s Seneca Waterways Council in Rochester to help 32 Scouts discover the exciting world of STEM during merit badge workshops held on campus April 21.
Showers and McLean are volunteer merit badge counselors for energy and nuclear science, respectively. In this role, they help Scouts fulfill requirements that range from hands-on activities to research to discussions with industry professionals.
The BSA merit badge program offers Boy Scouts opportunities to gain knowledge in 137 different subject areas. Beginning in 2019, girls, too, will have the opportunity to participate in Boy Scouting programs.
“Given how quickly the energy and nuclear science workshops reached capacity points to the strong interest in STEM fields as well as our environment,” said Stephen Hoitt, Scout Executive/CEO, Seneca Waterways Council Boy Scouts of America. “We’re thrilled to have partnered with SUNY Geneseo and Professors Showers and McLean to introduce the next generation to these critical fields. We need solutions more than ever in light of global environmental challenges.”
Both sessions featured hands-on activities specific to badge requirements. In addition, Distinguished Teaching Professor of Physics Stephen Padalino led a tour of the eGarden, highlighting Geneseo’s commitment to sustainability, while McLean led a tour of the Pelletron particle accelerator in the Integrated Sciences Center used to conduct nuclear and plasma physics research.
“SUNY Geneseo has earned national recognition not only for its commitment to the liberal arts, but also for its success in STEM education and research,” noted Provost Stacey Robertson. “We consistently rank as a top producer of undergraduate physics majors in the country, and through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, we’re addressing the critical need for physics teachers in high-needs school districts. We’re pleased to have shared our faculty expertise and facilities, and hope that these workshops may have sparked a lifelong interest in STEM study and sustainability practices among the participants.”
In that regard, Showers’ involvement editing and writing energy-related BSA merit badge booklets — first, Atomic Energy in 1982 and its successor, Nuclear Science, in 2004, followed by Energy in 2005 — has certainly made an impact. In the last five years, 16,552 Boy Scouts earned the energy badge, while another 34,758 earned nuclear science according to the BSA.
“Understanding the science of energy helps guide personal choices that can help people use resources wisely,” said Showers, who also is an Eagle Scout. “Starting with Atomic Energy, I consider this work my most important accomplishment as a science educator to have directly affected the STEM experience for many potential scientists and engineers who got their start in Scouting.”
McLean echoed similar thoughts. Active in Scouting in his youth, he is the chartering organization representative from Geneseo Presbyterian Church to Troop 4070.
“Now more than 120 years after its discovery, nuclear science excites interest not just for the ‘wow’ factor, but for its numerous applications including medicine and non-fossil-fuel energy generation,” he said. “It’s exciting to know that Scouts earning their nuclear science merit badge may be embarking on a journey that will lead to even more discoveries in this field.”
Students engaged in the Noyce Program at Geneseo also were involved in the workshops; Physics majors Michael Geiler ’19 and Claire Corbeaux ’20 worked with Showers, and Sam Benzakein ’19 and Justin D'Souza ’20 assisted McLean.
— By Tony Hoppa