Dr. Albert Einstein Supernova Award For Scouts BSA, Venturers, and Sea Scouts.
This award is the highest level of STEM award offered by Scouting America, and it is a difficult one to obtain. Make sure to ensure the awards ceremony is a special event. See more about award recognition on the Supernova Awards page.
A Note to the Mentor
The Supernova awards recognize superior achievement in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). All experiments or projects should be conducted using the highest level of safety protocol and always under the supervision of a qualified, responsible adult.
A youth must be a registered Scouts BSA member (age 14 or older and First Class Rank or higher), Venturer, or Sea Scout when this work is completed to earn this award. It is the third award, and must be awarded after the Thomas Alva Edison or Wright Brothers Supernova awards.
1.
Earn either the Thomas Alva Edison
Supernova award while a registered Scouts BSA or the Wright Brothers Supernova award while a
registered Venturer or Sea Scout (hereafter referred to as Scout).
2.
Complete FOUR additional Supernova activity
topics, one from each of the four different STEM areas. Note: Upon
completion of the Dr. Albert Einstein Supernova award, the Scout will
have completed two Supernova activity topics in each of the four STEM
areas for a total of eight.
3.
Pick one of the eight Supernova activity
topics you have completed and present the activity to a group. The
group may be fellow Scouts, students, adult leaders, friends, or family.
4.
With guidance from your mentor, select a current STEM-related concern and
develop a research project or experiment ("the project") related to that
area. Prepare a one-page written proposal detailing your scientific
hypothesis or engineering objective and your proposed experimental
methods, which must be approved by your council's STEM Committee before
you begin work. Execute the project or experiment, and then prepare a
complete and well-documented written report AND an oral presentation.
Present both the oral and written reports to your mentor and to your
local council STEM committee.
a.
This research project or experiment should be challenging and
should require a significant investment of time and effort on your
part. (A guideline would be approximately 100 hours.)
b.
If your mentor is not a specialist in the area of your project or
experiment, they will request assistance from a specialist who will
serve as a STEM consultant.
5.
Submit the Einstein
Supernova application along with all the supporting documentation,
reports, and data for all parts of all requirements to your council's
STEM Committee chair or Advancement Committee Chair, who will coordinate
the group's review and convey their decision.
