STEM University offers hands-on learning for Scouts, opportunity for merit badges

Southeast Missouri State University welcomed more than 200 Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts for STEM University on Saturday.

STEM University is an all-day event allowing member of Boy Scouts of America (BSA) of the Greater Saint Louis Area Council to earn awards and badges in science-, technology-, engineering- or math-related fields.

This year, 17 merit-badge sessions ranging from plumbing to geocaching were offered, as well as five Nova-award sessions. The sessions were held in various buildings around campus, with each session featuring activities related to the merit badges.

Kevin McMeel, instructor in engineering and technology at Southeast, was a main organizer of the event.

McMeel said he hoped to show the Scouts “STEM is fun” by utilizing hands-on experiments, which he said allows instructors to “sneak the learning aspect in.”

“Sometimes, when you’re going through merit badges, you’re just going through the process and you’re not really getting a chance to do things,” McMeel said. “Here, we try to give them that chance to do things — not just sit there — so that’s the fun part.”

Some of the hands-on activities included welding a piece of metal, soldering a pipe and digging for fake dinosaur fossils.

He said this gives Scouts the opportunity to learn things they can’t learn in a classroom, or maybe wouldn’t have learned at all.

Dereck Driemeyer of Highland, Illinois, attended the event with his 13-year-old son, Logan, from Troop 1040B.

He said watching his son experiment with the different trades reminded him of his own upbringing.

“It brings me back to my childhood — when I was his age — to all the opportunities to succeed and learn different activities, different cultures, different trade skills,” Driemeyer said.

He added that in past years, the trades have struggled to find people, and events like STEM University can help by showing young boys and girls how rewarding the jobs can be.

Logan has attended STEM University for two years, and said his favorite sessions are the ones where he can really “get his hands dirty.” He said what he gained above all else, however, was friendships with Scouts from different states that he may never have met outside this event.

McMeel said the event is in it’s seventh year being held at Southeast, and it’s something they hope to continue for years to come.

“I think it’s just a great opportunity for Scouts,” McMeel said. “They seem to have fun, and we have fun.”