About the Nova Awards Program
The Boy Scouts of America’s STEM Nova Awards program incorporates learning with cool activities and exposure to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for Cub Scouts, Webelos Scouts, Scouts BSA, Sea Scouts, and Venturers. These activities and associated awards stimulate interest in STEM-related fields, and show how these subjects appear in everyday life and the world around us. Nova counselors and Supernova mentors help bring this engaging, contemporary, and fun program to life for youth members.
CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL BSA PAGE FOR NOVA AWARDS
There are awards designed for youth in the Cub Scout, Scouts BSA, and Sea Scouting/Venturing programs, and are optional in each program. Requirements must be completed while registered in the BSA in the appropriate program and subject to standard age limitations.
The Scouting units of St. George encourage our scouts of all ranks and ages to pursue the NOVA Awards in addition to their rank activities.
Counselor: Ashley Michel, ashleyxf@gmail.com; 225-266-8964
The Nova Awards
There are multiple Nova awards for each level: Cub Scouts, Webelos Scouts, Scouts BSA, and Sea Scouts and Venturers. Each award covers one specific subfield of a STEM subject area. Upon earning their first Nova award, Scouts receive the distinctive Scouts BSA Nova Award patch. For each Nova earned after that, a Scout earns a separate pi (π) pin-on device that attaches to the patch.
As of January 1, 2020, there are eleven Nova awards for Cub Scouts (Wolf and Bear levels) and Webelos Scouts, ten for members of Scouts BSA, and nine for Venturers and Sea Scouts. Originally, there were four Nova awards for each program area, each covering one component of STEM – science, technology, engineering, or mathematics,. Additional awards have been added as they were approved. Note that there are three different versions of the Up and Away Nova Award requirements which are designed for youth who are Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, and Venturers or Sea Scouts
| Cub Scout and Webelos Scout Nova awards: Science Everywhere Tech Talk Swing! 1-2-3 Go! Down and Dirty Nova Wild! Out of This World Fearful Symmetry Uncovering the Past Cub Scouts Can Code Up and Away | Scouts BSA Nova awards: Shoot! Start Your Engines Whoosh! Designed to Crunch Let It Grow! Splash! Mendel’s Minions Hello, World Up and Away Next Big Thing | Venturer and Sea Scout Nova awards: Launch! Power Up Hang On! Numbers Don’t Lie Wade! What a Life! Execute! Something from Nothing Up and Away |
The Supernova Awards
The Supernova awards have more rigorous requirements than the Nova awards. The requirements and activities were designed to motivate youth and recognize more in-depth, advanced achievement in STEM-related activities. For the Supernova awards, a registered and council-approved mentor, who serves much like a merit badge counselor, is required.
Supernova awards were designed to motivate Scouts and recognize more advanced achievement in STEM-related activities, and thus have more rigorous and in-depth requirements than Nova awards. There is one Supernova award for Wolf and Bear Cub Scouts, and one for Webelos Scouts, two Supernova awards are available to Scouts who have earned First Class rank, and three Supernova awards are available to Venturers and Sea Scouts.
Scouts can earn the Dr. Bernard Harris Supernova Bronze Award and then the Thomas Edison Supernova Silver Award. These two Supernova awards are available to all Scouts who have earned First Class rank. The Dr. Bernard Harris Supernova Bronze Award requires the Scout to have earned three Scouts BSA Nova awards, in addition to other requirements. The Thomas Edison Supernova Silver Award requires completion of a fourth Scouts BSA Nova award, in addition to the Harris Supernova Award and other requirements.
For Wolf and Bear Cub Scouts:
* Dr. Louis Alvarez Supernova Award
For Webelos Scouts:
* Dr. Charles H. Townes Supernova Award
For Scouts BSA:
* Dr. Bernard Harris Supernova Bronze Award
* Thomas Edison Supernova Silver Award
For Venturers and Sea Scouts:
* Dr. Sally Ride Supernova Bronze Award
*Wright Brothers A & Wright Brothers B Supernova Silver Award
* Dr. Albert Einstein Supernova Gold Award
Troop and Venturer Scouts working on SuperNOVA must also complete approved activities for their particular award, found at the links below:
Scouts BSA SuperNOVA Activities
For earning the Supernova award, Scouts receive a certificate and a medal, a sample of which is shown above.
Requirements may be found in the Nova awards guidebooks, available through local Scout shops or online at Scouting.org. The requirements can be completed with a parent or an adult leader as the counselor (for the Nova awards) or mentor (for the Supernova awards). Each guidebook includes a section for the counselor and mentor.
The requirements for each of the Nova and Supernova awards are also available on BSA’s official web site, https://www.scouting.org/stem-nova-awards/awards/. They are also available on this site and may be found using the links in the table below.
PATCHES CAN BE PURCHASED ONLINE AT CLASS B
RESOURCES
| File Name | Description | File Download |
|---|---|---|
| Boy Scout Unit Guide for STEM Nova Activities | Boy Scout Unit Guide for STEM Nova Activities | DOWNLOAD |
| Cub Scout Achievement Nova Breakdown | Quick Reference Guide for Cub Scout Adventures that can also be used for a STEM Nova achievement | DOWNLOAD |
| Cub Scout Unit Guide for STEM Nova Activities | Cub Scout Unit Guide for STEM Nova Activities | DOWNLOAD |
| Nova Certificate | Template for NOVA award certificate | DOWNLOAD |
| Supernova Certificate | Template for SuperNOVA award certificate | DOWNLOAD |
| Nova Sign Off Sheet | You may use the worksheets as sign offs however this format is more useful and acts like a “merit badge” sign off card. | DOWNLOAD |
| PBS Online Episodes Listing | PBS Online Episodes Associate with STEM Nova | DOWNLOAD |
| Cub Scout NOVA Booklet | Cub Scout NOVA Award Official Booklet | DOWNLOAD |
| STEM Super Nova Mentor Appllication Information | DOWNLOAD | |
| Supernova Mentors Guide |
Cub Scout Pack 136 
