Scouts BSA (6th grade and up) discover how DNA is constructed and extract DNA from Strawberries, while earning the Mendel’s Minions Scouts BSA Stem Nova Award!

This Scouts BSA Stem Nova will be held at the Scouts Service Center at 24 Lynnwood Dr, Texarkana TX 75503.  If you want to have completed this Stem Nova in the course of the workshop, you will need to have completed the following beforehand:

• Read/watch shows or documentaries/combination of the two that discuss genetics/genomes.  Make a list of five questions/ideas from the things you watched/read
• Complete one merit badge from the following list. (Choose one that you have not already used toward another Nova Award.) After completion, discuss with your counselor the genetic component of the merit badge you selected.

• Present/bring a report of at least 800 words or 10 minutes (with visual aids) on one of the following topics. Make sure to include the ethical issues involved in your topic..

A. Mendelian inheritance, DNA, RNA, genetics, genomics, sequencing, and Punnett squares

B. Genetic diseases, personalized medicine, and genetic counseling

C. Genetically modified food, transgenic animals, and hybrid foods

D. Use of large genetics databases for forensic analysis/solving crimes, genealogical research, or medical studies (The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (COSMIC), Exome Aggregation Consortioum (ExAC), 100,000 Genomes Project, mitochondrial DNA, etc.)

E. Pharmacogenetics and oncogenomics

F. Human Genome Project

G. CRISPR (Clustered Regularly-Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)

H. Biotechnology, biologics, and biosimilar drugs

I. Another related topic approved in advance

Please make sure that you have registered everyone who you intend to attend this event, both adults and Scouts, as space is very limited in each group, due to COVID-19.  If you find you are unable to attend, please contact us to allow us to open this spot for someone else.  Everyone must wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth at all times.  Please bring one with you.  A Youth in 6th grade or up who is not registered with a Troop may attend one Awesome Activity, but MUST be accompanied by an adult.

Registration for this event will end on 10/6 at 11pm

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Zoe.Nakashian@Scouting.org