1.

Choose A or B or C and complete ALL the requirements.

A.

Watch an episode or episodes (about one hour total) of a show about anything related to science. Then do the following:

1.

Make a list of at least two questions or ideas from what you watched.

2.

Discuss two of the questions or ideas with your counselor.

B.

Read (about one hour total) about anything related to science. Then do the following:

1.

Make a list of at least two questions or ideas from what you read.

2.

Discuss two of the questions or ideas with your counselor.

C.

Do a combination of reading and watching (about one hour total) about anything related to science. Then do the following:

1.

Make a list of at least two questions or ideas from what you read and watched.

2.

Discuss two of the questions or ideas with your counselor.

2.

Complete ONE adventure from the following list. (Choose one that you have not already earned.) Discuss with your counselor what kind of science, technology, engineering, or math was used in the adventure. 

3.

Act like a scientist! Explore EACH of the following:

A.

With your counselor, choose a question you would like to investigate.
Here are some examples only (you may get other ideas from your adventure activities):

1.

Why do rockets have fins? Is there any connection between the feathers on arrows and fins on rockets?

2.

Why do some cars have spoilers? How do spoilers work?

3.

If there is a creek or stream in your neighborhood, where does it go? Does your stream flow to the Atlantic or the Pacific ocean?

4.

Is the creek or stream in your neighborhood or park polluted?

5.

What other activity can you think of that involves some kind of scientific questions or investigation?

B.

With your counselor, use the scientific method/process to investigate your question. Keep records of your question, the information you found, how you investigated, and what you found out about your question.

C.

Discuss your investigation and findings with your counselor.

4.

Visit a place where science is being done, used, or explained, such as one of the following: zoo, aquarium, water treatment plant, observatory, science museum, weather station, fish hatchery, or any other location where science is being done, used, or explained.

A.

During your visit, talk to someone in charge about science.

B.

Discuss with your counselor the science done, used, or explained at the place you visited.

5.

Discuss with your counselor how science affects your everyday life.

1.

Choose A or B or C and complete ALL the requirements:

A.

Watch an episode or episodes (about one hour total) of a show about Earth, the weather, geology, volcanoes, or oceanography. Then do the following:

1.

Make a list of at least two questions or ideas from what you watched.

2.

Discuss two of the questions or ideas with your counselor.

B.

Read (about one hour total) about Earth, the weather, geology, volcanoes, or oceanography. Then do the following:

1.

Make a list of at least two questions or ideas from what you read.

2.

Discuss two of the questions or ideas with your counselor.

C.

Do a combination of reading and watching (about one hour total) about Earth, the weather, geology, volcanoes, or oceanography. Then do the following:

1.

Make a list of at least two questions or ideas from what you read and watched.

2.

Discuss two of the questions or ideas with your counselor.

2.

Complete ONE adventure from the following list. (Choose one that you have not already earned.) Discuss with your counselor what kind of science, technology, engineering, or math was used in the adventure.

3.

Investigate: Choose A or B or C or D and complete ALL the requirements:

A.

Volcanoes erupt

1.

How are volcanoes formed?

2.

What is the difference between lava and magma?

3.

How does a volcano both build and destroy land?

4.

Build or draw a volcano model. If you build a working model, make sure you follow all safety precautions including wearing protective glasses for your volcano’s eruption. If you draw a volcano, be sure to draw a cross section and explain the characteristics of different types of volcanoes.

5.

Share your model and what you have learned with your counselor.

B.

Rock on

1.

What minerals are common in your state? Make a collection of three to five common minerals and explain how they are used.

2.

Are these minerals found in sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic rocks?

3.

Explain or demonstrate the difference in formation of the three major types of rocks. Which types of rocks are common in your area?

4.

Share your collection and what you have learned with your counselor. 

C.

Weather changes our world

1.

Make three weather instruments out of materials around your home. (Examples include a rain gauge, weather vane, barometer, anemometer, and weather journal.) Use these and another method that is readily available (i.e., thermometer, eyes, older person’s joints, etc.) for a total of four methods to monitor and predict the weather for one week. Keep a log of your findings. Which instrument provided the most accurate information?

2.

Keep a weather journal for a week. Include your predictions and the predictions of a local meteorologist. Do your predictions match those of the local meteorologist? Do your predictions match the weather that occurred? How can the predictions become more accurate?

3.

Discuss your work with your counselor.

D.

Animal habitats: Choose TWO of the following animal habitats and complete the activity and questions. At least one habitat should be close to your home (within 50 miles). Visit at least one of the habitats. Once you have completed the activity and questions, discuss the habitats and the activities with your counselor:

1.

Prairie
Draw or model a food web with at least five consumers and two producers that live in the prairie habitat. What is the difference between consumers and producers? Predators and prey? What would happen if one of the animals in the food web disappeared?

2.

Temperate forest
Research the two main categories of trees in the temperate forest (coniferous and deciduous). Why are their leaves different? How are their seeds different? Put a twig from a coniferous tree (cone-bearing tree with needles) in a cup of water and tightly fasten a clear plastic bag around the needles. Put a twig from a deciduous tree (leafy tree that loses its leaves in the fall) in a cup of water and tightly fasten a clear plastic bag around the leaves. Observe what happens and draw pictures of your observations. Think of an explanation for what occurred and discuss your explanation with your counselor.

3.

Aquatic ecosystem
With a parent’s permission and guidance, visit an aquatic habitat near your home. Examples include a stream, river, lake, pond, ocean, and wetland (a marsh or swamp). Draw or photograph the area. What are the most common types of plants growing there? What animals did you see? Did you see, hear, or smell any evidence of other animals? (Your evidence might include things like bird calls, splashes of fish or frogs jumping, tracks, feathers, or bones.) How do aquatic ecosystems affect your life? How have humans affected the ecosystem? (Look for signs of humans such as trash and bridges or walkways.) How do you think humans have affected the ecosystem in ways you cannot see? (Think about fertilizer and pesticides washing off your lawn and flowing into a stream. How would this affect creatures that live in the water?) What can you do to improve the quality of the ecosystem?

4.

Temperate or subtropical rain forest
Describe the three main levels of the rain forest (canopy, understory, and forest floor). Make a drawing or model showing examples of animals and plants that live at each level. Choose an animal or plant from each level and explain how it is adapted to its particular place in the rain forest.

5.

Desert
Choose a desert animal or plant. Make a model of it, draw it, or describe it. Explain how it is particularly well adapted to survive in a place where there is very little water. How would the desert be different if this plant or animal were not there?

6.

Polar ice
Research an animal that can be found in the polar ice habitat. Draw or make a model of the animal and name three characteristics that make it well adapted for life in the very cold and snowy environment. 

7.

Tide pools
Explain how a tide pool is formed and describe several animals that are found in tide pools. Make a model or draw a diagram of a tide pool at a high intertidal zone and a low intertidal zone. Include animals found in tide pools and explain how they adapt to their constantly changing environment.

4.

Visit. Choose A or B and complete ALL the requirements.

A.

Visit a place where earth science is being done, used, explained, or investigated, such as one of the following: cave, quarry or mine, geology museum or the gem or geology section of a museum, gem and mineral show, university geology department, TV or radio station meteorology department, weather station, volcano or volcano research station, or any other location where earth science is being done, used, explained, or investigated.

1.

During your visit, talk to someone in charge about how people at the site use or investigate a particular area of science. How could this investigation make the world better?

2.

Discuss with your counselor the science being done, used, explained, or investigated at the place you visited.

B.

Explore a career associated with earth science. Find out what subjects you would need to study as you get older. What kind of education would you need in the future to help explore Earth? What types of people other than geologists explore Earth? Discuss with your counselor what is needed to have a career in earth science.

1.

Choose A or B or C and complete ALL the requirements:

A.

Watch an episode or episodes (about one hour total) of a show about wildlife, endangered species, invasive species, food chains, biodiversity, ecosystems, or wildlife habitats. Then do the following:

1.

Make a list of at least two questions or ideas from what you watched.

2.

Discuss two of the questions or ideas with your counselor.

B.

Read (about one hour total) about wildlife, endangered species, invasive species, food chains, biodiversity, ecosystems, or wildlife habitats. Then do the following:

1.

Make a list of at least two questions or ideas from what you read.

2.

Discuss two of the questions or ideas with your counselor.

C.

Do a combination of reading and watching (about one hour total) about wildlife, endangered species, invasive species, food chains, biodiversity, ecosystems, or wildlife habitats. Then do the following:

1.

Make a list of at least two questions or ideas from what you read and watched.

2.

Discuss two of the questions or ideas with your counselor.

2.

Complete ONE adventure from the following list. (Choose one that you have not already earned.) Discuss with your counselor what kind of science, technology, engineering, or math was used in the adventure. 

3.

Explore.

A.

What is wildlife? Wildlife refers to animals that are not normally domesticated (raised by humans).

B.

Explain the relationships among producer, prey, predator, and food chain. (You may draw and label a food chain to help you answer this question.)

C.

Draw (or find) pictures of your favorite native plant, native reptile or fish, native bird, and native mammal that live in an ecosystem near you. Why do you like these? How do they fit into the ecosystem?

D.

Discuss what you have learned with your counselor.

4.

Act like a naturalist. Choose TWO from A or B or C or D or E or F, and complete ALL the requirements for those options.

A.

Investigate the endangered species in your state.

1.

Make a list, drawing, or photo collection of three to five animals and plants that are endangered.

2.

Design a display (a poster, PowerPoint presentation, or other type of display) to show at least 10 of the threatened, endangered, or extinct species in your state. (You may use your drawings or photo collection in your display.)

3.

Discuss with your counselor the differences between threatened, endangered, and extinct species. Discuss how threatened animals or plants could become endangered or extinct. How might the loss of these animals or plants affect the ecosystem and food chain? What can be done to preserve these species?

B.

Investigate invasive species.

1.

Make a list, drawing, or photo collection of at least five mammals, plants, fish, birds, insects, or any other organisms that are invasive in your state or region of the country.

2.

Design a presentation (a poster, PowerPoint presentation, or other display) including at least one of the invasive species from your list. Explain where they came from, how they got to your area, what damage they are causing, and what is being done to get rid of them. Share your presentation with your counselor and your family or your den.

3.

Discuss with your counselor what an invasive species is, how invasive animals or plants cause problems for native species, and how these invasive species could affect an ecosystem and food chain.

C.

Visit an ecosystem near where you live.

1.

Investigate the types of animals and plants that live in that ecosystem.

2.

Draw a food web of the animals and plants that live in this ecosystem. Mark the herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores. Include at least one decomposer or scavenger.

3.

Discuss with your counselor (using your food web drawing) how the animals or plants in the food web fit into a food chain. Which animals are predators and which can be prey? How does each plant and animal obtain its energy? Describe the energy source for all the plants and animals.

D.

Investigate one wild mammal, bird, fish, or reptile that lives near you.

1.

Create a diorama representing the habitat of this creature. Include representations of everything it needs to survive; its home, nest, or den; and possible threats. You may use a variety of different materials within your diorama (usually constructed in a shoebox or similar container).

2.

Explain to your counselor what your animal must have in its habitat in order to survive.

E.

Investigate your wild neighbors.

1.

Make a bird feeder and set it up in a place where you may observe visitors. The feeder could be complex or as simple as a pinecone covered with peanut butter and rolled in birdseed and then tied with a string to an appropriate location, like a tree branch.

2.

Fill the feeder with birdseed. (Make sure that your feeder does not remain empty once you have started feeding birds.)

3.

Provide a source of water.

4.

Watch and record the visitors to your feeder for two or three weeks. (It may take a while for visitors to discover your food source.)

5.

Identify your visitors using a field guide, and keep a list of what visits your feeder. (Visitors are not always birds! Sometimes deer, rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, and raccoons visit bird feeders—or the area under the feeder! The kinds of nonbird visitors will depend on where you live. You may want to investigate how to collect the tracks of any nighttime visitors.)

6.

Discuss with your counselor what you learned about your wild neighbors.

F.

Earn the Cub Scout Outdoor Ethics Awareness Award OR the Cub Scout World Conservation Award (if you have not already earned them for another Nova award).

5.

Visit a place where you can observe wildlife. Examples include parks (national, state, and local), zoos, wetlands, nature preserves, and national forests.

A.

During or after your visit, talk to someone about:

1.

The native species, invasive species, and endangered or threatened species that live there. If you visit a zoo, talk to someone about the ecosystems for different zoo animals and whether any of the zoo animals are invasive in different areas of the world. (For example, pythons are often found in zoos, but they are an invasive species in Florida.)

2.

The subjects studied in school that enable him or her to work with wildlife. Examples of experts to talk to include forest ranger, wildlife biologist, botanist, park ranger, naturalist, game warden, zookeeper, docent, or another adult whose career involves wildlife.

B.

Discuss with your counselor what you learned during your visit. 

6.

Discuss with your counselor:

A.

Why wildlife is important

B.

Why biodiversity is important

C.

The problems with invasive species and habitat destruction

1.

Choose A or B or C and complete ALL the requirements.

A.

Watch an episode or episodes (about one hour total) of a show about the planets, space, space exploration, NASA, or astronomy. Then do the following:

1.

Make a list of at least two questions or ideas from what you watched.

2.

Discuss two of the questions or ideas with your counselor.

B.

Read (about one hour total) about the planets, space, space exploration, NASA, or astronomy. Then do the following:

1.

Make a list of at least two questions or ideas from what you read.

2.

Discuss two of the questions or ideas with your counselor.

C.

Do a combination of reading and watching (about one hour total) about the planets, space, space exploration, NASA, or astronomy. Then do the following:

1.

Make a list of at least two questions or ideas from what you read and watched.

2.

Discuss two of the questions or ideas with your counselor.

2.

Complete ONE adventure from the following list. (Choose one that you have not already earned.) Discuss with your counselor what kind of science, technology, engineering, or math was used in the adventure.

3.

Choose TWO from A or B or C or D or E or F and complete ALL the requirements for the options you choose.

A.

Have a star party with your den, pack, or family. (Make sure you wear proper clothing for the nighttime temperature.)

1.

Choose a clear night to investigate the stars. A fun time to watch stars is during a meteor shower. You may check http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials  with your parent’s or guardian’s permission to find good times to watch meteors.

2.

Find five different constellations and draw them. With your parent’s or guardian’s permission, you may use a free smartphone application such as Google Sky Map for Android phones or Night Sky for iPhones to help identify stars and constellations.

3.

Share your drawings with your counselor. Discuss whether you would always be able to see those constellations in the same place.

B.

Explain how “revolution,” or “orbit,” compares with “rotation” when talking about planets and the solar system. Show these by walking and spinning around your counselor. Do the following:

1.

Choose three planets to investigate (you may include the dwarf planet Pluto). Compare these planets to Earth. Find out how long the planet takes to go around the sun (the planet’s year) and how long the planet takes to spin on its axis (the planet’s day). Include at least TWO of these: distance from the sun, diameter, atmosphere, temperature, number of moons.

2.

Discuss what you have learned with your counselor.

C.

Using materials you have on hand (plastic building blocks, food containers, recycled materials, etc.), design a model Mars rover that would be useful to explore the rocky planet’s surface. Share your model with your counselor and explain the following:

1.

The data the rover would collect

2.

How the rover would work

3.

How the rover would transmit data

4.

Why rovers are needed for space exploration

D.

Design on paper an inhabited base located on Mars or the moon. Consider the following: the energy source, how the base will be constructed, the life-support system, food, entertainment, the purpose and function, and other things you think would be important. Then do the following:

1.

Draw or build a model of your base using recycled materials.

2.

Discuss with your counselor what people would need to survive on Mars or the moon.

E.

Become an asteroid mapper. Obtain your parent’s or guardian’s permission and map an asteroid as part of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology’s Dawn project: http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/DawnCommunity/asteroid_mappers.asp . Then discuss with your counselor your mapping activities, why mapping asteroids is important, and what you learned about space and asteroids.

F.

Eclipses

1.

Investigate and make models or diagrams of solar and lunar eclipses. (Example: You may wish to use balls of different sizes and a flashlight to represent the sun.)

2.

Using your model or diagram, discuss eclipses with your counselor, and explain the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse. 

4.

Visit or explore. Choose A or B and complete ALL the requirements.

A.

Visit a place where space science is being done, used, explained, or investigated, such as one of the following: observatory, planetarium, air and space museum, star lab, astronomy club, NASA, or any other location where space science is being done, used, explained, or investigated.

1.

During your visit, talk to someone in charge about how people at the location use or investigate space science. Find out how this investigation could make the world a better place.

2.

Discuss with your counselor the science being done, used, explained, or investigated at the place you visited.

B.

Explore a career associated with space exploration. Find out what subjects you would need to study as you get older. Find out whether you must be an astronaut to explore space, and what other opportunities exist for people interested in space exploration.

5.

Tell your counselor what you have learned about space exploration while working on this award.