STEM Opportunities for Scouts in New England
- BSCES - Boston Bridge Tours with Reed Brockman (Boston, MA) - Civil Engineering. Reed Brockman has been a bridge inspector in Boston. He takes groups of students around Boston to showcase the great bridges and to share his knowledge
- Clark's Trading Post (Lincoln, NH) - Offering merit badge fairs where scouts can earn a variety of badges including: Railroading, Mammal Study, Geology, Environmental Science, Music, Coin Collecting
- Franklin Park Zoo (Boston, MA) - offers both on and off-site Badge Programs and overnights.
- Harvard College Friends of Scouting (Cambridge, MA) - a student-run organization which offers an annual Merit Badge University (MBU) program. MBU offers scouts the opportunity to earn three non-eagle required merit badge while attending Harvard University.
- Harvard Summer Business Academy - offers a week long course on the campus of Harvard University for students to learn business leadership and entrepreneurship. Their curriculum covers the requirements of the Entrepreneurship Merit Badge, though they don't currently have anyone registered as a merit badge council to sign off on the merit badge.
- Herkimer Diamond Mine ( Herkimer, NY) - Spend the weekend earning the Geology Merit Badge and mining for Herkimer Diamonds (this is one of my very favorite trips, they do an amazing program)
- iRobot (Bedford, MA) - Come to the iRobot Corporate Headquarters for a museum tour and a robot demonstration
- Mass Audubon (various, MA) - Many locations offer help for troops earning badges. Most popular badges for Boy Scouts: Bird Study, Canoeing, Environmental Science, Foresty, Gardening, Hiking, Indian Lore, Insect Study, Mammal Study, Nature, Orienteering, Plant Science, Reptile & Amphibian Study, Soil & Water Conservation, Weather
- Math, Science & Technology Expo (Nashua, NH) - Exploring Careers Through Merit Badges, held annually usually in March
- McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (Concord, NH) - Earn your Astronomy, Aviation or Space Exploration Merit Badge
- Microsoft Store - reach out to your local Microsoft store for a variety of merit badge opportunities
- National Park Service (various, national) - Many national parks around the country offer opportunities for boy scouts
- New England Air Museum (Windsor Locks, CT), - Boy Scouts, earn your Aviation Merit Badge at the New England Air Museum. Girl Scouts the Girls Take Flight Workshops help fulfill requirements for the It's Your World: Change It! Agent of Change Journey. The museum also offers overnights and group visits.
- New England Base Camp for STEM Camp (Milton, MA) - Held over April vacation
- Northeastern University: Marine Science Center (Nahant, MA) - Scouts can work on their Oceanography Merit Badge. Choose from a variety of program options including exploring a local habitat such as the rocky shore or salt marsh, or exploring a particular theme such as waves & erosion or marine biodiversity & food webs.
- Old Colony Council Merit Badge University (South Easton, MA) - Scouts have the opportunity to complete 3 merit badges during the month of March each year. Typically attended by over 100 troops each year.
- Roger Williams Zoo (Providence, RI): Scout Safari Night
- Seashore Trolley Museum (Kennebunkport, ME) - Troops earn their Railroading Merit Badge on an operating railway.
- SubZero Ice Cream (Nashua, NH) - What better way to learn about Chemistry than with ice cream? SubZero Ice Cream runs a Chemistry Merit Badge program for the Boy Scouts!
- UMass Amherst Merit Badge University (Amherst, MA) - an annual even hosted by Alpha Phi Omega with over 400 boys scouts!
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) (Worcester, MA) - Boy Scouts Merit Badge University Scheduled typically scheduled late fall
Non-STEM Merit Badges:
Crabapple Whitewater, Inc (Charlemont, MA) - Morning instruction, skills demonstration then kayaking an eight mile Class I and II section of the Deerfield River. The trip is guided by the Whitewater Merit Badge Councilors.
Ridge Valley Stables (Grafton, MA) - Horsemanship Merit Badge
Rockspot Climbing Gym (Lincoln, RI) - Merit Badge program with or without an overnight stay
(Disclaimer - the list presented is for informational purposes and is not an endorsement of any business)