NOAA hosts Boy Scouts of America oceanography merit badge events

The United States Boy Scouts of America (BSA) programs are designed to cover a range of different youth development activities. Central to the BSA program is the merit badge system. Merit badges provide an opportunity for scouts to learn about a specific topic, which may be focused on a hobby, physical activity, or prospective career field. There are more than 120 different merit badges that any Scout may earn, each with its own set of requirements. BSA introduced an oceanography merit badge in 1964. Very recently, a significant increase in demand for this particular merit badge throughout the Hampton Roads region of southeast Virginia was noticed by members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Ocean Service (NOS) Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) Atlantic field office in Chesapeake, Virginia. CO-OPS also noted a limited number of opportunities to earn the badge, with some local events being booked beyond several years. In a pursuit to assist with the growing regional demand, a group of scientists, engineers, and marine technicians at the CO-OPS office in Chesapeake gathered to review merit badge requirements and then consulted with several contacts at Old Dominion University (ODU) that has recently been holding several different annual BSA merit badge events, including oceanography. The CO-OPS team designed a one day program that could be held at the Chesapeake field office and could meet all BSA badge requirements. The CO-OPS Chesapeake office is home to over 40 professionals in various fields of ocean science and marine technology and the facility houses a significant amount of oceanographic sensors, instrumentation, and a number of laboratory facilities. The first CO-OPS oceanography merit badge event was conducted during August 2011. Since, it has continued to be held on an annual basis, with five successful events completed to date. All five annual events reached the maximum registration limit of fifty scouts. An overview of the event program that CO-OPS has designed and continued to develop over the past 5 years will be presented along with examples of how interactive exhibits at the field office facility have been used to address BSA oceanography merit badge requirements.