Engineering Merit Badge

Engineering
Merit badge requirements
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  1. Visit a construction site or manufacturing or processing plant. Discuss engineering design and construction with the engineer in charge. Ask to see engineering drawings and have them explained. Tell what you learned about engineering and the day-to-day work of an engineer from this visit.

  2. Visit another engineer (other than your counselor or the person in requirement 1) in his office. Tell how the work done there relates to the work done in the field.

  3. Explain the work of six of the following types of engineers: civil, mechanical, chemical, electrical, industrial, agricultural, aeronautical, mining, astronautical, metallurgical, nuclear, biomedical, ceramic, petroleum.

  4. With your counselor's advice, select a subject for research in engineering. Do research in publications and interview experts. Tell what you learned and how you got the facts. (Notes may be used.)

  5. Tell why measurements and calculations are important in an engineer's work. Explain the difference between accurate and precise measurements and calculations. Explain the values of the metric system.

  6. Using an engineering college or university catalog, learn what high school courses you could take to be admitted into an accredited engineering college. Report to counselor. Tell what "accredited college" means.

  7. Do ONE of the following:

    1. Show how the "engineering approach" to problems works by laying out plans, step by step, for your next campout. List alternative ideas on such items as cost, campsites, and transportation. Tell why decided as you did.

    2. Make an original piece of patrol equipment. Draw plans for it. Show the plans to your counselor.

  8. Do TWO of the following:

    1. Transforming Motion. Show or tell how a car or truck transmission transforms motion.

    2. Harnessing Electricity. Make a model of an electrical device. A kit may be used. Or, make a list all electrical appliances in your home and find out approximately how much electricity each uses in 1 month. Tell five ways to conserve electricity.

    3. Materials Science. Do experiments to show the differences in strength and heat conductivity among wood, plastic, and metal. Discuss with your counselor what you have learned.

    4. Energy Conversion. Tell how a car or flashlight battery converts chemical energy into electrical energy. Do an experiment to show the value and potential of solar energy. Explain your results. Tell about one way to convert mechanical to electrical energy.

    5. Traffic Study. With the advice of your counselor. Select a busy street or highway intersection in your community. Make a study of the traffic flow there in both heavy and light traffic period. Find out your community's predicted population 5 years from now. Using all the data, tell your counselor what could be done to improve traffic flow 5 years hence.

    6. Build an engineering project for entry into a science-engineering fair. Show it to your counselor.

  9. Study "Faith of the Engineer." Tell how this is like the Scout Oath.

Merit badge requirements courtesy of Troop 586 Farmington