Once again the Engineers Club of Dayton has taught technical Merit Badges to 12 different troops from Montgomery, Greene and Clark Counties represented by 27 Scouts BSA members. Since 2012 we have taught such subjects as Astronomy, Aviation, Composite Materials, Digital Technology, Electronics, Electricity, Energy, Engineering, Environmental Science, Inventing, Nuclear Science, Space Exploration, and Sustainability along with Geology, Robotics, Radio, and Weather which have been taught in previous years. All in all, we have taught over 150 scouts and they have earned nearly 300 merit badges. We are proud of the fact that in previous years we have had scouts from Kentucky and West Virginia to earn Merit Badges here because they were not offered at their troop’s location.
While the Club typically teaches in the building at 110 East Monument Avenue, we have gone to various sites around the Dayton Area such as the local Rocket Club’s site on a farm in Greene County for a rocket launch required by Space Exploration Merit Badge, the National Museum of the Air Force for the Aviation Merit Badge. We typically teach over 6 weeks starting in late October and ending the weekend after Thanksgiving.
We have worked with the Miami Valley Council BSA, representing the Sunwatch and Wright Brothers districts, north and south of Dayton. The Council has notified the troops of our ability to teach the technical merit badges. Our Merit Badge leader is Dr. Charles Bleckmann who has had many meetings and conversations with the Council making sure we meet all the Scouts requirement for teaching the merit badges as well as having interactions with the scouts.