Welcome to Troop 325's Merit Badge Midway

Engineering Merit Badge

There are a total of nine requirements to complete the Engineering merit badge. These requirements are described below. In order to get the most out of the Midway, you should read over the requirements and complete the necessary work prior to the Midway. Suggestions and ideas for this are provided in brackets along with sources for more information.

1. Select some manufactured item in your home (such as a toy or an appliance) and, under adult supervision and with the approval of your counselor, investigate how and why it works the way it does. Find out what sort of engineering activities were needed to create it. Discuss with your counselor what you learned and how you got the information.
[Some possible appliance examples include: washing machine, refrigerator, dishwasher, oven, furnace, water heater, blender]

2. Select and engineering achievement that has had a major impact on society. Use the resources available to you to reasearch it. Tell your counselor about the engineer(s) who made it possible, the special obstacles they had to overcome, and how this achievement has influenced the world today.
[Some possible examples include: bridges, computers, the internet, automobiles, dams, electrical power, water supply, etc.]

3. Explain the work of six types of engineers. Pick two of the six and explain how their work is related.
[Some examples include: aeronautical engineer, civil engineer, computer engineer, electrical engineer, electronic engineer, environmental engineer, industrial engineer, materials engineer, mechanical engineer]

4. Visit with an engineer (who may be your counselor or parent) and do the following:
(a) Discuss the work this engineer does and the tools this engineer uses.
(b) Discuss with the engineer a current project and the engineer's particular role in it.
(c) Find out how the engineer's work is done and how results are achieved.
(d) ask to see the reports that the engineer writes concerning the project.
(e) discuss with your counselor what you learned about engineering from this visit.
[We will do this requirement at the Midway. I am an engineer and will discuss what I do, tools I use, describe one or more projects, how work is done, and reports on a project. We will then discuss what you learned]

5. Do one of the following:

(a) Use the engineering systems approach to make step by step plans for your next campout. List alternative ideas for such items as program schedule, campsites, transportation, and costs. Tell why you made the choices you did and what improvements were made.

(b) Make an original design for a piece of patrol equipment. Use the engineering systems approach to decide how it should work and look. Draw plans for it. Show the plans to your counselor, explain why you designed it the way you did, and explain how you would make it.
[Do this work before the Midway. Bring your written materials and be prepared to discuss and present either youur step by step plans for your next campout or your idea, design, and plans for a piece of equipment for your patrol.]

6. Do TWO of the following:

(a) transforming motion-
(b) using electricity-
(c) using materials-
(d) conveying energy-
(e) moving people-
(f) science fair-

[Please see the Merit Badge requirements or pamphlet for the detailed description of each item above. You may chose to participate in your school's science fair to complete item (f) as one of your two choices. If you do this before the Midway, bring proof such as photographs of your science fair project and participation in the science fair to the Midway and be prepared to discuss or present it. If you participate in a science fair after the Midway, you can bring the proof later. These two requirements make take significant time and effort and are not planned for the Midway.]

7. Find out what high school courses you need to take to be admitted to an engineering college. Find out what other subjects would be helpful in preparing for an engineering career.

[You can research this on your own before the Midway by investigating the requirements to be admitted into engineering schools at local universities such as University of California, Berkely; San Jose State University; Santa Clara University, or Stanford University. You can contact their admissions offices or check their websites for information. For example you can visit the Stanford engineering school at http://cee.stanford.edu.admissions or San Jose State School of Engineering at www.engr.sjsu.edu. Bring a brief written summary of the key courses to the Midway.]

8. Explain what it means for an engineer to be a registered professional engineer (P.E.). In what types of engineering work is registration most important?
[You can learn more about being a registered professional engineer by contacting the California Department of Consumer Affairs, State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers, which conducts the testing and examininations for registration of engineers, at www.dca.ca.gov/pels/ . Go to this site for more information or to email them for help. For certain types of projects, you must be a P.E. in order to design it. Be prepared to discuss what types of engineering work requires registration. I am a registered professional engineer in the field of civil engineering and we can discuss what you have learned at the Midway so, Be Prepared!.]

9. Study the Engineers Code of Ethics. Explain how it is like the Scout Oath and Scout Law.
[As in Requirement 8, you can research this with the California Department of Conssumer Affairs, State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers on their website at www.dca.ca.gov/pels/ . Look up the code of professional conduct or email the board for more information. You can also contact them at (916) 263-2222. Some professional associations such as the American Society of Civil Engineers www.asce.org have information on Code of Ethics.]