Cub Scout STEM Awards: Nova and Supernova

STEM Counselors and Mentors help Cubs in Pack 505 earn their Nova and Supernova Awards. These awards are available beginning at the Wolf rank.

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To become either a Nova Counselor or a Supernova Mentor, you must:

• Be eligible to register as an adult leader in the BSA;

• Be willing to volunteer your time working with Scouts on these awards;

• Complete Youth Protection Training on my.scouting.org; AND

• Complete the STEM in Scouting Course (under Course Catalog -> Expanded Learning) on my.scouting.org

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Counselors and mentors are council positions, not pack positions. You do not have to register as a Pack 505 leader to be a counselor / mentor. You can register for free with the Sam Houston Area Council. To volunteer: email Kyle Verret. We will need a complete council application for each position and an adult paper application:

• SHAC STEM Counselor Application

• SHAC STEM Mentor Application

• BSA Paper Application is required for each position 

• If registering as a mentor we will need both the Counselor and Mentor application, and TWO BSA paper applications (one for each position).

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Nova Awards

Any of our Scouts trusted adults (and any other qualified adult that has an interest in volunteering) can be a STEM counselor. You only need enough interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math that you can learn the topic and discuss it with our Cub Scouts.

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Pack 505 aims to have at least one Nova Counselor for each Wolf, Bear, Webelos, and Arrow of Light den.

You can find all the awards and their requirements on the BSA Nova Awards page.

Find a Nova counselor for your Scout to contact on our NOVA Counselor / Mentor list.

To volunteer: email Kyle Verret.

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Supernova Awards

Wolf to Arrow of Light Scouts may earn Supernova Awards.

Wolf and Bear Scouts may earn the Dr. Luis W. Alvarez Bronze Medal. 

Webelos and Arrow of Light Scouts may earn the Dr. Charles Townes Bronze Medal.

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Whereas counselors can be ANY adult, a mentor should be an "expert" in STEM topic(s) by vocation, hobby, or education. You do not have to have a degree in STEM to be a mentor, only knowledgeable enough in about STEM topics to mentor a Cub Scout in one of these areas. If you register as a Mentor, we will register you as a counselor as well.

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Before a Scout may begin working on the Supernova Award, they must first earn two different Nova Awards before working on each award (i.e., one Science and one Math award (not two Science awards or two Math awards) as a Wolf or Bear before working on the Dr. Luis W. Alvarez Award). If a Cub earns the Dr. Luis Alvarez Award, they must earn two more Nova awards before beginning work on the Dr. Charles Townes Bronze Medal. Mentors may recommend an exception of this rule to the pack committee for approval.

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You can find all the awards and their requirements on the BSA Supernova Awards page.

Find a Nova mentor for your Scout to contact on our NOVA Counselor / Mentor list.

To volunteer: email Kyle Verret​.

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