Scouts and STEM: ERAU clubs meet with local Scouts to teach them importance of STEM

The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Society of Women Engineers and STEM Outreach clubs met with Girl Scout Troop 371 and Cub Scout Pack 327 to teach them a thing or two about STEM.

By Michele Meyers
| 11:10 a.m. November 16, 2022

ERAU Society of Women Engineers president Emma Rosson talks to Girl Scouts Lia Radecki and Hailey Lucas during the meeting at Temple Beth-El in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers

Girls Scouts Alyssa Williams and Manon Latford listen to directions before making their brush bots. Photo by Michele Meyers

Lia Radecki joins her Girl Scout Troop 371 and Cub Scout Pack 327 to say the Pledge of Allegiance during a meeting at Temple Beth-El in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers

President of ERAU STEM Outreach Alexander Maschner talks to Girl Scout Troop 371 and Cub Scout Pack 327 about their plan for the meeting as David Guerra (left) and Abby Smallets (middle) listen. Photo by Michele Meyers

ERAU STEM Outreach team prepares to teach the girl scouts and cub scouts how to make rockets. Photo by Michele Meyers

ERAU Society of Women Engineers Lynn Boudani, President Emma Rosson and Byhalih Jewett. Boudani, who is from the middle east, was encouraged by her parents, both engineers, to attend ERAU. Photo by Michele Meyers

ERAU student Byhalih Jewett helps Amelia and Lynn Williams make their brush bots. Photo by Michele Meyers

ERAU students watch as the scouts get busy making their rockets. Photo by Michele Meyers

Daniel Lucas with Cub Scout Pack 327 shows off his plane at scout meeting at Temple Beth-El in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers

Cub Scout Henry Nambdar tests his airplane during the scout meeting at Temple Beth-El. Photo by Michele Meyers

ERAU STEM Outreach students David Guerra and Alexander Maschner prepare one of the schout's rockets for launch. Photo by Michele Meyers

ERAU STEM Outreach and the Society of Women Engineers pose with Girl Scout Troop 371 and Cub Scout Pack 327 at Temple Beth-El in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers

ERAU Society of Women Engineers- Vice President Eshna Bhargava, Lynn Boudani, President Emma Rosson, Byhalih Jewett and Maegan Lucas. Photo by Michele Meyers

Jacob Frankel and his dad Jonathan Frankel play around during the cub scout meeting at Temple Beth-El. Photo by Michele Meyers

ERAU STEM Outreach club- Abby Smallets, Cameron Langone, Madyson Davis, Philomena Gann, Alexander Maschner, Gus Gatti and Miguel Delgado. Photo by Michele Meyers

Assistant cub master Joe Jernigan poses during the scout meeting at Temple Beth-El in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers

Ormond Beach Observer
Neighbors

Brush bot robots, clothespin airplanes and bottle rockets covered tables at Temple Beth-El in Ormond Beach Nov. 14 as Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students met with a group of girl scouts and cub scouts.

ERAU Society of Women Engineers and STEM Outreach club faculty advisor Claudia Ehringer Lucas, an assistant professor of engineering at the university, thought it would be valuable for the groups to speak with Ormond Beach scouts during their weekly meeting.

Her daughter, Hailey Lucas, is a Girl Scout with Troop 371, and her son, Daniel Lucas, is a Cub Scout with Pack 327.

“I take my children to as many events with ERAU clubs as possible, as they also benefit from it,” she said. “It motivates them to engage in higher-level critical thinking, without even knowing it. They know that math and science is fun and have the confidence to work towards completing any goal.”

“I take my children to as many events with ERAU clubs as possible, as they also benefit from it, it motivates them to engage in higher-level critical thinking, without even knowing it. They know that math and science is fun and have the confidence to work towards completing any goal.”

CLAUDIA EHRINGER LUCAS, ERAU Assistant Professor of Engineering and SWE and STEM Outreach clubs faculty advisor

Lucas is proud of her engineering students for using the skills they’ve learned at ERAU to teach children in Volusia County the importance of STEM and inspire them to become interested in learning more about the subjects through examples and experiments. Alexander Maschner, president of the STEM Outreach club, remembers how Idaho State University physics club students came to his school to do demonstrations.

“They would do crazy experiments,” he said. “They would light stuff on fire, blow up balloons. All sorts of stuff. I was inspired by them. So when I came out here and met the (ERAU) club, I did one event with them and I was immediately hooked. That made me stick with the club the last four years.”

Emma Rosson, president of the Society of Women Engineers, recalls that she was not exposed to engineering in elementary or middle school. In high school, she was part of the first AP computer science class and started the first engineering club.

“I did not really get this intense STEM as a child,” she said. “It’s great for the kids. They are so excited. It’s cool to be able to bring STEM to them at such a young age.”

Joe Jernigan has been an assistant cub master for three years and involved in scouts for 22 years. He believes it’s important for the scouts to interact with the ERAU students and to learn about STEM.

“Giving the scouts the opportunity to not only work with STEM, getting the technology and education in mathematics, but also allowing them to work with other young people that they can look at and say, ‘These are the people that I want to be when I get to be that age,’ is a fantastic program,” he said.