Two Noblesville boys showed their dedication to Cub Scouts by completing a lengthy list of requirements.
Promise Road Elementary fourth-graders Conner Eisert and Jayden Heaviland, from Pack 315, earned the Dr. Luis W. Alvarez Supernova Award, which is one of two medals that a Cub Scout can earn.
“These two Scouts have worked hard for about two years to earn the Supernova Award,” said Jayden’s father Jeff Heaviland, who served as his mentor. “They were both in third grade (and Bears) when they began the award. Both are in the Webelos program now.”
The boys received the award at the September campout due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The most challenging part was the time that some of the projects took and staying focused, but with dedication and making each item fun, these Scouts truly worked hard to earn their award,” Heaviland said.
David Eisert served as Conner’s mentor. One requirement was for the boys to complete Make it Move, where they learned about pulleys, created a Rube Goldberg machine and how to balance specific objects, said Conner’s mother, Jessica Eisert.
“They also explored geometry in Noblesville architecture on homes, city buildings, businesses and places of worship,” Jessica said. “After studying this, they presented the information they found to other Scouts. They also completed their forensics advancement, which required the boys to visit the Noblesville police station to learn about how fingerprinting works, how they collect evidence and how general forensics helps police officers solve crimes.”
Each boy put together a presentation on who Dr. Luis W. Alvarez was and discussed with their mentor about why Alvarez won the Nobel Prize of Physics for his hydrogen bubble chamber.
Another part of the requirement was participating in the school’s science fair in February, analyzing whether or not butter, peanut butter, jelly or plain bread or plain toast would affect how bread landed when falling from 12 feet.
“While they were working on their science fair project, they had to research the scientific method/process and how this could better help their research,” Jessica said. “They had to meet with someone who worked in a STEM-related career to discuss how their careers depended on the knowledge and education in their specific field.”
Jayden said his favorite part was working on the science fair project and doing the testing for it.
Conner’s favorite part was learning about the stars and the history behind space. He also said he loved learning about what NASA is, what it studies and how rockets work.
Both boys plan to complete requirements for the Dr. Charles Townes Supernova Award that they can earn while they are Webelos, Jessica said.
