Welcome to Mendel’s Minions

This Nova award is designed to help you explore how genetic information affects your life every day.

alternate text

An artist’s view of DNA, image obtained from NewScientist.

Warning

When completing this Award both the youth and involved adult leaders must obey all rules of Safe Scouting. This includes (1) Completing Cyber Chip training prior to starting this activity and (2) ALWAYS involve at least 2 adults in all your communications with a leader, including online. If you send an email to your counselor, always add the address of another adult leader or a parent/guardian. Never reply to a message sent by an adult leader unless another adult has been copied on the email. Report any issue to your parents/guardians!

Instructions

  1. Identify a Nova Counselor either within your unit, district, or council.

  2. This site provides you a platform for learning and you can easily follow all requirements using the navigation menu on the left.

  3. Once you have identified a Counselor, you can start working on requirements.

  4. The most important aspect in any scientific endeavor is to properly document progress. This will be done, here, using a google sheet as described in more details below.

Documenting your progress

  1. You can use the template below to report completion. To work on this Nova Award, you can also use a detailed worksheet provided by the BSA. Click here to have access. The file below is used to record approval.

  2. A template worksheet can be found here. This is a Google document. You will not be able to modify it until you make your own copy as I will now describe for you.

  3. Once you have opened the file on google doc, go to File \(\rightarrow\) Make a Copy.

  4. Save the file with the following name: Nova_designed_to_crunch_FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME

  5. You will use that file to enter your progress and share with your counselor.

  6. You can share your own copy of the worksheet with your counselor using the following procedure.

    1. Click on the SHARE button on the top-right.

    2. Click on “get link”.

    3. Send the link to your counselor.

Note

This document provides you a guide to complete the Nova award! All requirements are marked with the following symbol: \(\boxed{\mathbb{REQ}\Large \rightsquigarrow}\). In addition, a number of fun Additional Challenges are provided in boxes for your entertainment.

If you have any question

Contact your counselor or your scoutmaster! If you have questions about the program, contact Vincent Meunier by email (as usual, make sure you copy an additional adult to all your communications with a leader!).