Mining In Society merit badge featured in exhibit
The Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration Inc. (SME) was instrumental in the development of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Mining in Society merit badge, which was launched during the SME Annual Conference & Expo in Salt Lake City, UT, in February 2014 and led to 3,519 Mining in Society merit badges being earned by Scouts in 2014. BSA topped the 2014 launch by selecting Mining in Society as its science exhibit for the 2015 World Scout Jamboree.
The World Scout Jamboree was held July 28 - August 8, 2015 in Yamaguchi, Prefecture, Japan, and was attended by 33,838 Scouts and adult volunteer participants from 152 nations. The Scout Association of Japan exhibit was entitled “From the Earth to My Life,” and highlighted three metals essential to auto manufacturing – copper, steel and aluminum.
The U.S. Mining in Society exhibit adjoined the Japanese exhibit and featured a variety of displays including:
- Information panels with pictures and descriptions of metals required to manufacture everyday products
- Mineral specimens provided by mining companies from around the world
- Mining-Atlas.com displayed on a large screen taking participants on a virtual tour of mining operations
- Mine safety panels and safety equipment demonstrations
- Sustaining mining information panels bringing home the need for mining
- Hands-on gold panning experience with panning kits provided by SME, along with commemorative gold samples
SME has been invited by BSA to host the Mining in Society merit badge booth at the 2017 National Scout Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve BSA facilities in West Virginia, and at the 2019 World Scout Jamboree that will also be held at the Summit. To learn more about the Mining in Society merit badge, including how to become a counselor, visit www.MineralsEducationCoalition.org/MiningInSocietyMB.