The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has brought the Inventing Merit Badge out of a long retirement and SolidWorks has agreed to provide a FREE copy of the SolidWorks Student Design Kit to any scout pursuing the Badge.

The “new” Badge is a result of a partnership between the BSA and the Lemelson-MIT program.  Scouts are required to interview inventors, research topics related to new product development, and create a working prototype of their own invention.

SolidWorks has setup a page that includes links to the Badge Requirements and a video tutorial to help students learn SolidWorks.  You can click on the image below to go to that page.  You can find more details on the SolidWorks Blog and in the Press Release issued last week.

As a parent with a Boy in Scouts, I applaud SolidWorks and the BSA for providing this opportunity for the Scouts.  I think providing 3D CAD software like SolidWorks will enhance the experience as each scout carries out their badge requirements.