NESA World Explorers Program, for Eagle Scouts ages 18 to 27, accepting applications

Earning the Eagle Scout Award opens up a world of possibilities.

In the case of the NESA World Explorers Program, that statement can be taken quite literally.

The National Eagle Scout Association World Explorers Program pairs Eagle Scouts ages 18 to 27 with cutting-edge researchers at exotic, exciting sites around the world.

This latest round of worthy Eagle Scouts will document wildlife in the Amazon rainforest, explore how oil spills affect species in the Galapagos or study the origin of life by visiting areas of Yellowstone National Park off limits to the public.

Eagle Scouts should be working in or studying a field related to the expedition for which they’re applying. For the trip to study dinosaur bones in Montana, for example, NESA is looking for an Eagle Scout who has studied or is studying biological science.

Eagle Scouts have until Oct. 31 to complete the online application, which includes a 250-word essay about why they should be selected.

Want more info? You don’t need to go to the ends of the earth. Just keep reading.

What locations and expeditions are available?

There are six opportunities in this latest round of NESA World Explorer expeditions. Click each to visit the official page.

Learn more about upcoming opportunities by clicking below:

• Amazon Biologist
  • Where: Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Amazon rainforest, Ecuador
  • When: Ten days in July 2019
  • What: Assisting in the installation and monitoring of an important camera-trap program to document the diversity of wildlife
• Galapagos Biologist
  
  • Where: Galapagos Science Center, Ecuador
  • When: Ten days in mid-July or early August 2019
  • What: Evaluating natural and manmade threats to wildlife
• Mammoth Cave Speleologist
  
  • Where: Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
  • When: Ten days in late June and July 2019
  • What: Exploring, mapping and data collecting in the world’s longest known cave system
• NASA Astrobiologist
  
  • Where: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
  • When: Ten days in mid-June to July 2019
  • What: Hiking, observing and sampling to investigate the link between life and the universe
• Ornithologist
  
  • Where: Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
  • When: Seventeen days in early June to July 2019
  • What: Studying bald eagles with a man who is an Eagle Scout and raptor expert
• Paleontologist
  • Where: Little Snowy Mountains, Montana
  • When: Five weeks from late June to early August 2019
  • What: Studying and preserving fossils with the Judith River Dinosaur Institute

What are the requirements to apply?

Requirements vary by expedition, but all six require the following:

• Eagle Scout
• 18 years of age and not older than 27 years of age by June 1, 2019
• Intending to major in a biological science in college or graduate school
• Prepared to blog, speak, write and be interviewed on behalf of Scouting to report on the trip, what it means personally, and how Scouting prepared the Eagle Scout for the experience
• Have medical insurance, a completed BSA Medical form and purchase medical evacuation coverage

For trips out of the country (Amazon and Galapagos), the selected Eagle Scouts will need a valid passport.

Is there a cost involved?

There is no cost to apply. Those Eagle Scouts who are selected will be responsible for $600 to $1,000 to help defray the trip cost (this varies based on the expedition).

NESA will pay for everything else, including airfare, lodging, food, tuition and more.

When will the people selected be notified?

Finalists will be announced by then end of January 2019 and required to submit a three-minute YouTube video expressing reasons to support their selection.

The people selected will be notified by Feb. 28, 2019.

Where can an Eagle Scout apply and learn more?

At this site.