OREANDA-NEWS. January 22, 2016. Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) is bringing the national award-winning educational programs MathAlive! and Engineering is Elementary® to Colorado Springs in January.    

"Raytheon is working to build the future by inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers," said Todd Probert, vice president of Mission Support and Modernization at Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services. "MathAlive! and the Engineering is Elementary programs will bring the excitement of STEM subjects to students in Colorado Springs."

MathAlive!®, a one-of-a-kind, interactive math and science exhibit, opens Saturday, Jan. 30, at the Space Foundation Discovery Center in Colorado Springs. The exhibit runs through April 30. Admission to the museum is free for uniformed and veteran military families with proper military identification.

MathAlive! offers 40 unique, interactive experiences. Visitors can:

  • Design and play their own video games.
  • Take the controls to "master-engineer" various aspects of a modern city.
  • Race in a snowboard challenge.
  • Compete in a mountain-bike race.
  • Capture their image in a 360-degree, freeze-action photo.
  • Control a simulated Mars rover.

"We thank Raytheon for bringing MathAlive! to our Discovery Center and helping students learn how much fun math can be. The military families in our community will especially appreciate the free admission to this extraordinary interactive experience," said Elliot Pulham, Space Foundation Chief Executive Officer.

As a partner to the Discovery Center's numerous special educational events, Raytheon will also provide travel and admission for area school districts from surrounding counties.

The company has also awarded a \\$37,000 Raytheon-Engineering is Elementary® (EiE®) grant to help teach engineering concepts and practices to elementary school students in Colorado Springs District 11. 

The grant funds classroom materials and professional development for 25 teachers, who will attend a workshop on Thursday, January 21, to prepare to teach the engineering-based curriculum to students. An educator will also be trained to prepare more teachers to use the curriculum.

"This is an exciting opportunity to develop a working relationship with a STEM-based community organization and incorporate an award-winning curriculum into our current science teaching," said Linda Sanders, Colorado Springs School District 11 health and science facilitator. "This grant from Raytheon will help us to build pathways for students to embrace STEM subjects."

About the Space Foundation
Founded in 1983, the Space Foundation is the foremost advocate for all sectors of space, and is a global, nonprofit leader in space awareness activities, educational programs and major industry events, including the annual Space Symposium, in support of its mission "to advance space-related endeavors to inspire, enable and propel humanity." Space Foundation locations include its World Headquarters and Discovery Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., a field office in Houston and a Washington, D.C., office. It publishes The Space Report: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity, and through its Space Certification™ and Space Technology Hall of Fame® programs, recognizes space-based innovations that have been adapted to improve life on Earth. Visit www.SpaceFoundation.org, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, Flickr and YouTube, and read our e-newsletter Space Watch.

About Engineering is Elementary

  • EiE is a project of the Museum of Science, Boston, developed with support from the National Science Foundation.
  • The EiE curriculum includes 20 units that integrate science topics with a specific field of engineering.
  • Through the use of storybooks, EiE introduces students to children from different cultures and backgrounds who are trying to solve engineering problems.
  • EiE students as young as six years old conduct their own experiments to collect the data needed to solve a similar problem using a five-step engineering design process.