Date posted: 09/25/2007*

After more than a month of solving problems at Camp MathMovesU, thousands of students are back in school knowing how fun math can be and what it means to their future. Between July 12 and August 24, 35,227 visitors logged onto MathMovesU.com, where users learned how math applies to summer activities such as rock climbing, white-water rafting, and horseback riding.

“I love math and I had fun figuring out the different problems,” said 14-year-old Laurine Kovacs. “I liked how all the questions were about the different activities that I picked like horseback riding and archery.”

After contestants answered all the math problems in each virtual summer cabin online, they were automatically entered into a random drawing for weekly prizes including Nintendo and Playstation video games systems, a portable DVD player, remote-controlled boat, karaoke machine, and a metal detector.

Laurine hit a high note at Camp MathMovesU when she won the karaoke player, but she hopes to make a bigger splash as a scientist. “I want to be a marine biologist when I grow up. I’m currently attending aquaculture school,” she explained.

“Students who log onto MathMovesU.com are learning more than just straight math problems,” said Kristin Hilf, Raytheon’s vice president of community relations. “They have fun with math-based games and competitions, while applying lessons to their everyday lives.” 

Raytheon’s MathMovesU initiative is working to reverse the national trend in declining math scores among middle school students by showcasing how math connects to “cool” people, careers and experiences. Studies have shown that students begin losing interest in math during their middle school years.

Since November 2005, MathMovesU has awarded more than $2 million in grants and scholarships. More than 500,000 people have visited the Web site since its initial launch.

*The content on this page is classified as historical content. See this important information regarding such content.