Date posted: 02/06/2008*

A wildcat is stranded in a flooded area and you are the only one around who can rescue him. All you have is glue, masking tape, rope, string, cardboard, plastic bags, straws, rubber bands, bubble wrap and other basic supplies. What do you do? 

That’s the scenario 300 middle school students from Tucson, Arizona faced on January 31 at the second annual MathMovesU Day at the University of Arizona. It might remind you of the 1970 Apollo 13 space mission, in which U.S. astronaut Jim Lovell radioed mission control saying, “Houston, we have a problem.” That crew had only basic material and little time to repair their space craft after losing most of their electrical power and oxygen supply in space. Fortunately, NASA’s elite engineers helped save the Apollo 13 mission by having the astronauts configure some of the same materials that the MathMovesU students used in their competition.

The wildcat is actually the University of Arizona mascot Wilbur the Wildcat, who was stranded on top of a simulated mountain inside the school’s gymnasium. Working in teams led by Raytheon engineers, the middle school students used their basic materials to construct devices to carry Wilbur to a lower mountain twenty feet away without ever touching the ground in between.

“I learned how to actually make something, how it moves, what the speed is and how your design creates it not to be damaged,” said 8th grade student Shy Hoffman. “I would tell my friends, when you really get to know math, everything looks so cool and it really makes you want to do more.”

The students who participated are members of the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program. MESA is a national program designed to increase the number of ethnic minority, low income, and first generation students who attend a four-year university.

“I want to be an engineer because I’m interested in the projects that we’re doing so far and the scholarships that they’re offering in robotics engineering. I think it’s really cool,” explained 8th grade student Sierra Perez.

Engineering LDPs Take Part
Raytheon engineers in the company’s Leadership Development Program assisted the students with their designs. “It was a great opportunity to work with middle school students at Raytheon's MathMovesU event,” said Noel Manley. "These kids are important to the future of our nation and Raytheon. I'm proud to work for a company that understands the value of investing in young people."

“Raytheon Missile Systems engineers, like those throughout our company, fully realize the importance of helping to foster student interest in math and science,” said Bob Lepore, RMS vice president of Engineering.  “Our engineers volunteer at major events like MathMovesU Day, but they also visit schools and speak in classrooms year around.”

MathMovesU was created by Raytheon to help reverse the trend in declining math scores among American middle school students. The program focuses on driving students to the MathMovesU.com website, where they can interact in math games based on typical school interests such as sports, music and fashion. Since November 2005, MathMovesU awarded more than two million dollars in grants and scholarships to students and teachers.

Get involved in Raytheon’s Math & Science Education Programs
MathMovesU is one of several math and science education programs Raytheon runs or supports. Thousands of Raytheon employees volunteer in the community by tutoring students, coaching MathCounts and First Robotics teams, and raising financial support for students and education programs. For a complete list of Raytheon’s educational assistance programs and how you can get involved, contact your local community relations representative.

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