Raytheon Hosts High School Students to Explore Space and STEM

On Thursday, April 19, three hundred Colorado high students experienced the excitement of space at the 28th National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo. In conjunction with The Space Foundation, companies and organizations hosted tours to offer students a glimpse into the innovative current and future space technologies.

Don McMonagle, a former NASA astronaut and special guest at the Raytheon MathMovesU booth, engaged in hands-on activities to teach students about space. During his career, McMonagle logged more than 605 hours in space and flew as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery to conduct several science experiments for research on the Earth’s atmosphere. Several Raytheon volunteers from across the nation spent time talking with students about Raytheon ’s MathMovesU initiatives.

“Coming to the NSS tradeshow floor is a unique opportunity for these students. It gives them an opportunity to explore the world of space and see what innovative solutions and career opportunities are available to them in the future,” said Jennifer Griffith, IIS Community Relations manager.

Since 2005, with the launch of our signature MathMovesU program, Raytheon has touched the lives of more than one million students, teachers and parents—inspiring future space innovators and engineering leaders to explore math and science. Through our involvement in mentoring students at local schools, programs like MATHCOUNTS and FIRST Robotics, as well as our interactive Sum of all Thrills ride at Epcot Walt Disney World Resort which allows students to custom-design their own thrill ride using mathematical tools, an innovative touch-screen table and a robotic simulator and our latest MathAlive exhibit, recently debuted at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., which brings to live the real math behind what children love most – video games, sports, fashion, music, robotics and more, Raytheon demonstrates its commitment to helping the United States maintain momentum in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.