Date posted: 02/20/2006*

During National Engineers Week, Feb. 19–25, Raytheon will be celebrating the engineering achievements and milestones that have shaped our lives, our company and our world.

Raytheon’s legacy as an engineering and technology pioneer continues to influence our company today. It is embedded into the fabric of our organization; inherent in our vision, goals and values; and fuels our drive to provide system-of-systems solutions to our customers all over the globe. Company Chairman and CEO Bill Swanson, himself a degreed engineer with 33 years at Raytheon, serves as the company’s chief engineer. He continues this legacy by encouraging a company culture that values innovative ideas, diversity of thought and opinion, and lifelong learning. 

Making a World of Difference
National Engineers Week is a national celebration of the engineering profession and its many contributions to our society, industry and economy. National Engineers Week provides engineers and the general public with a central, accessible e-forum; networking opportunities; and links to events across the country that showcase innovative ideas, cool applications of math and science, and technological advancements through history.

National Engineers Week was founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers to raise public awareness of the incredible contributions that engineers make to enhance our quality of life. Now in its 56th year, the annual celebration includes more than 70 engineering, education and cultural societies, along with more than 50 corporations and government agencies — all working together to honor the pivotal role engineering plays in the advancement of our society. Since its inception, National Engineers Week has grown in scope and purpose, expanding its focus to include parents, teachers, schools, businesses and community groups. Among many important ideas, National Engineers Week promotes the importance of quality math and science education to middle school students and their families.

NEW Aligns With MathMovesU Message
Like Raytheon’s MathMovesU program, National Engineers Week is engaged on a national level to excite kids about math and science, raise awareness of critical educational gaps, and take the exciting message of innovation and discovery beyond our workplace and into the community. MathMovesU is Raytheon’s national initiative designed to change young students’ negative perceptions of math by engaging them through celebrity involvement, grant money, awards and contests. The program aims to motivate students to pursue engineering paths in the future.

As part of the MathMovesU/National Engineers Week program, 700 students at the Bert Lynn Middle School in El Segundo, Calif., will be treated to a fascinating math event when BMX biker star Dave Mirra pops in as a surprise substitute teacher on Feb. 21. Mirra, the most decorated athlete in X-Games history, will go to the head of the class to teach young students about the tricks, jumps, spins and flips that made him famous — and then explain how he uses math to calculate the speed, height and distance he needs to make the stunts happen! The region’s mayor has also embraced the event, going so far as to officially proclaim Feb. 21, “Make Math Fun Day.”

Learn more about MathMovesU.

Engineering a Better World
Each day we experience, use or enjoy something that is the result of an engineering achievement. Whether it’s a tool, machine, gadget or even a process, chances are it began with an innovative engineering idea. Now more than ever, it’s imperative that we support and encourage this kind of creativity in ourselves, our colleagues and in the engineers of the future.

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