WALTHAM, Mass., Feb. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) is celebrating the 60th anniversary of National Engineers Week Feb. 20-26 -- a week that highlights the achievements of our nation's outstanding engineers and the 10th anniversary of the program "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day." Raytheon Chairman and CEO William H. Swanson is honorary chairman of National Engineers Week.

"To remain at the forefront of innovation, the United States needs to inspire a new generation toward rewarding engineering careers," said Swanson. "National Engineers Week is the perfect platform to engage, excite and encourage today's students – this week and every week."

At Raytheon, hundreds of employee volunteers will help students explore the fascinating world of engineering through hands-on activities and other events across the nation.  

This outreach is part of Raytheon's overall commitment to spur interest among middle school students in math and science through its MathMovesU^® program. Since its inception in 2005, MathMovesU has touched the lives of more than 1 million students, teachers and parents through interactive learning programs, contests, live events, scholarships and tutoring programs. To celebrate National Engineers Week, Raytheon will hold more than 25 events to engage students in math and science across the country. These include:

Arizona

• Feb. 17 – Three hundred fifty high schools students in Tucson's GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) and MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement) programs worked with 70 Raytheon engineers to build telescopes and learned about the science of astronomy. This event was a collaboration among Raytheon, the University of Arizona and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory.
• Feb. 20 – Raytheon hosts a "Scout Day" for 250 local scouts and scout leaders. Approximately 80 Raytheon employees assist the scouts in completing merit badge workshops in engineering, electronics, space exploration and radio. Each scout works on one badge during the day-long program.

California

• Feb. 21 – Raytheon's El Segundo site will host more than 200 local middle school students in a series of activities demonstrating how math is used in various career fields. Students learn the technology behind the Raytheon Aerosol Polarimetry System on the Glory satellite as they construct a polarized "telescope." Students will also hear from former astronaut Pamela Melroy about her journey to space and how her background in math and science helped her reach goals.
• Feb. 21 – Raytheon's San Diego site will host "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day." Students from Barrio Logan College Institute, High Tech Middle School, East Lake Middle School and Point Loma High School take part in technology discussions, lab tours and hands-on engineering activities.
• Feb. 22 – Engineers from the Goleta site will visit Isla Vista Elementary School to engage students in math and science, showcasing fun workshops that involve engineering principles.
• Feb. 25 – The Society of Women Engineers at El Segundo will host "Shadow an Engineer Day," offering college students the opportunity to learn about a potential career path in engineering. The day includes guest speakers, a panel discussion and lab tours.

Colorado

• Feb. 23 – Thirty middle school students, currently mentored by Raytheon engineers in an afterschool MathMovesU program, will come to the Aurora campus to compete in an egg-drop competition.
• Feb. 26 – Members of the Raytheon Women's Network (Aurora chapter) will go to the Community College of Aurora to support "Brains are Beautiful," a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) event for high school girls in the Denver area.

Florida

• Feb. 21-25 – Raytheon volunteers will host a series of fun-filled demonstrations using fundamental engineering and mathematical principles at the company's exhibit in INNOVENTIONS at Epcot^® at the Walt Disney World^® Resort in Lake Buena Vista. The activities take place at Sum of all Thrills^™ and are aimed to help spark students' interest in STEM subjects.  
• Feb. 25 – Raytheon engineers will volunteer at Clearwater Fundamental Middle School and mentor some of the young women that belong to "Girls Get IT," a national network that offers girls and young women exciting opportunities to connect and explore the worlds of STEM.

Indiana

• Feb. 22 – The Ft. Wayne site will host local middle and high school students who aspire to become engineers. The day includes hands-on activities, an introduction to Raytheon and the different engineering disciplines as well as lunch at the site.

Mississippi

• Feb. 24 – Students from six local high schools will visit Raytheon's Forest facility and participate in a series of activities focused on STEM.

Nebraska

• Feb. 19 – Raytheon sponsored the Nebraska Robotics Expo at the Strategic Air and Space Museum in Omaha. Coordinated by the University of Nebraska and the FIRST^® LEGO^® League, this event was a local robotics competition for approximately 1,000 students. Ten Raytheon MathMovesU ambassadors spoke with students, parents and educators about local STEM initiatives.

New England

• The "Science of Sports" partnership between Raytheon and the New England Patriots strengthens as 55 Raytheon employee volunteers continue to make weekly visits to 20 teams of kids at 12 Boys & Girls Clubs in Dorchester, Leominster, Lowell, Lawrence, Roxbury, Marlborough, Framingham, Waltham and Woburn, Mass.; Nashua, N.H.; and Pawtucket and Newport, R.I., to encourage youth to explore math or science through sports.
• Mar. 2 – Students from Tewksbury Memorial High School will visit the Raytheon site in Tewksbury, Mass. for a tour of the facility, demonstrations and presentations.
• Mar. 8 – Students from Kennedy Middle School will receive a tour from Raytheon engineers at the company's Woburn, Mass., campus.

Pennsylvania

• Feb. 24 – The Raytheon State College site will host local high school students who get a brief overview about what it's like to work at Raytheon and then participate in a hands-on engineering activity and competition.

Texas

• Feb. 22 – Raytheon will host more than 100 Dallas-area high school students for a day of engineering activities, which include guiding the students through a production floor engineering simulation. The challenge models manufacturing processes and procedures to build an optical technology product. Twenty teams compete for the best-designed and most-improved Galileo scope. Raytheon engineers coach the students and senior technical fellows judge the students' efforts.

Washington, D.C.

• Feb. 20 – Raytheon sponsors "Discover Engineering Family Day" at the National Building Museum. Guests can become creative inventors, engineers and mathematicians for a day. The event is a free, drop-in program for children ages 5-13.  

About MathMovesU

Raytheon's MathMovesU program is committed to increasing middle school students' interest in math and science education by engaging them in hands-on, interactive activities. The innovative programs of MathMovesU include Raytheon's Sum of all Thrills experience at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot, which showcases math in action as students design and experience their own thrill ride using math fundamentals; the "In the Numbers" game, a partnership with the New England Patriots on display at The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon; the company's three-year sponsorship of the National MATHCOUNTS competition; and the MathMovesU scholarship and grant program providing more than $1 million in annual funding to students and teachers.  Follow us on Twitter @raytheoncompany and @raytheonmmu. We'll be using hashtag #NEW11.

Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), with 2010 sales of $25 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 89 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 72,000 people worldwide.

SOURCE Raytheon Company