WALTHAM, Mass., May 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- 2theXtreme: MathAlive!^®, a highly interactive traveling exhibition that has drawn record-breaking crowds across the U.S., opens Sunday, May 25, at the Museum of Science, Boston. Presented nationally by Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), MathAlive! helps kids have fun with math by showing them its connection to — and influence on — many of the things they love most: music, sports, movies, games and more. 

"Raytheon is helping students globally create a lifelong relationship with math and science — one that will open up a world of opportunities for a bright future," said Raytheon Chairman William H. Swanson. "With science, technology, engineering and math as key drivers of the global economy, exhibits like MathAlive! are essential to inspire and excite students, while encouraging the next generation of STEM-capable professionals."

In the U.S., the pipeline of talent needed to fill current and future jobs requiring STEM skills is not adequate to meet the demand, according to an index introduced by Raytheon and U.S. News last month. The STEM Index is the first comprehensive index to measure key factors relating to STEM jobs and education. The Index finds that although we are making strides in some areas, the U.S. continues to fall short in preparing today's students for tomorrow's innovation workforce. Student aptitude and interest has been mostly flat for more than a decade even as the need for STEM skills continues to grow.

Raytheon's MathMovesU^® educational program is designed to address the STEM workforce gap through initiatives like MathAlive!, scholarships and grants for students, teachers and schools, and partnerships with organizations like the Museum of Science, Boston.

"The Museum of Science, Boston is focused on transforming people's relationship with science and technology, and 2theXtreme: MathAlive! embodies that mission," said Ioannis N. Miaoulis, president and director of the Museum of Science, Boston. "By engaging in a variety of hands-on activities involving snowboarding, programing robotic arms, and creating video games, visitors will ignite their imaginations and expand their horizons, including their views of math."

MathAlive! debuted at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. in 2012 and continued on to visit Phoenix, Ariz.; Huntsville, Ala.; Houston, Texas; Hartford, Conn.; Omaha, Neb., and Wichita, Kan. before coming to Boston. The exhibition is on a multi-year tour to science centers and museums across the U.S. and international cities, and is projected to draw four million visitors in the process. Institutional collaborators for MathAlive! include NASA, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the National Engineers Week Foundation, the Society of Women Engineers and MATHCOUNTS^®.

2theXtreme: MathAlive! will be presented at the Museum of Science through September 1, 2014 and is included with regular Exhibit Halls admission: $23 for adults, $21 for seniors (60+), and $20 for children (3-11). For more information, the public can call 617-723-2500, (TTY) 617-589-0417, or visit www.mos.org.

About MathMovesU
Raytheon's MathMovesU^® program is an initiative committed to increasing middle and elementary school students' interest in math and science education by engaging them in hands-on, interactive activities. The innovative programs of MathMovesU include the traveling interactive experience MathAlive!^®; 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 ongoing sponsorship of the MATHCOUNTS^® National Competition; and the MathMovesU scholarship and grant program. Follow MathMovesU and other Raytheon community outreach programs on Facebook and on Twitter @MathMovesU.

About the Museum of Science, Boston
One of the world's largest science centers and Boston's most attended cultural institution, the Museum introduces about 1.5 million visitors a year to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) via dynamic programs and hundreds of interactive exhibits. Founded in 1830, the Museum was first to embrace all the sciences under one roof. The Hall of Human Life, a groundbreaking 10,000-square-foot exhibition drawing from the latest discoveries in the life sciences engages visitors in their own biology and health. Other highlights include the Thomson Theater of Electricity, Charles Hayden Planetarium, Mugar Omni Theater, Gordon Current Science & Technology Center, Butterfly Garden, and new 4-D Theater opening in August 2014. Reaching over 20,000 teens a year worldwide via the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network, the Museum also leads a 10-year, $41 million National Science Foundation-funded Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network of science museums. The Museum's "Science Is an Activity" exhibit plan has been awarded many NSF grants and influenced science centers worldwide. Its National Center for Technological Literacy^®'s engineering curricula have reached over 70,600 teachers and 5.3 million students nationwide. The Museum has also: been recognized by Boston and Cambridge for energy and sustainability efforts; named an Employer of Choice by Work Without Limits, a Massachusetts disability employment initiative; is Yankee Magazine's "Best of New England Readers' Choice" for Cultural Attraction in Science and "Best of New England -- Editors' Choice" for Best Sky Show; and is El Planeta's Best Tourist Attraction for the Massachusetts Latino population.  The Museum's Undiscovered Worlds was recognized as the "Best Immersive—Fulldome Program" by the Jackson Hole Science Media Awards. Visit http://www.mos.org. Follow the Museum of Science on Twitter at @MuseumOfScience or Facebook at www.facebook.com/museumofscience.

About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2013 sales of $24 billion and 63,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, security and civil markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 92 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 cyber security and a broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @Raytheon.

Media Contacts
Raytheon Company
Tina Martineau
+1.781.522.6490
corporatepr@raytheon.com

Museum of Science, Boston
AJ Gosselin
+1.617.589.0251
agosselin@mos.org

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140519/88930

SOURCE Raytheon Company