MathAlive! opens today at the Connecticut Science Center

HARTFORD, Conn., May 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- MathAlive!^®, a highly interactive traveling exhibition that has drawn record-breaking attendance in the U.S., opens Tuesday, May 28, at the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford. Presented nationally by Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), this featured exhibition, which allows visitors to experience math in action, will run through Sept. 1, 2013.

The 6,000 square-foot MathAlive! exhibition is comprised of 40 unique and interactive experiences across six themed galleries that take math into the applied worlds of design, engineering, technology and science. In each gallery, high-tech, mechanical and multimedia interactive experiences provide challenges that use various types of mathematics as tools to help visitors compete, design, build, optimize and play. The local sponsor of the Hartford, Conn., installation of the exhibit is Stanley Black & Decker.

"MathAlive! has engaged hundreds of thousands of students across the country through play with fun, interactive exhibits that demonstrate how science, technology, engineering and math drive the world around them," said Pamela Erickson, vice president of Community Relations for Raytheon. "Raytheon created MathAlive! to inspire the next generation of innovative engineers by showcasing the connection between math and the world of possible applications."

MathAlive! is Raytheon's latest response to the national imperative to improve students' math proficiency. Leaders in business, government and academia have expressed concern over the nation's ability to produce tomorrow's technical talent required to fuel innovation and assure American competitiveness. To secure the pipeline of future technologists and innovators and thereby help ensure a competitive workforce and future economic growth, students must be shown the relevance of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in their everyday lives and future careers.

Matt Fleury, president and CEO of the Connecticut Science Center, expressed the excitement surrounding the much anticipated New England debut of the blockbuster exhibit. "The popular themes and highly interactive approach to learning are sure to make MathAlive! a big hit with the Science Center's tens of thousands of visitors this summer," said Fleury. "MathAlive! is a wonderful complement to the Center's robust offering of more than 150 hands-on permanent exhibits. We look forward to continuing to inspire visitors of all ages to get excited about math and science."

At MathAlive! visitors can:

• Design and play their own video games.
• Take the controls to "master-engineer" various aspects of a modern city.
• Race in a Boardercross challenge.
• Compete in a mountain-bike race.
• Capture their image in a 360-degree freeze action photo.
• Control a simulated Mars rover.

Throughout the exhibition, videos and graphic displays feature professionals, celebrities and visionaries who explain how they use math in their respective fields. Along the way, animated character guides help visitors tackle the challenges, explaining the math involved, prompting and encouraging answers, and jumping in if visitors get stuck. 

MathAlive! is the largest scale initiative to date of Raytheon's MathMovesU^® national program to inspire students to embrace mathematics as a key to their future. The exhibition, produced by Evergreen Exhibitions, debuted at the Smithsonian in 2012 where it enjoyed record-breaking traveling exhibit attendance levels. MathAlive! went on to visit Phoenix, Ariz., Huntsville, Ala., and Houston, Texas, before coming to Hartford, Conn. The exhibition is on a multi-year tour to science centers and museums in 15 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^®.

The MathAlive! exhibit is included with general admission to the Connecticut Science Center and is designed to appeal to visitors of all ages and levels of math ability, with particular relevance to students in grades 3-8.

About the Connecticut Science Center

The LEED-Gold certified Connecticut Science Center, located in downtown Hartford, sparks creative imagination and an appreciation for science by immersing visitors in fun and educational hands-on, minds-on interactive experiences while maintaining an environmentally conscious presence. With more than 1,000,000 people served since opening in 2009, visitors experience more than 150 exhibits in 10 galleries and a range of topics, including space and earth sciences, physical sciences, biology, the Connecticut River watershed, alternative energy sources, Connecticut inventors and innovations, a children's gallery, and much more. Other features include four educational labs, a 200-seat 3D digital theater, function room, gift store and cafe, and ongoing events and lectures for all ages. The Science Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing science education throughout the state of Connecticut and New England, providing learning opportunities for students and adults of all ages, and engaging the community in scientific exploration. More information: www.CTScienceCenter.org or 860.SCIENCE.

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 Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2012 sales of $24 billion and 68,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, security and civil markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 91 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. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @raytheon.

Media Contact 
Tina Martineau 
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SOURCE Raytheon Company