Raytheon, Disney collaborate on math ride
* Millions expected to try new ride at Disney World
* Raytheon hopes to woo students into engineering
WASHINGTON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - A new ride at Disney's Epcot Center that lets guests use math tools to design their own roller-coaster, bobsled or plane ride and then "feel" it using sophisticated simulators is Raytheon Co's (RTN.N) latest attempt to attract students to careers in math and science.
Raytheon and Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) unveiled the new ride, "The Sum of All Thrills" at the Disney World Resort in Orlando on Wednesday after nearly two years of work on the project.
The point, says Raytheon Chief Executive Bill Swanson, is to address a troubling U.S. trend away from math and science learning that threatens to leave defense companies such as Raytheon without enough engineers in the future.
"Our research showed that you needed innovative approaches to making math fun," Swanson told Reuters.
Partnering with Disney means an estimated 6 million visitors could experience the new ride each year.
He said the "Sum of All Thrills" should help students "connect the dots that math and science are important and they should be fun," said Swanson, a trained engineer himself.
After a short video that highlights major engineering developments in history, Disney guests can design their ride on a computerized light board, using rulers and speed dials to add corkscrews, inversions or steeper hills.
Guided by an animated character named "Crash," students use math and engineering principles to determine how much energy is needed for a jet airplane to take off or for a roller coaster train or toboggan to make it up its first climb.
Once the ride is completed, guests can save it on a digital card and proceed to one of four robotic simulators.
For now, guests can choose to build a roller coaster, bobsled ride or jet plane ride. In the future, the technology could be expanded to other activities, including jet skiing, downhill skiing, or even a boat ride, Swanson said.
CORPORATE FOCUS ON EDUCATION
Under Swanson, Raytheon focused 60 percent of its corporate charitable giving on education to encourage students to replace millions of American engineers due to retire in the next few years.
When he heard that more than half of high school students would rather take out the trash than do math homework, Swanson said he knew something had to change.
In 2005, Raytheon founded MathMovesU, a program for students aged 10 through 14 that offers interactive learning and tutoring, contests, events and scholarships. With the help of more than 10,000 Raytheon volunteers, it has reached 1 million students, teachers and parents.
The program, at www.mathmovesu.com, also has a link to a modified online version of the new Disney ride. Within a year, the company hopes to let Disney guests design a ride on their home computer and then bring it on a memory card to use at the resort, Raytheon said.
The company awards more than $2 million in scholarships and grants each year to students, teachers and schools. Raytheon is also a main sponsor of the MATHCOUNTS National Competition, and holds other engineering and robotics events around the country.
Swanson said the approach is starting to pay off, based on dozens of letters he receives each year from scholarship recipients.
"It's anecdotal, but I know we're making a difference because of the feedback," he said.
Recently, a high school student who won a Raytheon- sponsored trip to the Paris Air Show for his work in a local rocketry group told the company he decided to pursue a career in aeronautical engineering.
"That's the jackpot," said Swanson. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa; editing by Andre Grenon)
