DAYTON, Ohio -- Looking to avoid the “summer slide” with your school-age children? Make plans to check out the MathAlive! exhibit, an interactive traveling exhibit opening next month at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
The free 5,000-square-foot exhibit, which is underwritten by Raytheon, will be open at the museum July 23-Oct. 2. Forty immersive activities create fun experiences that bring to life the real math behind the things kids love most – video games, sports, design, music, entertainment, space and robotics. Highlights include a virtual downhill race in which visitors ride snowboards and a photo stage where they can capture a 360-degree freeze action “selfie.”
“The MathAlive! exhibit reinforces our commitment to teaching science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, concepts,” said Judith Wehn, chief of the museum’s Education Division. “An important part of our mission is to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and aviation enthusiasts, and exhibits like this show our young visitors that learning can be fun.”
The exhibit is designed to appeal to all ages and levels of math ability, but with particular relevance to kids in grades 3-8. It was curated to improve math proficiency among students, and inspire kids to explore and pursue STEM careers.
“MathAlive! is designed to inspire, to spark the imagination, to reveal not only math at work, but the endless possibilities of math,” said Pam Wickham, Raytheon Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Communications. “We hope this experience will help kids better understand the need for math, and motivate them to consider future careers in the fiends of science, technology, engineering and math.”
Institutional collaborators for the exhibition include NASA, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Society of Professional Engineers, MATHCOUNTS and the Society of Women Engineers. The exhibition is featured as one of the major initiatives under MathMovesU, a national program developed by Raytheon to inspire kids to embrace mathematics as a key to their future. The exhibition is produced by Evergreen Exhibitions. (Federal endorsement is not implied.)
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is part of a 15-city tour of science centers and museums, with a schedule of international venues to follow the U.S. tour.
About the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, is the world’s largest military aviation museum. With free admission and parking, the museum features more than 360 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of artifacts amid more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space. Each year about one million visitors from around the world come to the museum. For more information, visit www.nationalmuseum.af.mil.
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2015 sales of $23 billion and 61,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 94 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5ITM products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter @Raytheon.
NOTE TO PUBLIC: For more information, please contact the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at (937) 255-3286.
NOTE TO MEDIA: For more information, please contact Sarah Swan at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Public Affairs Division at (937) 255-1283.