Last year I helped develop a web site for Raytheon. Raytheon worked on a roller coaster simulation that opened at Disney’s Epcot center last Fall. They also support a really great cause, teaching kids about math. The goal was to build a web site that could mimic the Disney ride experience, and also integrate some educational challenges for kids. The result is a highly animated game that lets visitors solve math problems to build a roller coaster. The kids then “ride” the coaster they build. This is very similar to how the Disney experience works at the park.

The web site was submitted to the 2010 Webby awards competition, and has been selected as one of the top 5 choices in the “Youth” category. Now its up to the general public to vote for their favorite. We have some really tough competition since the other sites are basically extensions of TV-based media. We are up against PBS Kids, National Geographic Kids, and BBC Blast. So if you are reading this (and I know you are), please consider voting for “Sum of All Thrills” by Raytheon. You can vote here, and you will find a link to the Web site there as well.

It All Adds Up! Raytheon’s Sum Of All Thrills™ Experience Opens Today
New exhibit at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot® showcases math in action as students design and experience their own ride using math fundamentals

In addition to the experience at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot®, Raytheon today unveiled a virtual Sum of all Thrills™ experience on-line at MathMovesU.com. The Sum of all Thrills™ world, aimed at middle school students, combines the three ride elements of the theme park experience into one multidimensional ride. Students answer math-related questions to unlock elements that enable them to build their own ride online.

Sum of all Thrills™ is the latest initiative in Raytheon’s MathMovesU program, which is committed to increasing students’ interest in math and engineering by engaging them with activities they enjoy most, such as sports, fashion and music. Sum of all Thrills™ joins Raytheon’s other MathMovesU programs including the “In the Numbers” game, 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, which provides more than $1 million in funding to students and teachers each year.