Tucson News NowUA & Tucson firms hoping math & science add up for Tucson teens

UA & Tucson firms hoping math & science add up for Tucson teens

Posted: Updated:
By Barbara Grijalva - bio | email
TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) -

Whether they are manufacturing missiles or watching the stars, two of southern Arizona's big money industries want the same thing from our schools.  

They want more graduates who can handle math and science.

"The term we use at the College of Engineering is, at some point, if you really want to build wealth, you gotta make stuff--either grow it, you mine it or you have to manufacture it," says UA College of Engineering Dean Jeff Goldberg.

That's it in a nutshell.

It's the reason why Raytheon Missile Systems, the University of Arizona and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory are teaming up to reach students early, and prepare them for careers that require math and science skills.

This MathMovesU program held at the UA helps do just that.

"I want to create games like that where they'll be like, 'Oh my god. I love that game,'" says high school sophomore Jase Jessup.

"This year it like really hit me.  Oh, I'm good at math and science so why not try and go out for engineering because those are my two favorite subjects," says high school sophomore Cassandra Anderson.

Jase and Cassandra were among 200 area high school students who attended this year's MathMovesU program.

With the help of some 60 Raytheon engineers and other volunteer mentors, local high school students built telescopes and got a hands-on understanding of the connections in life.

"To help find a way to help kids make the connections between what they're learning in schools and what they could do someday in a job. And I think sometimes that connection gets lost," says Raytheon Director of Community and Government Relations Colleen Niccum.

Santa Rita High School math teacher, Caroline Torres, says, "It's really trying to encourage them, model them and just keep them in these classes."

Raytheon certainly is a high tech company, and it's concerned not enough American students are going into fields that require math and science.

Organizers of the MathMovesU program told us they need highly trained people, not just for Raytheon's future workforce, but for the nation's.

"Almost every economic development is going to be driven through some advancement in science, engineering, technology, medicine. And so you have to have students that are going to study this," says Jeff Goldberg.

Retired Raytheon Vice President of Engineering Bob Lepore says, "(In) the developing countries--science and math are a big deal for students. So they're getting students to go through it and they're starting to get ahead. We need to stay ahead there. It's been our bread and butter and we need to keep going."

Copyright 2012 Tucson News Now. All rights reserved.

  • More Top Headlines

  • Wednesday, May 23 2012 8:39 PM EDT2012-05-24 00:39:54 GMT
    Former Mayor Bob Walkup was taken to Saint Mary's hospital Saturday afternoon suffering from dehydration. Walkup was on an early morning bike ride with friends when be began to cramp up and feel uneasy. "I
    Former Mayor Bob Walkup was taken to Saint Mary's hospital Saturday afternoon suffering from dehydration.

  • Tuesday, May 22 2012 7:56 PM EDT2012-05-22 23:56:58 GMT
    Everyone seemed to agree the modern streetcar construction on 4th Avenue was going to cause problems but not to this extent. Some businesses report a drop of 35% to 50% since work began. So there's
    Parking and parking tickets have become a major issue during construction on 4th.

  • Thursday, May 24 2012 12:40 AM EDT2012-05-24 04:40:22 GMT
    You've probably seen television shows about storage auctions -- and they're certainly entertaining. But reality TV isn't exactly reality. Bidding on abandoned storage lockers is more like going to
    We've seen the television show -- here's what you don't see on reality TV.  A look at some of the regulars and newbies battling it out at Southern Arizona's storage auctions.  Som Lisaius reports.

  • Wednesday, May 23 2012 11:56 PM EDT2012-05-24 03:56:11 GMT
    (RNN) - They came, they wailed, they literally sang the phone book. Somewhere along the way, there was even a proposal. And when it was all over, they crowned a new Idol.
    They came, they cried, they literally sang the phone book.  Somewhere along the way, there was even a proposal.  And when the votes were counted and it was all over, they crowned a new Idol.

  • The increasingly rancorous race between Democrat Ron Barber and Republican Jesse Kelly for Arizona's vacant 8th Congressional District seat goes before a live audience for the first time.
    The increasingly rancorous race between Democrat Ron Barber and Republican Jesse Kelly for Arizona's vacant 8th Congressional District seat goes before a live audience for the first time.