Bob Lepore is the engineering vice president at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson.

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Opinion by Bob Lepore

This is a golden age of science and technology. Every aspect of daily life is being transformed by math and science — from the way we communicate, stay well and get better to the way we play sports and protect our nation.

Why, then, has a Raytheon Company-commissioned survey of American sixth- to eighth-graders (including Arizona students) found that a combined 84 percent would rather clean their rooms, eat their vegetables, take out the garbage or go to the dentist than do their math homework?

This is an important question, because the consequences are already being felt.

In 2007, according to an Arizona State University business school publication, Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson painted a stark picture of the United States' global standing in advanced degrees.

Swanson cited a National Academy of Science study that reported half a million students graduated with engineering degrees in China last year. In comparison, the United States had just 70,000 engineering graduates. This is also far behind India, which produced 200,000 graduates with engineering degrees.

In addition, the Business Higher Education Forum reports that enrollment in science and engineering programs is expanding 10 times faster in China than in the United States, and that three-quarters of Chinese baccalaureate students earn math, science or engineering degrees, compared with only about one-third of U.S. baccalaureate students.

That's the supply side of the equation. Here's the demand side: the Business Higher Education Forum cites Department of Labor projections that jobs requiring science, engineering and technical training will increase 47 percent by 2010 to meet future demands.

In addition in the next 18 months, 27 percent of the engineering work force will be eligible for retirement, according to a May 2007 article in Defense News.

These startling facts are worth considering during this National Engineers Week, which ends Saturday.

All is not lost. We can change course, but not without the young students and a greater commitment to math.

While the new National Assessment of Educational Progress was encouraging in some respects, it found that fewer than one-third of eighth-graders reached an average level of proficiency, or higher, in math.

American students want to do well. They have the ability to do well. What they need is to be engaged in math on their own terms — to change their preconceptions.

In middle school, too many students think math is geeky, but is it geeky to design a roller coaster or a video game, or land a soccer ball in the net? Math makes it all possible.

We need to help American students make these connections. That's why in late 2005 Raytheon launched an initiative called MathMovesU to help middle-school children connect the dots between studying math now and having an exciting life later.

On the MathMovesU Web site (www.mathmovesu.com), students, parents and teachers can find lots of resources to foster an interest in math and science. The site is interactive and fun, as math can be if students, parents and teachers have the right attitude.

In the first two years of the program, the MathMovesU website had over 500,000 visitors and the program distributed $2 million in grants and scholarships to students, teachers and schools.

We're not going to turn this around overnight, but the time to begin is now.