TEWKSBURY, Mass., Nov. 6, 2009 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) Dr. Piali De received a national award for Technology Innovation at the 2009 Women of Color's 14(th) Annual Conference held recently in Dallas, Texas.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091106/NE06314 )

De, who holds a doctorate in physics, is a Raytheon engineering fellow in Civil Security and Response Programs at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS). She is one of two recipients of this year's Technology Innovation award for innovation in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Daniel L. Smith, president of Raytheon IDS, presented the award to De at the conference's awards dinner. He praised her innovative work that significantly increases the safety of U.S. first responders and military members reacting to emergency situations.

"Among her impressive body of work is an intelligent system, known as Confluence(TM), that is applied to public safety issues, pandemic crises, natural disaster responses, and peacekeeping missions ... to enable rapid fact-based decision making," Smith said.

In accepting the award, De talked about her childhood in Calcutta, India, growing up surrounded by poverty. "At age 15 I volunteered at homes run by Mother Theresa," she said. "I worked with orphaned children, destitute families, and people shunned for their incurable diseases, such as leprosy."

She said the experience led her to never take her good fortunes for granted and to appreciate the value of education, hard work, and a loving family. She now does everything she can to "give others a chance to make a difference."

The annual conference celebrates women who have succeeded despite the traditional obstacles faced by women in the STEM fields and offers training sessions designed to address the professional development needs of the attendees.

Integrated Defense Systems is Raytheon's leader in Global Capabilities Integration providing affordable, integrated solutions to a broad international and domestic customer base, including the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Armed Forces and the Department of Homeland Security.

Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 87 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.

    Contact:
    Carol Sobel
    978.858.4519

Web site: http://www.raytheon.com/