BETHESDA, Md., April 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds of high school students will visit several Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) facilities across the U.S. to compete in a computer programming competition in the corporation's Fourth Annual Code Quest on April 18.

Lockheed Martin developed Code Quest to challenge and inspire tomorrow's "coders" (programmers) to pursue information technology degrees as part of its focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) outreach. Students will work in small teams through a set of coding challenges developed by Lockheed Martin information technology professionals, who will also assist students during the event.

"From the gadgets in our hands to the vehicles that will explore deep space, programmers are advancing technology and changing our world," said Anne Mullins, Lockheed Martin chief information officer. "Code Quest is our opportunity to inspire and help prepare the next generation of programmers, innovative thinkers and problem solvers."

The student teams will be separated into novice and advanced levels, and will be challenged to complete a series of problems within a 2.5-hour timeframe. All students will do their programming in JAVA, a computer programming language and platform.

"Our hope is that competitions like Code Quest will enlighten students to the possibilities of an exciting STEM career and encourage schools to expand their curricula," said Mullins.

Code Quest has hosted approximately 700 students since the competition began in 2011 out of Lockheed Martin's Aeronautics headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. The success of the competition has led to an expansion of the competition across Lockheed Martin. This year, seven sites will host events including: Marietta, Georgia; Owego, New York; Denver, Colorado; Sunnyvale, California; Orlando, Florida; Washington-metro area, and the original site, Fort Worth, Texas.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 112,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's net sales for 2014 were $45.6 billion.

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SOURCE Lockheed Martin