The College of the Canyons' mathematics, sciences and engineering division, in collaboration with the college's Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program, will host an open house on May 6 that will showcase the college's engineering, computer science, surveying, construction management and computer-networking departments.

"We hope the open house will demonstrate to students, parents and local educators that anaffordable and high-quality education in engineering and computer science can be attained at their local community college," said Susan Crowther, director of MESA.

After a tour of the college's new state-of the-art engineering facilities in the Aliso Lab, the engineering and computer networking departments will demonstrate autonomous robots that respond to the human touch, and explore fun activities such as building bridges and bottle rockets.

Visitors will also have an opportunity to use a remote-controlled, robotic arm, which is "armed" with a camera.

Students interested in computer science might be interested in the short presentation called "Why Not Do Both?" The presentation will demonstrate how students can achieve a computer science degree by attending COC and nearby California State University, Northridge.

"The two programs are so closely articulated, students can save time and money while reaching their educational goals," said Crowther. "High school students might not know this, but the salaries for engineering and computer science graduates have increased over the last year."

According to a quarterly survey done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the average starting salaries for computer science and mechanical engineering graduates were $52,177 and $54,695, respectively, in 2007.

The surveying program will present a movie about the program - with take-home copies available - and have surveying equipment on display.

The open house will be held from 5-7 p.m. in the Aliso Lab, Room 114.

College of the Canyons is located at 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa Clarita.

For more information about the open house or the MESA program, visit the college's Web site at www.canyons.edu or call 661-362-3448.