Those are just some of the questions more than 350 high school students from throughout the Los Angeles area will explore at the Los Angeles Metro regional MESA Day competition on Saturday, March 23, at Cal State Northridge.

"It's going to be a fantastic, educational experience," said Gillian Massey, director of CSUN's MESA program.

MESA stands for Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement. The program encourages educationally disadvantaged young people to consider careers in math, engineering or science.

It was recently named among the five most innovative public programs in the nation by Innovations in American Government, a project of the Ford Foundation, the JFK School of Government at Harvard University and the Council for Excellence in Government.

Saturday's competition will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the University Student Union on the east side of the CSUN campus off Zelzah Avenue.

The day's activities include constructing mousetrap cars and balsawood gliders, dropping raw eggs without breaking them and constructing and launching bottle rockets.

For more information, call Gillian Massey at (818) 677-2753.