The community is invited to join local area high school students for a day of exhibits and attractions geared toward cultivating interests in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) collegiate majors and professional careers at West Los Angeles College (WLAC) on Saturday, December 21 from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. This free event is sponsored by West's Upward Bound college preparatory programs in partnership with The Traveling Space Museum (TSM). Parking is also free.

"Space Day" is TSM's award-winning program that provides a high level of interactivity and exciting hands-on experiences. Exhibits include:

• A full-motion flight simulator

• Full-scale Odyssey IV Mobile SpaceLab

• Fully functioning jet plane

• Lunar rover

• Space toilet

TSM Space Days combine the interactivity of space camp with the thrill of a theme park, while simultaneously bringing a space museum field trip to local students and visitors. Since 1998, The Traveling Space Museum has used NASA commissioned simulators and full-scale replicas of famous space vehicles as teaching-and-exposing tools to execute founder Ivor Dawson's unique approach to "space education." With the spirit of a traveling circus, the TSM has traveled the country serving over 200,000 students at their campuses while appealing to countless others through a variety of media channels. Learn more at http://travelingspacemuseum.org/spaceprofile.html . To complement the TSM exhibits, local professionals, students and related organizations will share how STEM-based work and research are executed in the local community.

WLAC is an accredited community college at 9000 Overland Avenue in Culver City. In addition to university transfer and career programs, the college operates a number of programs designed to boost high school achievement. WLAC's Upward Bound programs primarily service low-income students at Crenshaw, Dorsey, Hamilton and Los Angeles High Schools. The goals of the programs are to help these students improve academically, become competitive college applicants, and succeed academically and socially as college graduates.