Budding young scientists and future world travelers alike learned about the landscape of Africa and its climate Thursday through Millersville University's Geographical Information System Geo-Graphics Laboratory.

Third- and fourth-graders from Infinity Charter School in Penbrook visited MU's GIS laboratory as part of a class unit about mapping.

 During the two-hour session, Angela Cuthbert, chair of MU's geography department, helped students learn how to interpret data on the terrain, vegetation and various bodies of water in Africa through color-coded computer maps.

Patrick, a third-grader, said he enjoyed exploring Africa.

"I liked learning about where the rivers are," Patrick said.

Third-grader Elma intently studied the different elevation levels in Africa.

"I got to see the elevation and rivers and how much it rains in different parts according to the colors," Elma said.

Cuthbert said she is happy to introduce children to GIS because it could lead them to a career in geography.

"If I can spark an interest in geography that's great," Cuthbert said. "It might pay off down the road."

Katie Lambrino, whose class also visited the GIS Geo-Graphics Lab, said that the school's community resource coordinator learned about the lab and scheduled the visit.

Lambrino said the trip was a nice supplement to classwork.

"It shows students what's out there in the real world and lets them know they can become a geographer," Lambrino said. "We're also learning about typography. Maybe this will help kids want to become mapmakers."

Cuthbert said it's not hard to pique children's interest in geography.

"They are very bright," Cuthbert said. "They don't surprise me anymore."

Elementary-aged students are receptive to learning using a GIS system because they are so familiar with computers.

"They've grown up with computers," Cuthbert said. "They are much more interested in doing something hands-on."

For third-grader Alex, the class was a closer look at geography and all its components.

"I think it was interesting because he got deeper into what we were learning," Alex said.

Fourth-grader Sam said it's important to learn about the Earth. "If we don't learn now, future generations won't know, and we'll forget about the information, and everything will go down the drain," Sam said.

Tyler, a third-grader, said having color-coded symbols helped him identify different parts of the country.

 "It's kind of cool to see all the colors and see what goes there," Tyler said. "If you don't learn this stuff you may not have a job later."

Editor's note: The school requested that the students' last names not be used in this article.

E-mail: mpennino@lnpnews.com