Children Learn About Erosion, Wildfires, and More

On March 17th, UH EAS master’s students Sarah Garcia and Makenna Harris, associated with the Morphodynamics lab group, brought science to life at the Harris County Public Library (HCPL) Jacinto City Branch. As part of the library’s Spring Break STEM Week, they led an engaging, hands-on event for K through 5th-grade students focused on how wildfires impact landscapes and drive sediment erosion.

Sarah and Makenna’s presentation helped show young learners the research side of science and broaden their understanding of wildfire disturbance and its role in shaping Earth’s surface, especially right next door in the Texas Panhandle. Through interactive and fun experiments, these future scientists explored key geoscience concepts like slope stability, sediment transport, and the role of vegetation in preventing erosion.

An exciting part of the experience was a live erosion experiment, where students observed how wind moves soil across different terrain types—with and without vegetation. Seeing how erosion flowed helped them visualize how wildfires can destabilize slopes and increase erosion by losing vegetation from burning. Another interactive segment was the pudding stratigraphy activity, where students built edible sediment layers using pudding, crushed cookies, and gummy worms to simulate how soils and fire records accumulate over time.

The students were enthusiastic and engaged throughout the presentation and activities, asking great questions and making thoughtful observations – even the parents had their interest piqued. Sarah and Makenna helped spark curiosity and excitement about Earth science by connecting environmental science to fun, tangible activities.

Events like these highlight the EAS department’s commitment to science education and community outreach—one pudding layer at a time.