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    Environmental Injustice: When the Grass is Greener on the Other Side
    Environmental pollution is a global threat that is especially prevalent in heavily industrialized and urbanized areas. Pollution can be found in many forms, such as natural and synthetic pollutants...

    Keywords: human healthenvironmental injusticeEnvironmental PollutionSystemic BiasesIdeological AwarenessUrban Ecology and Development

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    Geography and Embodied Perceptions: a pathway to reanimating rivers through lived experiences.
    In this lesson students embark upon a journey through the many ways we come to know a watershed, with foci on its physical geography and our embodied perceptions. This enables students to formulate...

    Keywords: PhilosophygeographyRiver Field Studies Networkperceptionwatershednature journalexperiencesensationhumanityplacehomeembodied perceptionsense of placeplace attachmenttransdisciplinaryqualitative methodscalable

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    Riverbird distributions and habitat use
    Riverbirds are widespread, use diverse riparian habitats, and respond rapidly to changing conditions. Students can apply riverbird data to evaluate hypotheses about these responses, while gaining...

    Keywords: logistic regressionHabitat selectionRiver Field Studies NetworkWaterfowl raptorkingfisherheronfocal speciesmonitorriverbank

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    An Inquiry-Based Project Added to Traditional Labs: Hands-On Fish Awareness Research in Freshwater Systems Conducted by First-Year Biology Students
    This project involves students in an inquiry-based project added to the introductory biology laboratory course for majors in fall 2019. Research has shown that student engagement in authentic...

    Keywords: Evolutionbehaviorichthyology

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    A rainforest with a gold chain? The impacts of gold mining on the trophic web of an Amazonian rainforest of SE Peru
    The use of mercury in artisanal gold mining affects aquatic and terrestrial food webs in the Peruvian Amazon. Learn about bioaccumulation, explore data on mercury deposition in vegetation and how...

    Keywords: conservation biologydeforestationhuman healthpollutionbiodiversity losstropical land use

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    Learning How to Make “Good Enough” Estimations
    The ability to estimate physical quantities is a useful skill that can help develop critical thinking and scientific literacy. This lesson provides an accessible way to teach students how to...

    Keywords: MeasurementestimationcommunicationProblem Solvinggroup workUnit conversion

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    The River Field Studies Network: Connecting rivers, people, & science through immersive field-based education (RCN-UBE Introduction)
    Connecting rivers, people, & science through immersive field-based education

    Keywords: RCN-UBE Introduction

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    Assessing the water quality at Pescadero Creek, CA: does water turbidity and the creek’s composition affect the water quality?
    Right now in the world, there are many factors affecting the world’s environment. Environments, ecosystems, and weather throughout the world are changing due to the anthropocene. Humans are...

    Keywords: water quality

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    Rivers as Social-Ecological-Technological Systems: Integrative Issue Formulation and Problem Solving
    Flowing surface waters continue to capture the human imagination and are increasingly harnessed by many interdependent human activities. Existing theories for studying rivers as cohesive ecological...

    Keywords: Interdisciplinary STEMProblem based learningcomplex systemsexperiential learningRiver Field Studies Network

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    A STEAM Approach to Investigating the Hydrologic Cycle
    The purpose of this experiential lesson is to teach introductory to mid-level undergraduate students how to make detailed hydrologic field observations into a conceptual model using a painting...

    Keywords: modelinghydrologyfield-based learningSTEAM curriculumhydrogeologyhydrologic cycle

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    Simple, Accessible River-Based Field Investigation of Riverine Microplastics
    Scientists have discovered that microplastic pollution is ubiquitous in the environment, but the small size of these microscopic pollutants prohibits most people from recognizing their prevalence....

    Keywords: environmental sciencemicroplastic pollutionurban waterswasteenvironmental studiesfield-based learningfreshwater ecologywater qualityRiversSingle-use plasticfreshwater sciencewater ecologyField ExperiencesRiver Ecologyfield workThe Scientific MethodRiver Field Studies Networkfield courses

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    Using Survey123 to Map Physical Habitat Characteristics, Watershed Activities, and Disturbances
    In this lesson, students are introduced to the idea and practice of “remote sensing” and provided with hands-on, field-based experience using standardized stream habitat assessment protocols (the...

    Keywords: GISmappingremote sensingRiver Field Studies Networkriparian habitat assessmentGPSSurvey123National Rivers and Streams Assessment (NRSA)watershed activitieswatershed disturbances

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    Identifying Groundwater Discharge Dynamics into Stream Habitat Assessments
    Groundwater contributions are overlooked in many habitat assessments, even though their ecological and water quality importance to streams has been broadly recognized. This lab encourages students...

    Keywords: landscape ecologyriver systemsRiver Field Studies NetworkGroundwater - Surface Water Exchangegroundwater seepsstream temperature

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    Debating Conservation: Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Introductory Biology Classes
    Role-playing activities in the classroom promote students’ critical thinking, research, and communication skills. We present an activity where students debate a current controversy in...

    Keywords: Restorationtrophic cascadeecosystem function

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    River and Tree health of the Truckee River Basin with Noelle Patterson
    Today we are highlighting our talk with Ph.D. student Noelle Patterson discussing watersheds, the history of the Truckee River Basin, and the health of Cottonwoods in the region.

    Keywords: ecologyteachinghydrology

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    Life Is Just a Game: An Active Learning Activity to Teach Life History Evolution
    A novel activity was designed to introduce students to the concepts of natural selection and life history using an active-learning, constructivist format. It consisted of two parts: 1) a brief...

    Keywords: Evolutionlife historytrade-offsdiversityNatural Selection

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    Using Gamification to Teach Undergraduate Students about Scientific Writing
    Despite its importance, scientific writing is often deprioritized in undergraduate biology classes. Reasons include assumed prior knowledge, lack of class time, tedious grading, and the complexity...

    Keywords: gamificationscientific writingE-LearningInstant FeedbackInteractive LearningReading Scientific PapersVIdeo/computer game

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    Using Structured Decision Making to Explore Complex Environmental Issues
    Environmental issues are inherently complex, often requiring multiple interested parties to come together before agreeing on a solution. Structured decision making is a tool used by federal and...

    Keywords: interdisciplinarysocio-ecological systemsscience policystakeholderstructured decision making

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    Building Trees: Introducing evolutionary concepts by exploring Crassulaceae phylogeny and biogeography
    Teaching evolutionary theory is foundational for all biological sciences and a key aspect of overall science literacy. The conceptual framework for understanding evolution relies on thinking...

    Keywords: EvolutionphylogeneticsTree thinkingbiogeography

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    Oyster Restoration Success and Water Quality in the James and Rappahannock Rivers of Virginia
    This QUBES lesson uses statistical analysis to test whether or not oyster restoration sites in Virginia are successfully increasing the number of oysters and whether or not water quality is...

    Keywords: aquatic ecologymarine ecologyggplot2Pearson correlation coefficientSimple Linear RegressionnitrogenJames Rivertidyversechesapeake baywater qualityphosphorusharmful algae bloomsvirginia

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