Effectively using urban landscapes to teach biodiversity and echohydrology for introductory environmental science classes

Urban environments offer students unique opportunities to explore and examine how human modified landscapes influence biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and water chemistry. Undergraduate students demanding applied field experiences combined with advanced analytical techniques from their environmental science programs can be well served in urban settings. Here, we present strategies for integrating urban areas into the undergraduate field experience and directly link it to laboratory analyses, including characterization of organic contaminants. Urban locations provide an opportunity for a different type of local "field-work" than appears in traditional environmental science laboratories. We use the university campus, the surrounding neighborhood and city as well as a nearby National Park for field exercises. Here we share our design for field activities, integrated with robust laboratory analysis for undergraduate students and show how we assess quantitative and investigative competency.