2012-2013 Fellows

Margaret Hendrick

Degree Sought : Ph.D.
Research Focus: Biogeochemical cycling, earth-atmosphere interactions, urban ecology, adaptation, ecosystem services, microbial ecology, plant physiology, the carbon cycle, global change

School Name : Curley K-8 school
Teaching Partner: Charity Cochran-Murphy
Margaret's Project GLACIER Site


Margaret Hendrick is a 2nd year Ph.D. student studying fugitive methane emissions in urban ecosystems. Her research in Boston seeks to characterize the impact of pervasive natural gas leaks on above- and below-ground biogeochemical cycling and the ability of plants and vegetation to render valuable ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, methane oxidation, temperature regulation, water purification, and flood control. Characterizing the effects of natural gas leaks on soils and vegetation is particularly important in light of the role of soils, soil biota, and above- and below-ground biomass in the global carbon cycle and the pervasiveness of leaks in the United States.


Margaret`s teaching partner at the Curley K-8 School in Jamaica Plain is Charity Murphy. Charity teaches both 7th and 8th grade science. Charity is dedicated to providing an environment where all children can learn and be inspired by science. Together, Charity and Margaret are working to bring technology into the classroom as well as emphasize how we are all interconnected in our urban ecosystem, an ecosystem that is fragile and susceptible to perturbation associated with local problems like natural gas leaks and global problems like climate change.
Sponsored by the NSF GK-12 Program