Patrick Herron is a post-doctoral researcher at the MBL- Ecosystems Center at Woods Hole, Massachusetts. He completed his PhD in 2007 in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut, where he was an EPA STAR Fellow. His research focuses on two areas: 1) the application of microbial biosensors to study the interaction and exchange of carbon and nitrogen between plant roots and soil microbes, and 2) the identification of key life-history traits that allow plants to become invasive in defined ecosystems. Outside of his research activities, Patrick is exploring the development of alternative avenues for urban children to become engaged in the environment and science. Prior to his work as a scientist, he was a high school teacher in rural Louisiana as part of the Teach for America program.