Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Dr. Stone became interested in environmental science and biogeochemistry as an undergraduate. He is fascinated with the role that microorganisms play in the movement of energy and nutrients in ecosystems and has been part of research in Northeastern forests, on the Mississippi river, and now in the Southwest. He is currently modeling the contributions of individual bacterial populations to either the retention or loss of carbon in soils. He is also involved in work examining the role of temperature and moisture changes on microbial activity and soil carbon.