Biography
Dr. Beth Stokes, PhD, is an environmental microbiologist specializing in the protection of wood products.
Dr. Stokes is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts (formerly Forest Products) at Mississippi State University. Located just southwest of the main campus, near the MSU School of Veterinary Medicine, the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts (SBP) is housed at the Franklin Furniture Institute and the R.L. Clapp Forest Products Laboratory. The department has a wide range of research and education areas, including furniture design, manufacturing, and testing; lumber and timber products strength testing; protection of sensitive environmental areas from chemical treatments applied to wood products; development of plant-based wood protection systems; analysis of chemical treatments developed by wood products companies; utilization of lower-value wood products; market analysis of lumber and bio-based products; fuel product development, including wood pellets and wood oils; app development for use by the wood products industry.
Dr. Stokes' research focuses on the development of environmentally friendly wood protection systems, mostly derived from other plant products. Additionally, Dr. Stokes coordinates a large portion of the independent contract research carried out in the department, serving as an independent evaluator of wood products, wood protection systems, and environmental impacts of products. Dr. Stokes' lab group evaluates the long-term use of treated wood products in both laboratory-scale and field-scale applications, having multiple testing locations across the state and collaborating sites across the US.
