Michigan Technological University

Department of Mathematical Sciences

Thomas D. Drummer

Thomas D. Drummer

Contact

 

Professor, Mathematical Sciences

Director of Graduate Studies, Mathematical Sciences

  • PhD, Statistics, University of Wyoming

Biography

I received my doctorate in Statistics from the University of Wyoming in 1985.  My primary area of interest is application of statistics to biology and ecology problems. I have worked on numerous consulting projects for state and federal agencies, and have taught a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate statistics courses.  As of late I have begun to consult on human health studies. Current research projects include: 1) examining the effects of wolf predation on the elk population in Yellowstone National Park; 2) estimation and prediction with logistic regression models in the presence of covariate misclassification; 3) investigating the effects of invasive fish species on Yellowstone fish and raptor populations; 4) linking ethical beliefs to research conduct in Science, Technology and Math university researchers.

Areas of Expertise

  • Applied Statistics; Environmental Statistics

Recent Publications

  • R. O. Peterson, J. A. Vucetich G. Fenton, and T. D. Drummer. The ecology of arthritis. Ecology Letters 13:1124-1128.

Recent Funding

  • 2008-2011. Responsible Conduct of Research in Science and Engineering Education: Moral Motivation and Ethical Sensitivity in Multi-National Graduate Students. 3 years. $299 614, Michael Bowler (Humanities) – PI, T. D. Drummer – Consultant.
  • 2010. Sleep deprivation and neurovascular control in humans. PI: Jason Carter. Consultant: T. Drummer. 1 year. $232,499, US. Dept. Health and Human Services.

Presentations

  • Drummer, T.D., R.G. Corace, and S. Sjogren. Monitoring sharp-tailed grouse in the eastern UP. Michigan Ornithological Conference, April 4, 2009, Petoskey, MI.

Research

  • Sleep deprivation and neurovascular control in humans.
  • Lake trout were illegally introduced to Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park. As the lake trout population grew, the cutthroat trout population appeared to decline. Eagles and osprey both use cutthroat as a prey base, but osprey rely almost exclusively on cutthroat. The aim of the study is to determine how the change in the cutthroat population has affected eagle and osprey reproductive success, and to determine if netting efforts to reduce lake trout population
  • Re-introduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Parkin 1995 was highly controversial for a variety of reasons. One of the reasons cited for re-introducing wolves was to control the size of the resident elk population, which some biologists believed had grown to unsustainable levels. The question remains as to what effect the wolf population has had on the size of the elk population. In this research the aim is to estimate how many elk are killed by wolves.
  • Conducted jointly with researchers in Humanities and Cognitive Science. Funded by NSF. Universities and funding agencies are increasingly emphasizing awareness of the ethical conduct of research among faculty and graduate students. Individuals must first be aware that an ethical situation exists before an ethical decision can be made. We have developed one instrument for assessing ethical sensitivity and another instrument for assessing recognition of five professional attributes.

Teaching Experience

  • Time Series Analysis
  • Statistical Programming
  • Linear Models
  • Statistical methods

Mathematical Sciences

Fisher Hall, Room 319
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, Michigan 49931-1295

Ph. 906-487-2068
Fax: 906-487-3133
Email: mathdept@mtu.edu

Michigan Technological University

1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, Michigan 49931-1295
906-487-1885

See a Problem?

Email the Webmaster