Brigham Young University Homepage
Route Y Secure Sign In

Life Sciences

Thomas S Smith

Personal Information

Thomas S Smith
Plant & Wildlife Sciences
Email: tom_smith@byu.edu

451 WIDB
Provo, UT 84602
(801) 422-2151

Associate Professor
Research Wildlife Biologist

Office Hours: M-W-F 10 to noon

Bear Attacks Research
Bear Safety Research

 Education
  • Ph.D. , Wildlife Ecology , Brigham Young University , 1992
  • M.S. , Wildlife Mangement , University of Alaska - Fairbanks , 1987
  • B.S. , Zoology - Premedical , Brigham Young University , 1982
  • none awarded , General Ecology , Purdue University , 1974
 Research

My work has been focused mainly on North American bear conservation and conflict management for the past 15 years. I am currently engaged in both bear and Rocky Mountain bighorn research in Utah and Alaska. Current studies with polar bears focus on den emergence ecology and response to human activities on the North Slope, Alaska. Work with mountain sheep is focused on evaluation of transplant success, habitat selection, and identification of limiting factors.

 Selected Publications

Articles

S. T. Partridge and T. S. Smith.  "Black and Brown Bear Activity at Selected Coastal Sites in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska: A Preliminary Assessment Using Noninvasive Procedures."  USGS Open File Report 2009-1169.  Jan. 2009: 62.  <website>

J. M Shannon, D. D. Olson, J. C. Whiting, J. T. Flinders, and T. S. Smith.  "Status, Distribution, and History of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep in Utah."  Proceedings of the Northern Wild Sheep and Goat Council.  16 (2009): 176-193.  <website>

Tom S. Smith.  "Post-Den Emergence Behavior of Polar Bears in Northern Alaska."  Research final completion report to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.  July 2009: 49. 

Tom S. Smith, Stephen Herrero, Terry D. DeBruyn, and James Wilder.  "Efficacy of Bear Deterrent Spray in Alaska."  The Journal of Wildlife Management.  72.3 (2008): 640-645.  <website>

Tom S. Smith, Stephen Herrero, Terry D. DeBruyn.  "Bear spray, your best defense."  Alaska Magazine.  May 2008: 55-60.  <website>

T. Smith, T. D. DeBruyn, T. Lewis, R. Yerxa, and S. T. Partridge.  "Bear-human conflict risk assessment at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve."  Proceedings of the Fourth Glacier Bay Science Symposium USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5047.  Jan. 2008: 201-203.  <website>

Smith, T. S., S. T. Partridge, S. C. Amstrup, and S. Schliebe.  "Post-den emergence behavior of polar bears (Ursus martimus) in northern Alaska."  Arctic.  60.2 (2007): 187-194. 

J. M. Wilder, T. D. DeBruyn, T. Smith, and A. Southwould.  "Systematic collection of bearhuman interaction information for Alaskas national parks."  Ursus.  18.2 (2007): 208-215. 

T. S. Smith, T. D. DeBruyn, T. Lewis, R. Yerxa, and S. T. Partridge.  "Bear-Human Conflict Risk Assessment at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve."  Proceedings of the Fourth Glacier Bay Science Symposium, October 26-28, 2004: US Geological Survey.  2007: 201-203.  <website>

Amstrup, S. C., I. Stirling, T. Smith, C. Perham, and G. Thiemann.  "Recent observations of intraspecific predation and cannibalism among polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea."  Polar Biology.  29.11 (2006): 997-1002. 

Amstrup, S.C., G. M. Durner, G.York, E. Regehr, K. S. Simac, D. Douglas, T. S. Smith, S. T. Partridge, T. Ohara, T. Bentzen, and C. Kirk.  "Polar Bear Research in the Beaufort Sea."  In Proceedings of the Canadian Polar Bear Technical Committee.  Feb. 2006. 

Smith T. S., S. Herrero, and T. D. DeBruyn.  "Alaskan brown bears, humans, and habituation."  Ursus.  16.1 (2005): 1-10. 

Smith, T. S., S. T. Partridge, and J. W. Schoen.  "Interactions of brown bears, Ursus arctos, and gray wolves, Canis lupus, at Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska."  Canadian Field Naturalist.  118.2 (2005): 247-250. 

Smith, T. S., S. C. Amstrup, and S. Herrero.  "The bear that never was."  Alaska Magazine.  Sep. 2005: 7 pages. 

Herrero, S., T. Smith, T. DeBruyn, K. Gunther, and C. Matt.  "Brown bear habituation to people: safety, risks and benefits."  Wildlife Society Bulletin.  33.1 (2005): 362-373. 

Books

Terry D. DeBruyn and Tom S. Smith.  "Chapter 7: Managing bear-viewing to minimize human impacts on the species in Alaska."  Managing bear-viewing to minimize human impacts on the species in Alaska.  Ed. Jennifer Hill.  Firstth ed.  Farmham, Surrey UK: Ashgate Publishing Limited, Jan. 2009.  <website>

Multimedia

Terry D. DeBruyn, Tom S. Smith, John Gookin, and John Schoen.  Electric fences in bear country.  June 2007. 

 Experience

Professional

  • Research Wildlife Biologist , US Geological Survey , 1992-2006

 Awards
  • Outstanding Teacher Award , Utah Valley University , 1991
 Courses Taught
PWS 494R : Mentored Learning Experience
BIO 100 : Principles of Biology
PWS 357 : Tech Wldlf Invstgn & Mgmnt
PWS 699R : Master's Thesis
PWS 554 : Wildlife Behavioral Ecology
Biology | Microbiology & Molecular Biology | Nutrition, Dietetics & Food Science | Physiology & Developmental Biology | Plant & Wildlife Sciences
Life Sciences Office | Office of Academic Advisement | Office of College Life
Updated by the Life Sciences Web Team, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602 - (801)422-3963 - Copyright 2009, All Rights Reserved