UW CEPS Hall of Fame Induction
I was honored to accept induction into the UW’s College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS) Hall of Fame at their awards banquet 25 April 2026. This post records the event and inducting documents. A big thank you to the College, and the University, for taking the time to do these things. The banquet has to cost money, and has to be a headache every year; but, it does in fact help old guys remember that we don’t always toil in obscurity. People do look. People do care.
Again, thank you to the College that has done so much for me and my family. I especially thank Interim Dean Dr. Danny Dale, the nomination committee, my external references, and my nominating faculty member, Dr. David Mukai.
Qualifications
Nominees for the Hall of Fame (HOF) must have earned a degree from a department within the current University of Wyoming College of Engineering and Physical Sciences and have at least ten years of professional experience since earning that degree. Selection to the HOF is based upon the achievements and contributions in and leadership of the nominee at the national or international level. The HOF nominees should have achieved at least national recognition and preferably international recognition. Nominees should be recognized as leaders in their respective fields and for their accomplishments and contributions to their profession and to society including but not limited to membership in honorary societies, as well as receipt of special honors and awards from recognized national and international organizations. Other important considerations include recognition in their community and non-professional arenas. Nominees cannot be current faculty or administrators of the University of Wyoming.
Biography
Trent McDonald is the President and Founder of McDonald Data Sciences, a statistical consulting firm based in Laramie, Wyoming. Prior to that, McDonald was a partner in Western EcoSystems Technology, an environmental consulting company in Cheyenne. McDonald taught statistics at UW part-time for two years and recently completed a teaching fellowship at the University of Canterbury. Originally from Laramie, McDonald completed a B.S in statistics and computer science at UW in 1988. He went on to complete an M.S. in experimental statistics at New Mexico State University and a Ph.D. in statistics at Oregon State University. He specializes in wildlife analyses including capture–recapture, habitat selection, distance sampling, and spatially balanced sampling.
Originally from Laramie, McDonald completed a B.S in statistics and computer science at UW in 1988. He went on to complete an M.S. in experimental statistics at New Mexico State University and a Ph.D. in statistics at Oregon State University. He specializes in wildlife analyses including capture–recapture, habitat selection, distance sampling, and spatially balanced sampling.
A pre-eminent, internationally-recognized wildlife statistician, McDonald has consulted on studies of a wide range of animal species, taught environmental statistics workshops at home and abroad, assessed damages from two major oil spills, and provided key reports for several endangered species listing decisions.
McDonald is the author of over 100 peer-reviewed publications and two books amassing over 15,000 citations. He has received multiple objectively-rated commendations from The Wildlife Society, including Outstanding Article, Outstanding Edited Book, and a Certificate of Appreciation. He has also been recognized for his publication achievements by Marine Mammal Science and Kluwer.
McDonald is dedicated to giving back as an active member of The Wildlife Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He serves as Associate Editor for the Wildlife Society Bulletin and on the University of Wyoming CEPS Advisory Board. This year, McDonald was also recognized as Erskine Fellow of the University of Canterbury.
A Couple Photos From the Night
