Biography
Peter Tuckel received his B.A. from Clark University and his Ph.D. from New York University. He teaches statistics and research methods both at the undergraduate level and in Hunter College's Master's Program in Social Research.
As part of the course requirements in his Introduction to Research Methods course, his students conduct a research project observing behavior in public places. Examples of the types of projects his students have undertaken in the past are: (1) observing the number of times riders on the New York City subway system need to swipe their Metrocards in order to get through the turnstiles, (2) the incidence of hand-washing in public restrooms in New York City, and (3) the frequency of purchasing more than the "allowable number" of items in supermarket express lanes.
Respecting his research, one of his primary interests is an examination of the factors influencing participation in different data gathering modes such as public opinion surveys, focus groups, and the U.S. Census. He has written extensively on the usage patterns of evolving telephone-related technologies (e.g., answering machines, Caller ID, cell phones) and their impact on telephone surveys.
Another major research interest centers on the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a historical research tool. He has applied GIS to study the diffusion of the influenza pandemic of 1918. Currently he is using this research technique to study the residential patterns of African-Americans of differing geographic origins in one American city.