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Bio
Dr. Thomas (Tom) R. Bellinger is a certified Professional Hydrologist (Emeritus) through the American Institute of Hydrology. He was formerly a Visiting professor and is currently an Adjunct Professor of Environmental Science at the Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) with the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department. He teaches Environmental Science, Planning, Environmental Policy, Water Resources, Snow Hydrology, and Water Law. Tom is also affiliated with the Engineering and Engineering Technology (EAET) department and is currently contributing to the ABET accreditation process for the MSU Denver Environmental Engineering program. In the EAET department, Tom teaches Engineered Water, Environmental Policy and Planning in Engineering, and the Senior Design Project course for the Environmental Engineering and Sustained Systems Engineering programs.Tom retired as Principal Hydrologist with the Department of Interior Bureau of Reclamation, Technical Service Center in Denver, CO in March 2008. Prior to this position, he served as a hydrologist and Branch Chief of Refuge Hydrology for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Office in Denver. He also served five years as a planning hydrologist in the former Reclamation Southwest Regional Office in Amarillo, TX.
Since retiring, Tom has remained active in the water resources community. He currently serves as a Technical Advisor (Hydrology) with the Department of Interior/USAID International Technical Assistance Program (ITAP). He is an active team member working with the Lao PDR government (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment) conducting a hydrologic and climate assessment of the Mekong River Valley.
Tom is Past President and a current Board Member of NecroSearch International (NSI) a non-profit multi-disciplinary forensic group that assists law enforcement agencies on homicide cases with a focus on the location of clandestine evidence and graves. He currently serves as a hydrologist with NSI. His specialty with this organization is in hydrologic forensic analysis. Tom is an Affiliate with the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC) and is a member of the newly formed Aquatic Scene Processing Task Group.
Tom is a former member of the Metro Basin Roundtable, a collaborative team of government, citizens, and water professionals that assisted in developing the Colorado State Water Plan. He recently retired as an officer on the Board of Directors (3 terms) for the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District (MWRD), an entity serving nearly 2 million wastewater customers in the Denver Metro Area. He was on the Executive and Operations Standing Committees for MWRD. Tom also recently retired from the Board of Directors for the Bancroft-Clover Water and Sanitation District in Lakewood. CO (2 terms), which serves over 65,000 customers.
Tom holds a B.S. (Resources Management/ Forestry) and M.S. (Hydrologic Sciences/Forest Influences) degrees from the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY. He holds a doctorate in Organizational Management /Leadership from the University of Phoenix with an emphasis/ dissertation on collaborative processes in the water resources field.
Tom’s focus over the past forty years has been in the areas of watershed hydrology, hydrologic modeling, advanced remote sensing technology regarding water/natural resources, and federal (Native American) water right negotiations. He has authored a variety of journal articles, research papers, and government reports on several aspects of the hydrologic and water sciences.
A “mustang” naval officer, Tom served in both the enlisted and officer ranks of the US Navy. He first served as a Cryptologic Technician and later as a Naval Intelligence Officer. Retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Commander, he specialized in the analysis of operational military intelligence including the analysis of gunrunning and drug trafficking activities. His last deployment was during the Gulf War.
Tom is an emeritus member of the American Institute of Hydrology, and a current member of the American Geophysical Union, the Western Snow Conference, the Explorers Club (National Fellow) and the Military Officers Association of America. He is also associated several volunteer organizations such as the Colorado Civil Air Patrol (Pilot/Crew retired), and the US Coast Guard Auxiliary (Marine Safety and Environmental Protection/Advanced Learning) and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
One of Tom’s passions is music – he is a mandolinist with the Denver Mandolin Orchestra, played bass and mandolin for the Bluegrass Bandwagon, and mandolin/fiddle for the Retrograss jam band. Tom also played bagpipes with Michael Collins Pipes and Drums (former member), is a member of the US Coast Guard Pipe Band, and was a piper for the British Embassy while stationed in Panama with the US Navy. Tom and his wife Anita have two children and three grandchildren. They reside in Lakewood, CO.
Research Interests
Tom's focus over the past thirty years has been in the areas of watershed hydrology, hydrologic and hydro-meteorologic modeling, remote sensing technology with regard to water resources, and federal water right negotiations. He has authored a variety of journal articles, research papers, and government reports on several aspects of the hydrologic sciences.
Teaching Interests
I believe in bringing "reality" to the classroom by using personal and professional examples as well as current events. I believe this practice will make the student better prepared for entering the "real world" workforce in their chosen career.
Office Hours
Monday - [2:00 to 3:00 PM]
Wednesday - [2:00 to 3:00 PM]