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Department of Biology (Sci. Bldg. 301) Division of Natural Science University of Guam, UOG Station Mangilao, Guam, 96923 trighetti@uguam.uog.edu Phone: 671-735-2797 1) Data Analysis in Biology and Ecology 2)  Vertebrate Physiology 3)  Factors Influencing Student Success   Human Anatomy and Physiology, Introductory Biology, Introductory Biology Laboratory, Introductory Statistics

Biographical Sketch

Tim Righetti came to the University of Guam in August, 2010. During the previous 10-years, Tim spent about one-third of his time overseas, building graduate student linkages between Oregon State University and emerging foreign research institutions. Although he thoroughly enjoyed his 27 years (20 as a full professor) at OSU working in an applied Department of Horticulture, he is now pursuing a new adventure. He enjoyed a sabbatical leave teaching introductory biology and undergraduate statistics at Juniata College during the 2008-2009 academic year. This experience inspired him to think about a second career working in a more basic science. He is truly excited about moving to Guam to work on the evolving development of a hands-on, laboratory-intense, research-oriented undergraduate degree program in Biology. This interest also includes efforts to enhance UOG graduate education programs.

Tim sees some similarities between the UOG and emerging foreign research institutions. As the UOG moves toward developing a larger research presence, he is convinced that developing multiple-institutional, graduate student research and education programs that utilize prominent internationally-known, co-advisors, is a key component to our future success. An innovative graduate program that includes virtual conferencing, coordination, editing and educational components will move the UOG toward becoming a key player in island ecology and island sustainability research. Tim is the PI on a $274,500 NSF UOG EPSCoR Planning Grant and is heavily involved with the UOG team that will submit a multi-year, multi-million dollar Track II NSF proposal in August 2013.

Dr. Righetti is also experiencing a rare opportunity to teach and conduct research in a new discipline. Although many of his past and current colleagues think he is absolutely nuts, Tim is quite happy with the ongoing process as he works to morph an experienced soil scientist into a vertebrate physiologist. Tim has found teaching both lecture and laboratory sections for Human Anatomy and Physiology difficult, rewarding and fun. His second career goal is to become a tenured full professor at his new institution in a discipline completely different from his PhD training and OSU research experience.

At Oregon State University, Tim taught and conducted research on the mineral nutrition of plants with a surprisingly wide perspective. His PhD research and academic training was in soil ecology and land reclamation with an emphasis on nitrogen-fixing pioneer plants. While Director of the OSU Plant Analysis Laboratory, he became an expert in diagnosing mineral disorders on apple, pear and cherry trees and expanded his interests to include more intensive management of horticultural crops. He has applied remote sensing, GPS and barcode technologies to the tracking of fruit from production to market in an attempt to lessen environmental impacts of horticultural practice. Along the way he dabbled in using remote controlled airplanes and helium balloons to supplement satellite imagery.

Dr. Righetti combines basic research and applied science. He has published papers on thorny esoteric issues that involve the uses of ratios in biological research as well as the value of simple conjecture in trying to help growers make economic decisions. He has consulted for two of the largest agricultural businesses in the world (ConAgra in the U.S. and Hortifrut in Chile and Mexico). Tim is hopeful that his past experience in plant science and agriculture may enable him to look at scientific issues in vertebrate physiology from a different perspective.

Dr. Righetti is interested in novel teaching approaches (one quarter he taught a course to Horticulture graduate students titled "Is there life on Mars") and believes in taking real world experiences into the classroom. He has traveled extensively throughout the world as an entertaining and informative speaker and teacher. Tim has made approximately 25 short-term (1-5 months) professional visits to Albania, Argentina, Cambodia, Chile, Korea, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand and Yemen.

In addition to facilitating cooperative projects between OSU and foreign universities, Tim has worked hard to develop programs where graduate students conduct a portion of their thesis research in their home country. Usually accompanied by his wife and daughters when he works overseas, he is pleased that his family shares his enthusiasm for broad cultural experiences. He taught high school math and science at his daughter's Thai school when a teacher left unexpectedly.

Recently Dr. Righetti began to ponder about problems in the interpretation of biological research. He has noted inconsistencies in some standard methodologies and has intensely pursued an unpopular position on how things should be done differently. He approaches his research projects with the same enthusiasm that spills over into his personal life. He made the transition to "math geek" during long periods of undisturbed thought while building a large tree house out of ten foot logs from a dying cedar tree in his back yard. The tree house has become a source of neighborhood pride even though it obviously violates a host of building code regulations. Tim argues that the tree house is simply a rearrangement of a historic tree, and therefore entirely within the guidelines of the "historic" designation of the neighborhood where he lives. The wonderful two-story artistic structure is still in place eight years after construction without a single complaint to the city.

Dr. Righetti grew up in Southern California farming five acres and assisting his veterinarian father in his practice. He worked on open heart surgery, kidney transplant and neurosurgery teams during a short stint in the army at Walter Reed Army Hospital. While attending the University of Maryland he learned first hand about the importance of an outstanding teacher. He took a soils class that presented an intriguing mix of chemistry, biology, geology, microbiology and physics and changed his major from pre-med to soils with no regrets. He chuckles at the irony as he now teaches Human Anatomy and Physiology.

Professional Experience

Education:

B.S. in Agronomy/Soils, University of Maryland, magna cum laude, 1976
PhD in Soil Science, University of California, Davis, 1980

Professional Experience:

Associate Professor, University of Guam 2010-present.

Professor, Oregon State University, 1990-2010.
Director, Plant Analysis Laboratory Extension Program, OSU, 1983-1991.
Associate Professor, OSU, 1986-1990.
Assistant Professor, OSU, 1983-1986.
Assistant Professor, Arizona State University, 1980-1983.

Sabbatical Leave, Department of Biology, Juniata College, 2009.

Sabbatical Leave, Conagra-United Ag Products, 1999.

Sabbatical Leave, Various Private Companies, 1990.

Research Interest

Basic Research:
Develop, critique and improve current procedures of data analysis and statistical evaluation that are commonly used in agricultural, environmental and medical research. Tim is now interested in alternate approaches to the statistical analysis of ratios. Although recent publications are mostly confined to plant science journals, Tim is passionate about extending basic principles to general biology, ecology, medicine and environmental science.

Applied Research:
Much of Tim's past research concerned developing and improving diagnostic approaches to detect mineral disorders in both annual and perennial horticultural crops that emphasize both yield and quality. More recent agricultural emphasis was on using a combination of remote sensing and traditional ground-based procedures to improve the economic management of horticultural systems while minimizing adverse ecological impact. Tim is also interested in studying the factors associated with academic success.

Courses Taught

Dr. Righetti is a motivated teacher. He uses an interactive and discussion-based teaching style with real-life examples. At OSU, the average numeric scores for his teaching evaluations consistently average between the two highest categories that students can assign (very good and excellent). Depending on the scale used (1-5 or 1-6) evaluations are approximately 4.5 and 5.5 respectively for over 25 years of assessments. In addition to formal teaching, Tim has directed or co-directed 9 PhD and 13 MS graduate students while serving on over 50 graduate student committees.

Tim spent a one-year sabbatical leave at Juniata College, a small private liberal arts college that is nationally known for the academic rigor in its biology department. He wanted to experience something that would be different, difficult and stimulating. He taught five courses, four of which were completely outside his expertise. This craving to learn new things continues in his second career at UOG.

Righetti T.L., D. Dalthorp, D.R. Sandrock, J. Lambrinos, C. Phillips and B. Strik. 2012. Hidden Scaling confounds the interpretation of isotopic data. International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, 92(1): 1-27

Righetti, T.L., D.R. Sandrock, B. Strik, C. Vasconcelos, P. Banados, S. Ortega, Y. Moreno, and B. Guihong,. 2007. Analysis of ratio-based responses. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 132(1):3-13

Righetti, T.L., D.R. Sandrock, C. Vasconcelos, S. Ortega, and Y. Moreno. 2007. Assessments of CO₂ assimilation on a per leaf area basis are related to total leaf area.

J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 132(2):230-238

Righetti, T. L., D.R. Sandrock, B. Strik, and A. A. Azarenko. 2007. Appropriate analysis and interpretation approaches to determine fertilizer-derived N in plant tissues. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 132(3):429-436

Righetti, T. L., D.R. Sandrock, B. Strik, and P. Banados. 2007. Slope-based and ratio-based approaches to determine fertilizer-derived N in plant tissues for perennial plants. J. of Hort. Sci. and Biotech. 82(4):641-647

Cortell, J. M., M. Halbleib, A. V. Gallagher, T. L. Righetti, and J. A. Kennedy. 2007. Influence of vine vigor on grape anthocyanins 1. Anthocyanins concentration and composition in fruit. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(16) 6575-6584.

Cortell, J. M., M. Halbleib, A. V. Gallagher, T. L. Righetti, and J. A. Kennedy. 2007. Influence of vine vigor on grape anthocyanins 2. Anthocyanins and pigmented polymers in wine. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(16) 6585-6595.

Aynalem, H. M., T. L. Righetti, and B. M. Reed. 2006. Iron formulation affects in vitro storage of hops: An image analysis. In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology 42(5) 405-410.

Sandrock, D. R., T. L. Righetti, and A. N. Azarenko. 2005. Isotopic and nonisotopic estimation of nitrogen efficiency in container-grown woody ornamentals. HortScience 40(3):665-669.

Cortell, J. M., M. Halbleib, A. V. Gallagher, T. L. Righetti, and J. A. Kennedy. 2005. Influence of vine vigor on grape (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Pinot noir) and wine proanthocyanidins. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 53(14):5798-5808.

Righetti, T. L. 2000. Pursuing precision horticulture with the INTERNET and a spreadsheet. Hort.Tech. 10(3):458-467.

Harris, N. R., D. E. Johnson, T. L. Righetti, and M. R. Borrington, 1996. A blimp borne camera system for monitoring rangelands, riparian zones, or critical areas. Geocarto International, 2(3):99-104.

Sanchez, E. E., H. Khemira, D. Sugar, and T. L. Righetti. 1995. Nitrogen management in orchards. In: Nitrogen Fertilization and the Environment. P. Bacon (ed.). Marcel Dekker, Inc. pp. 327-380.

Kyle, N. E. and T. L. Righetti. 1995. Observations of shoots and roots from interspecific grafted rosaceous shrubs. J. Range Mgt. 49(4):350-354

Sugar, D., T. L. Righetti, E. E. Sanchez, and H. Khemira. 1992. Management of N and Ca in pear trees for enhancement of fruit resistance to postharvest decay. Hort. Tech. 2(3):382-387.

Righetti, T. L. and K. L. Wilder. 1991. Using tissue mineral analysis in orchards. In: Soil Testing and Plant Analysis. R. Westerman (ed.). Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Madison, WI. pp. 563-601.

Kyle, N. E., J. Jakobek, R. A. Backhaus, J. C. Stutz, and T. L. Righetti. 1986. Micrografting between Nfixing and nonNfixing genera of the Rosaceae. Bot. Gazette 147(3):243-246.

Righetti, T. L. and D. Munns. 1980. Nodulation and nitrogen fixation in cliffrose (Cowania mexicana var. stansburiana Torr. Jeps.). Plant Physiol. 54:411-412

Major Competitive Grants

Dr. Righetti has generated approximately $1,200,000 in research funds that are unrelated to international activities. The following list consists of research grant titles that reflect his major research interests. Most of his resent research effort focuses on collaboration with colleagues. Since data collection exceeds data interpretation by several orders of magnitude and access to research data is becoming easier, there has been ample opportunity to be creative without being as intimately involved in data collection and grant management. This-being-said, now that Tim is spending more time at a single location, he expects to be more active in pursuing competitive grants.

Nutritional efficiency in Rosaceae. National Science Foundation 1984-1986 $180,000 (principle investigator)

The feasibility of host range expansion in nitrogen fixing non-legumes. National Science Foundation 1982-1984 $63,000 (principle investigator)

Measuring N fixation and N cycling in pure and mixed red alder stands using ¹⁵N. National Science Foundation 1992-1995 $180,000 (co-investigator with David D. Myrold and David E. Hibbs)

Protocols for automated on-farm sustainable grass seed research. USDA Center for Sustainable Grass Seed Research. 1999-2001 $30,000 (principle investigator)

Orchard management programs to enhance profit and minimize groundwater pollution. Strategic Water Management EPA/Oregon DEQ 1992-1993 $35,556 (principle investigator)

Precision agriculture in apples and pears. USDA IFFAS subcontract to the University of Florida 2001-2004 $89,000 (co-investigator with Clark Seavert)

Orchard floor management practices for improving soil quality and optimizing nitrogen uptake efficiency. USDA SARE 2001- 2004 $130,330 (co-investigator with Anita Azarenko)

University of Guam NSF EPSCoR Planning Grant. Oct 2012 - August 2013 $274,500 (co-investigators Jason Biggs and John Peterson).

International Activities

Dr. Righetti has participated in numerous short-term (1-5 months) professional assignments to various countries (Albania, Argentina, Cambodia, Chile, Korea, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand, Yemen) as part of cooperative OSU programs. Duties have varied from being team leader on an OSU assessment of Albanian educational institutions to agricultural development consulting in Pakistan for the World Bank. Sponsors include USDA, AID, FAO, IAEA, Fulbright Program, Royal Thailand Research Fund and World Bank.

Awards

Tim is most proud of the following award recognitions:

Fulbright Lecturer in Thailand, 2000

Registry of Distinguished Teachers, College of Agriculture, Oregon State University, 1992

Favorite Instructor, Environmental Resources in Agriculture, Arizona State University. 1983