Distinguished Professor Emeritus Ronald A. Hites was a preeminent environmental chemist whose career spanned over four decades at Indiana University Bloomington. He joined the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the Chemistry Department in 1979 after completing fifteen years of research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he also earned his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry in 1968 following undergraduate studies at Oakland University. As Director of the Hites Laboratory, he established himself as a leading authority on the analysis of environmental contaminants using advanced mass spectrometry techniques. Born Ronald Atlee Hites, he passed away peacefully at his Bloomington, Indiana home on January 5, 2024 at the age of 81, concluding a remarkable scientific journey that began with his foundational work in analytical chemistry.
Professor Hites pioneered innovative methodologies for detecting and analyzing trace levels of toxic organic pollutants in environmental systems, with particular focus on polybrominated flame retardants, polychlorinated biphenyls, and organochlorine pesticides. His groundbreaking research utilized sophisticated mass spectrometry approaches to quantify contaminants in the Great Lakes basin and study their atmospheric transport throughout the environment. Throughout his prolific career, he authored six influential books and nearly 500 scientific papers that have shaped environmental analytical chemistry worldwide. His laboratory trained approximately 90 post-doctoral associates and graduate students, many of whom have become leaders in environmental science. His final scholarly contribution, published posthumously, provided a comprehensive analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls across four iconic American contamination sites, demonstrating his enduring commitment to environmental understanding.
A Fellow of the American Chemical Society, the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Hites received numerous prestigious honors including the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association for Great Lakes Research and the 1991 Award for Creative Advances in Environmental Science and Technology. He founded the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry and served as President of both the International Association for Great Lakes Research in 2010 and the American Society for Mass Spectrometry from 1989 to 1991. The Ron Hites Prize in Environmental Science, established in 2021, continues to honor researchers whose work exemplifies his rigorous approach to environmental challenges. His legacy endures through his extensive scholarly contributions, the scientists he mentored, and the ongoing application of his analytical methods to contemporary environmental issues worldwide.
