- Phone:
- (812) 855-9038
- Email:
- hitesr@indiana.edu
- Room Number:
- MSBII 320
- Areas of Interest:
- Applying organic analytical chemistry techniques to the analysis of trace levels of toxic pollutants, such as polybrominated flame retardants and polychlorinated biphenyls and pesticides, with a focus on understanding the behavior of these compounds in the atmosphere and in the Great Lakes
Education
- Ph.D., Analytical Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1968
- B.A., Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, 1964
Courses
- Computing for Environmental Scientist
- PCBs, Dioxins, and Flame Retardants
Biography
Distinguished Professor Emeritus Ronald Hites is an environmental chemist specializing in the behavior of potentially toxic organic compounds. He has been with O'Neill since 1979, following 15 years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received his doctorate in analytical chemistry.
Hites has published six books, close to 500 scientific papers, and he has supervised about 90 post-doctoral associates and graduate students. Current work with his research group involves the use of mass spectrometry to analyze trace levels of potentially toxic chemicals in the Great Lakes basin, including discontinued and alternative flame retardants, polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. He also studies the atmospheric transport of these chemicals throughout the environment.
Hites is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society, the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He received the 1993 Founders Award from the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry and the 1991 American Chemical Society Award for Creative Advances in Environmental Science and Technology. He has been an associate editor of Environmental Science and Technology since 1990. In 1988, Hites spearheaded the creation of the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) while serving as president of that society. The Ron Hites Award is given annually by ASMS for outstanding presentation of original research.
Highlights
- Lifetime Achievement Award, International Association for Great Lakes Research (2016)
- President, International Association for Great Lakes Research (2010)
- O'Neill Excellence in Teaching Award (2007)
- Associate Editor, Environmental Science and Technology (1990-present)
- Institute of Scientific Information, a Highly Cited Author in Environmental Science or Engineering
In the News
- "Persistence Pays Off In Studying Persistent Organic Pollutants," - Chemical & Engineering News, March 2, 2015
- "Now It's Air Pollution in St. Louis" - The Morning Sun, September 18, 2014
- "A Breath of Fireproof Air" - Washington Toxics Coalition, October 15, 2013
- "Chemicals Are With Us: Til Death Do We Part" - ecoRI News, August 6, 2013
- "Flame Retardants in Consumer Products are Linked to Health and Cognitive Problems" - The Washington Post, April 15, 2013
- "Tree Bark Shows Global Spread of Toxic Chemicals," - Voice of America, March 15, 2013
Selected Works
- “Spatial and seasonal distributions of current use pesticides (CUPs) in the atmospheric particle phase in the Great Lakes region,” (with S. Wang, A. Salamova, and M. Venier), Environmental Science & Technology, 52, 6177-6186 (2018);
- “Atmospheric concentrations of PCB-11 near the Great Lakes have not decreased since 2004,” Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 5, 131-135 (2018)
- “Atmospheric concentrations of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) diastereomers in the Great Lakes region,” (with O. Olukunle, M. Venier, and A. Salamova), Chemosphere, 200, 464-470 (2018)
- Umweltchemie: Eine Einführung mit Aufgaben und Lösungen, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, Germany, (with J. D. Raff and P. Wiesen (translator)). (German version of textbook: Elements of Environmental Chemistry, 2nd edition, 2012) (2017)
- “Updated polychlorinated biphenyl mass budget for Lake Michigan,” (with M.Venier, J. Guo, K. Romanak, S. Westenbroek, A. Li, and R.G. Kreis, Jr.), Environmental Science and Technology, 51 (21 12455-12465 (2017)
- “Current-use flame retardants in the water of Lake Michigan tributaries,” (with J. Guo, K. Romanak, S. Westenbroek, and M. Venier), Environmental Science & Technology, 51, 9960-9969 (2017)
- “Bioaccumulation of dechloranes, organophosphate esters, and other flame retardants in Great Lakes fish,” (with J. Guo, M. Venier, and A. Salamova), Science of the Total Environment, 583, 1-9 (2017)