The Great Lakes Region of The American Chemical Society honored Illinois chemistry alumna Lydia E. Moissides-Hines (M.S., ’69; Ph.D., ’71, Applequist) with the inaugural 2025 Martin Rudd Mentoring Award sponsored through the American Chemical Society Great Lakes Region.
A retired chemistry lecturer from Western Michigan University, Moissides-Hines is described by one of her nominators as a “force of nature when it comes to the education, promotion and proliferation of chemistry in the counties surrounding Kalamazoo, Michigan.” Hines has been very active with ACS for nearly 60 years during her teaching career and beyond. She has devoted more than 45 years as a volunteer, bringing interactive science experiments to classrooms and mentoring college chemistry clubs, ACS chapter colleagues, and chemistry students in Southwest Michigan, primarily in Kalamazoo, where she is known as the “face of chemistry.”
Moissides-Hines said it was an honor to receive the inaugural Martin Rudd Mentoring Award. She also said that she is thankful to have had the late professor Douglas E. Applequist as her PI at the University of Illinois.
The Martin Rudd Mentoring Award was established in June 2025 at the Great Lakes Regional Meeting in Appleton, Wisconsin. The members inaugurated the regional mentorship award in honor of Dr. Martin Rudd, a well-respected chemistry faculty member and mentor at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh who died suddenly and unexpectedly.
Brian M. Eklov, President and CEO of Dipharma Inc. and former postdoc in the Denmark Lab at Illinois, wrote a nomination letter supporting Moissides-Hines for the Martin Rudd award. Eklov wrote that she has been the cornerstone of their section for the last 45 years, holding numerous positions within the Local, Regional, and National ACS governance.
“Most importantly, she has been our councilor for decades,” Eklov wrote. “Throughout the time I have known Lydia, I have witnessed her mentor every new Local Section leader, myself included. Her unwavering commitment to guiding and mentoring our Local Section leaders explains why our small section has been active and productive over decades. Without her guidance I highly doubt that I would still be involved with the Society.”
Another nominator, Bradford P. Portis, said Moissides-Hines works incessantly and enthusiastically in myriad ways.
“But it is her personality and her ability to guide and influence others that produce such an incredible and sustaining impact on those around her,” Portis wrote. “Lydia believes in preparing students to learn and work for long-term success. Many of her students have gone on to further their studies in Pharmacy school, Medical school and even graduate work in Chemistry. She still finds herself working with current college students by providing them with materials and activities to use in schools as they present to younger students. A mentor will inspire, instruct, present a pathway and then guide the mentee along the way. Lidia Hines has certainly done this.”
In 2020, in recognition of outstanding achievements that improve public recognition and appreciation for the field of chemistry, the American Chemical Society selected Moissides-Hines as the recipient of the 2020 Helen M. Free Award for Public Outreach.