Chemical Engineering's Peachee Recognized as College of Engineering Staff Employee of Quarter

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Dearl "Peach" Peachee

The College of Engineering is pleased to announce that Dearl "Peach" Peachee is the College of Engineering Staff Employee of the Quarter for the second quarter. He is the master scientific research technician for the Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering. 

Peachee's work, which includes being the machinist and carpenter for the department, supports faulty research, undergraduate teaching labs and an array of department projects. Multiple nominators recognized him for his work ethic, quality of work and the positive energy he brings to the department.

In his nomination letter, University Professor Ed Clausen remarked that he had "never seen a more dedicated employee who was so easy to interact with." This quality stands out to Clausen and others, considering the varied way that projects are brought to Peachee. Time and again, those projects turn out exceptionally. Clausen recalled how Peachee once designed and built one new lab experiment based entirely on a single phone call. He also produced the "Cadillac version" of another lab experiment more adaptive to the lab's needs than expected, Clausen wrote.

Peachee lends his expertise to the undergraduate students working on the AIChE Chem E Car project. Instructor Karen Beitle highlighted how Peachee contributes to the students' success.

"Peach goes a step further by teaching students about the manufacturing of the parts and helping them to improve their design," all while creating "a positive learning experience." 

Tom Smith, the Robert E. "Buddy" Babcock Professor of Practice, also spoke to Peachee's contributions to the undergraduate experience by focusing on two recent honors experiments. Smith emphasized how Peachee "welcomes opportunities to let the students do as much as possible so that they learn new skills and extend their capabilities" when it comes to their projects' design, modification and assembly. He added that Peachee's "approachable and helpful attitude is a great benefit to myself, my students and the overall teaching mission."

Praising Peachee as "irreplaceable," Bob Beitle, professor and senior associate vice chancellor for research and innovation, considers him to be "more than willing to do whatever is in his power to make something work." The results Peachee delivers often extend past the initial goal. Beitle noted that Peachee's "recent contribution to an industrial project not only insured the successful completion of the sponsored work, it also aided in developing a new educational opportunity." 

Within the department, Peachee is known for taking on all jobs, big or small. "He looks out for the rest of us and has a great attitude!" shared Heather Walker, teaching assistant professor and associate department head.

Emphasizing the reach that Peachee's work has throughout the department, Keisha B. Walters, professor and department head, described how his "proactive approach can be seen in all of his efforts, from equipment builds and repairs to designing new apparatus for the teaching labs, from helping graduate students spec out equipment to helping them learn how to identify bottlenecks in their workflow, and the list goes on and on."

"I cannot speak too highly of his dedication to the department, college and university. We are thankful to have him on our team," Walters said.

The college congratulates him on this well earned recognition!

About the Department of Chemical Engineering: Chemical engineering has been a part of the University of Arkansas curriculum since 1903. Today, the Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering has an enrollment of over 300 students in its undergraduate and graduate degree programs and houses five endowed chairs and eight endowed professorships to support its faculty. Faculty expertise includes cellular engineering, chemical process safety, advanced materials, and membrane separations. A wide range of fundamental and applied research is conducted in the areas of energy, health, sustainability, and computational chemical engineering. The department is also home to the Chemical Hazards Research Center and one of three national sites for the Membrane Science, Engineering, & Technology (MAST) Center. The Department of Chemical Engineering is named for alumnus Ralph E. Martin (B.S.Ch.E.'58, M.S.Ch.E.'60) in recognition of his 2005 endowment gift.