Dr. Welker earned his bachelors and masters degrees at the University of Idaho and taught there for a year before going on to earn his doctorate in 1965 at the University of Oklahoma.  During that time he was a group leader and section head at Oil Recovery Corporation, where he directed work on secondary and tertiary methods of oil recovery. From 1965 to 1974 he was a research engineer and associate director of the Flame Dynamics Laboratory at the University of Oklahoma Research Institute. Welker’s research included areas of fundamental fire behavior, ignition of solid materials, and heat transfer from fires.  From 1965 to 1977 he was also a project director and vice president of University Engineers, Inc., where he directed research on fire extinguishment, fire control, and vapor dispersion, and consulted with industry and government on a variety of fire safety problems. Welker became president of Applied Technology Corp., a research and consulting company, in 1977.  There he directed the design of liquefied natural gas fire protection and safety systems for peak shaving and base load terminals in the United States and abroad.  He also directed research on fire control and extinguishment for liquefied gases and hazardous chemicals. Welker became a professor at the University of Arkansas in 1983.  Because of his experience, he saw a real need to provide safety education in the undergraduate curriculum.  He worked with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the National Science Foundation as a contractor to provide undergraduate educational materials.  He presented seminars on process safety at dozens of chemical engineering departments under AIChE and NSF sponsorship.  Welker has been a member of AIChE’s Safety and Chemical Engineering Education committee since its inception.Reed also served on panels and committees of the National Academy of Sciences and on the editorial boards of technical journals.  He is a member of several professional societies and is a registered professional engineer. 

Arkansas Academy of Chemical Engineers, Honorary Member, 2010.

Dr. Welker passed away October 25, 2011. He will be missed.