About PEACH

The Public Service, Emergency Action, & Community Development Hub (PEACH) was established with support from the Seed Grant and the Teaching Innovation Award from the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions at Arizona State University, as well as support from Hainan University.

PEACH is a shared academic resource within the Hainan University–Arizona State University International College (HAIC), designed to benefit both its members and the wider community. It provides tools, facilities, and training that support scientific research projects, evidence-informed teaching, and student development.

PEACH’s mission is to support rigorous and impactful work that elevates public service performance, advances community resource development, and improves emergency management practices. It also serves as a dynamic platform for faculty and students to connect with local communities and participate in real-world projects that address urgent societal challenges.

PEACH offers two primary functions:

  • Research Support Hub: PEACH provides comprehensive support to HAIC faculty and students in advancing their scholarly work. It offers a noise-canceled, controlled environment suitable for both quantitative and qualitative research, enabling high-quality data collection and precise measurement. PEACH also provides technical, teaching, and administrative support, including guidance on IRB applications, assistance with study design, and training in the use of biometric measurement devices.

Noise-cancelled, controlled environment

Eye-tracking and biometric measurement devices

Electroencephalogram (EEG) devices

  • Outreach and Student Internships: PEACH builds connections with local communities, creating internship opportunities for students to engage with street-level public service. These experiences allow students to observe how public services are delivered and how policies are implemented in practice. Such partnerships also foster research collaboration opportunities, enabling faculty and students to work with local partners on issues relevant to public administration and community development.

Student Internship Program in Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing, China

Q & A

1. How can I book and use the PEACH space?

Access to the PEACH space is managed through a reservation system overseen by the PEACH research assistants. No user has special privileges, and access is granted equally to all. Specifically:

  • The reservation system operates on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Reservations for prioritized research activities can be made up to 30 days in advance. Researchers may reserve the entire space for consecutive days for these activities.
  • To qualify as a prioritized research activity:
      • The project may be quantitative or qualitative.
      • It is recommended that the project requires the use of specialized equipment or software that would make it difficult to conduct elsewhere.
      • The principal investigator (PI) may be a faculty member or a student.
      • The PI must provide the project title, a brief description, and, IRB information.
  • Students can reserve PEACH computers for individual use, with reservations available 1 day in advance.
  • Students may also use available computers on a walk-in basis if they are not reserved.

Operating hours will be determined based on the personnel availability. Requests for access outside regular hours should be coordinated with lab staff and assistants in advance.

The reservation system will begin in Spring 2026. If you want to book the facilities in Fall 2025, please contact Dr. Ivan Lee: ivan.lee@asu.edu.

2. Are there any job opportunities?

Yes, PEACH is hiring 3 to 5 student staff members:

  • One PEACH Research Assistant – Responsible for the daily operation of the PEACH space.
  • Two to Four Student Interviewers – Visits sub-district offices and helps conduct the study titled “A Lab-in-the-Field Experiment on Within-Rule Prosocial Initiative Among Street-Level Bureaucrats.” (in collaboration with the University of Macau).

More information about the job opportunities will be announced soon.

3. What are the current projects?

PEACH has multiple ongoing and upcoming projects involving both faculty and students. Current projects include:

  • Lee, Ivan P., Mary Feeney, *Rui Long, *Shiqi Wang, and *Ke Xu. “Gendered Language and Imagery
    in Public Service Announcements: An Eye-Tracking Study.”
  • Lee, Ivan P., Bo Wen, *Zhiwei Fu, and *Siyi Guo. “A Lab-in-the-Field Experiment on Within-Rule
    Prosocial Initiative Among Street-Level Bureaucrats.” (collaborating with the University of Macau)
  • Lee, Ivan P., *Bingjie Hao, *Xiaoran Tian, *Yanjin Wang, and *Siqi Zheng. “Emotional Framing
    and Visual Attention in Food Safety Information: An Eye-Tracking Study.”
  • Lee, Ivan P., *Angie Xiaohui Xie, *Yijun Bai, *Rui Jiang, and *Jiawen Zhu. “Can Influencer Endorsements
    Backfire? The Impact of Contradictions Between Social Media Influencers and Traditional
    Review Platforms on Restaurant Choices.”

*Student Contributors

If you are interested in collaborating, please reach out to Dr. Ivan Lee: ivan.lee@asu.edu

4. What is the address of PEACH?

PEACH is located at the Hainan University–Arizona State University International College (HAIC) on the Mission Hills Campus of Hainan University. It is situated in:

Rm102, Academic Building 3, Mission Hills Campus of Hainan University, No. 52 Yangshan Ave, Longhua District, Haikou, China