UL Research Institutes’ online safety science platform, Xplorlabs, has been awarded Tech & Learning’s Best of 2024 Award of Excellence in the Secondary Education category for its contributions to fire safety and STEM education.
The award, evaluated by a panel of education professionals, recognizes digital learning tools that have demonstrated effectiveness in supporting teachers and students over the past year.
Tech & Learning highlighted resources that have had a meaningful impact on classroom education.
Xplorlabs, launched in 2015, provides open-access digital learning materials based on UL Research Institutes’ fire safety and forensic research.
The platform features four educational pathways covering fire science, fire investigations, thermal runaway, and battery supply chains.
Xplorlabs is designed to bring real-world fire safety science into classrooms.
The platform aligns with Next Generation Science Standards and includes research lab footage, interactive digital content, hands-on investigations, and engineering challenges.
Kelly Keena, Ph.D., senior director of ULRI’s Office of Research Experiences & Education, said: “Xplorlabs is much more than an online education platform.
“For us, it has become a philosophy committed to empowering both students and educators.”
Keena explained that Xplorlabs provides students with exposure to real-world fire safety scenarios while offering teachers flexible resources and professional development opportunities, including workshops and an educator fellowship program.
The Xplorlabs Educator Fellowship, launched in 2023, has grown over the past two years.
The inaugural fellowship included 18 educators from five states, reaching 4,860 students.
The 2024-25 cohort has expanded to 30 fellows across eight states, projected to impact 8,100 students.
Beyond the fellowship, Xplorlabs facilitated 22 professional development workshops in 2024, engaging more than 250 educators.
These sessions, according to UL Research Institutes, indirectly benefited more than 68,000 students by integrating fire safety concepts into STEM learning.
In 2025, Xplorlabs will open its first permanent physical space at the Cobb County Safety Village in metro Atlanta.
The facility, one of 23 safety villages in the United States, provides interactive fire safety education for children.
The new UL Research Institutes Interactive Classroom will host Xplorlabs workshops for students and educators.
Topics will include lithium-ion battery hazards, fire protection systems, and fire forensics. The classroom is set to open in fall 2025.
UL Research Institutes’ Xplorlabs platform has been awarded Tech & Learning’s Best of 2024 Award of Excellence in the Secondary Education category for its contributions to fire safety education.
The award recognizes digital learning tools that have positively influenced teaching and learning.
Xplorlabs provides interactive fire safety education, incorporating real-world research on fire investigations, fire protection systems, and energy storage.
The platform includes digital lessons, hands-on investigations, and professional development for teachers.
Since 2023, the Xplorlabs Educator Fellowship has expanded to 30 educators, reaching more than 8,000 students.
In 2024, Xplorlabs also hosted professional development workshops impacting over 68,000 students.
In 2025, Xplorlabs will open its first physical classroom at the Cobb County Safety Village in metro Atlanta.
The facility will provide hands-on fire safety workshops for students and educators.
