Sharing Xplorlabs’ Safety Science Workshops with Chicago Teachers

Our Office of Research Experiences & Education (OREE) partnered with Northwestern University for a workshop series that helped connect teachers from Chicago Public Schools to safety science education by sharing Xplorlabs’ Science of Thermal Runaway, Science of Fire Forensics, and Science of Extraction to E-Waste pathways.

From March through May 2024, the OREE education team partnered with Northwestern University’s Baxter Center for Science Education to share these Xplorlabs pathways through interactive workshops for middle and high school teachers from Chicago Public Schools. Providing accessible and inclusive opportunities for educators to share the science of safety is a key focus for OREE — and the online education platform, Xplorlabs, is just one of the many ways the office is doing so.

The Baxter Center provides a variety of professional learning opportunities for high school educators, including free workshops to build lab skills, earn professional development credits, and connect with other local educators. The OREE-led workshop series offered Baxter a rare opportunity to extend its offerings to middle school educators.

The three sessions were well received, with dozens of Chicago-area educators in attendance, and even a middle school student joined the thermal runaway session. Teachers who attended the sessions walked away with the skills they need to lead the Xplorlabs sessions in their own classrooms.

OREE’s education team is made up of former teachers and education experts who are able to tailor the workshops and Xplorlabs content for optimal student engagement and ease of use for educators. Reach out to our safety science experts to request a workshop by emailing ULRI.Xplorlabs@ul.org.