The 2025-2026 Xplorlabs Educator Fellowship

UL Research Institutes’ Office of Research Experiences & Education believes that scientific inquiry in the context of real-world phenomena builds the foundation for a safer, more sustainable future where people are equipped with the knowledge and skills to think critically about the world around them.

The Xplorlabs Educator Fellowship provides professional learning experiences with peers and leaders in education as well as UL Research Institutes’ safety science experts. It is a yearlong program (May 2025-May 2026) with an active cohort of secondary classroom and informal educators from across the country.

Program Benefits 

• Fellows will receive a $2,500 honorarium in recognition of their expertise, time commitments, and dedication to innovating their educational space. This gift will be awarded as two installments in summer 2025 and spring 2026.
• Participate in the Annual Fellows Summit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (June 23-26, 2025) to explore teaching and learning strategies used in Xplorlabs, and your own role as an expert in safety science education. Fellows will also gain firsthand experience with technological innovations at Penn Engineering’s GRASP Laboratory.
• Join us at NSTA’s Spring 2026 Conference on Science and STEM Education to attend professional development sessions and collaborate with fellows from across the country. This conference typically occurs in March. Exact dates and location to be announced fall 2025. Conference registration includes a 1-year NSTA membership.
• Learn about emerging safety science phenomena and supportive K-12 content knowledge from industry-leading scientists and researchers at ULRI.
• Collaborate with expert educators to further pedagogy and co-develop safety science lessons using Xplorlabs.
• Invitation, and option to attend, the UL Research Institutes Annual Research Symposium in Washington, D.C. (July 21-24, 2025) to learn about ULRI’s research in safety science and expand your own content knowledge. 

What Makes this Program Unique? 

• Nationwide cohort: Build sustainable relationships with other educators and community stakeholders
• Access to leading-edge expertise: Learn about emerging safety science phenomena from industry-leading scientists and researchers at ULRI
• Focus on safety science phenomena: Explore phenomena, emerging technologies, and multidisciplinary challenges that impact safety in the 21st century — to engage students and teach your unique educational content
• Emphasize teaching strategies: Collaborate with educators to further pedagogy and co-develop lessons using Xplorlabs resources
• Fueling youth agency: Empower learners to investigate meaningful problems, imagine a safer world, and turn multidisciplinary knowledge into action

“Throughout the fellowship, I’ve connected with a cohort of educators from different backgrounds and teaching experiences. Together, we’ve committed to inspire our students through the investigation of safety science phenomena.”
-Xplorlabs Educator Fellow

Program Expectations & Key Dates   

• Wednesday, May 14, 6-7 p.m. CT: Virtual welcome meeting
• Monday, June 23-Thursday, June 26: Annual Fellows Summit at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia
• March 2026: NSTA’s Spring 2026 Conference on Science and STEM Education
• Monthly: Virtual meetings on the 2nd Wednesday of the month
• Engage in asynchronous work, averaging 1 hour/month (i.e., reflection, innovate lessons, reading, and other tasks relevant to the fellowship goals)
• Design, implement, reflect about, and finalize a lesson incorporating Xplorlabs resources

Click here to apply for the 2025-2026 Xplorlabs Educator Fellowship

Deadline to apply: Sunday April 6, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Pacific

The application can take up to an hour to complete. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance status by Friday, April 11, 2025.

Know someone who might be interested? Feel free to share this webpage with fellow educators!