Cobb's Safety Village celebrates the groundbreaking of a new interactive classroom

MARIETTA, GA. - UL Research Institutes' Office of Research Experiences & Education and leaders of Cobb's Safety Village broke ground on the ULRI Interactive Classroom at the Cobb County Safety Village. Once completed, this classroom will help local middle and high school students understand real-world safety phenomena such as fire dynamics and forensics, fire safety, thermal runaway, and lithium-ion battery extraction and recycling.

As one of just 23 safety villages in the United States and the only one in Georgia, the Cobb County Safety Village teaches participants how to react when faced with dangerous situations. The 8-acre village includes reduced-scale buildings, streets, sidewalks, railroad crossings, and traffic signals representing a real community. Each building and the campus as a whole serve a particular safety teaching purpose, allowing children and families to learn about pedestrian and bicycle safety, fire and water safety, car seat safety, and more.

The ULRI Interactive Classroom will teach educators and students about safety science phenomena and how to solve real-world issues through science using Xplorlabs.org. Based on the latest world-class safety research from ULRI's research institutes, this no-cost educational platform features Next Generation Science Standards-based pathways and resources for middle and high school students developed by education experts and former teachers in ULRI's Office of Research Experiences & Education.

In metro Atlanta, Xplorlabs has been integrated into STEM classrooms across four school districts in collaboration with four local fire departments, including a partnership launched in 2018 with Cobb County School District and Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services.

"UL Research Institutes is committed to educating future safety scientists," Charlotte Farmer, Ph.D., chief operating officer for ULRI, said during the groundbreaking. "This new classroom will serve as a physical reminder of the impact we've seen in bringing safety science education into local classrooms here in this community. It's also a symbol of our dedication to shaping the next generation who will further ULRI's leading-edge research for decades to come."

"Xplorlabs brings real-world scenarios into the classroom, ranging from how fires start and how fire sprinklers are activated to how our cellphone batteries are created and recycled, and the importance of properly caring for lithium-ion batteries. In doing so, students can better understand both science and safety," said Kelly Keena, Ph.D., senior director of ULRI's Office of Research Experiences & Education. "As a result, we not only see growing interest in STEM and safety science careers, but also greater student understanding of how to make safer decisions every day."

"The Cobb County Safety Village Foundation and UL Research Institutes' Office of Research Experiences & Education share a belief that education is key to reducing risk and protecting communities," said Allison Carter, director of the Cobb County Safety Village. "By bringing the ULRI Interactive Classroom and Xplorlabs to our Safety Village, we'll be able to expand our educational efforts beyond elementary students to middle and high school ages."

The classroom, expected to open in 2025, will host Xplorlabs workshops and hands-on investigations for community educators, teachers, and students and will be part of Safety Village community days.