John Stapko is a laboratory technician at the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), part of UL Research Institutes and joined ULRI in July of 2023.  He primarily assists in the materials lab measuring characteristics of materials to improve accuracy of fire modeling.  John graduated from Howard Community College (HCC) in 2019 with a Professional Certificate in electronics technology.  While at HCC, John also studied engineering and worked as a Laboratory Assistant in both the engineering and technology departments.  John’s technological background and interests includes decades as a hobbyist studying and working on projects in fields ranging from steam power to vacuum electron devices.  Prior to joining UL, John was with UPS for almost 24 years.