The ATLAS Virtual Visits project was awarded "Best Online Event" at the Digital Communication Awards 2012 in Berlin, Germany, last week. More than 500 international communication projects competed for 36 awards for excellence in online communication. ATLAS Virtual Visits was shortlisted alongside major corporations using professional advertising agencies.
"Credit for the award belongs to all the ATLAS outreachers who organized visits for masterclasses, local schools, institutes and events, as well as those who acted as hosts in the control room," says ATLAS Outreach & Education coordinator Steven Goldfarb. "The number of requests for visits is steadily increasing, supporting our key goal of bringing the excitement of LHC research to students and the general public."
During a virtual visit, participants use web-based video conferencing tools to talk with an ATLAS physicist, receive a tour of the control room, and get answers to their questions. Past and future visits are listed here. Next up include Research Nights in the UK, Poland and Italy, as well as several visits to Brazil.