image: Jefferson Lab’s Fall for Science Virtual Field Trip Event was awarded the highest honor – a Bronze Anvil Award – in the Anvil Awards 2023 Website category. The full digital platform built to support the website and event was also honored with a Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation in the Digital Platform category. Jefferson Lab was awarded the Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for the Fall for Science Virtual Field Trip in the category of Events and Observances: Seven or Fewer Days. view more
Credit: DOE's Jefferson Lab
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – When the global pandemic put the kibosh on in-person events, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility sought alternatives for ensuring its world-class science and unique equipment remained accessible. These efforts culminated in the Fall for Science Virtual Field Trip Event, which rolled out a virtual tour experience, new website, and unique supporting materials. Now, the event has been recognized by the Public Relations Society of America with three Anvil Awards.
According to PRSA, the Anvils are the icon of the profession and the benchmark of high performance in public relations. Bronze Anvil Awards recognize outstanding public relations tactics that contribute to the success of overall programs or campaigns. Jefferson Lab’s Fall for Science Virtual Field Trip Event was awarded the highest honor – a Bronze Anvil Award – in the Website category. The full digital platform built to support the website and event was also honored with a Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation in the Digital Platform category.
The Silver Anvil Awards celebrate the best strategic public relations campaigns of the year. Jefferson Lab was awarded the Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for the Fall for Science Virtual Field Trip in the category of Events and Observances: Seven or Fewer Days.
“PRSA Anvil Awards recognize the best public relations tactics and campaigns of the year, and the highest standards of performance for the communications profession,” said Jefferson Lab Chief Communications Officer Lauren Hansen. “We are proud to be counted among this year’s Anvil Award winners.”
These three awards counted among the 38 Silver Anvil Awards, 21 Bronze Anvil Awards, 34 Awards of Excellence and 25 Awards of Commendation that were presented to institutions from across the U.S. for their public relations campaigns and tactics in New York City on June 8.
In November 2022, the Fall for Science Virtual Field Trip Event also was honored with Pinnacle Awards by the PRSA Hampton Roads Chapter. The event was lauded with Excellence Awards in the Digital Platform and the Events and Observances categories. The digital platform also received the coveted Best in Show award.
The Fall for Science Virtual Field Trip Event was developed to help the laboratory renew public engagement despite pandemic limitations. Pandemic site access restrictions curtailed the lab’s ability to engage the public in person effectively throughout 2020 and 2021. The facility’s biennial open house event was canceled, and on-site public tours and in-person STEM education programs were largely suspended.
The Fall for Science Virtual Field Trip Event brought the experience of a Jefferson Lab open house to the digital realm. It featured a live virtual tour behind the scenes of the lab’s incredible facilities, and it even allowed the audience to peek into areas that aren’t typically accessible. It enabled audience interaction with its experts through live Q&A sessions. And it provided downloadable activities that highlighted the lab’s science and technologies.
“This national recognition is for Jefferson Lab’s exemplary execution of the Fall for Science Virtual Field Trip, and creation of all the educational materials, videos, graphics, tours, photography, videography, and website design support that it required to execute the event and create a learning resource for teachers for many years to come,” said Hansen.
More than 20 Jefferson Lab staff members participated in planning and carrying out the Fall for Science Virtual Field trip Event.
“A typical open house would require hundreds of dedicated volunteers. We were able to carry out the virtual event with just a fraction of that number and at a fraction of the cost,” Hansen said. “We’re also proud that this event is now an invaluable resource for our neighbors, students and families to learn about the lab in the comfort of their homes and at their own pace.”
The Fall for Science Virtual Field Trip Event remains available to access in its entirety on the lab’s main website.
Further Reading
Fall for Science Virtual Field Trip Event
PRSA Announces Winners of 2023 Anvil Awards
PRSA Hampton Roads Chapter: Pinnacle Awards 2023
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Jefferson Science Associates, LLC, manages and operates the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, or Jefferson Lab, for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. JSA is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Southeastern Universities Research Association, Inc. (SURA).
DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science.