VIA Discussions at XIV Bled Workshop

TL;DR

VIA is a versatile e-science and e-learning platform supporting remote collaboration, education, and scientific discussions in astroparticle physics, demonstrated effectively during the XIV Bled Workshop.

Contribution

This paper presents the VIA virtual platform's capabilities and its successful application in facilitating remote scientific discussions and education in astroparticle physics.

Findings

VIA supports various forms of remote scientific activities.

VIA demonstrated high stability with minimal equipment.

VIA enabled effective worldwide participation in physics discussions.

Abstract

Virtual Institute of Astroparticle Physics (VIA), integrated in the structure of Laboratory of AstroParticle physics and Cosmology (APC) is evolved in a unique multi-functional complex of $e-science$ and $e-learning$, supporting various forms of collaborative scientific work as well as programs of education at distance. The activity of VIA takes place on its website and includes regular videoconferences with systematic basic courses and lectures on various issues of astroparticle physics, regular online transmission of APC Colloquiums, participation at distance in various scientific meetings and conferences, library of their records and presentations, a multilingual Forum. VIA virtual rooms are open for meetings of scientific groups and for individual work of supervisors with their students. The format of a VIA videoconferences was effectively used in the program of XIV Bled Workshop to provide a world-wide participation at distance in discussion of the open questions of physics beyond the standard model. The VIA system has demonstrated its high quality and stability even for minimal equipment (laptop with microphone and webcam and WiFi Internet connection).