The InterActions Collaboration recently announced the winners of its 2015 Physics Photowalk Competiton. Two submissions from the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL), first-time participants of this global competition, were amongst the top photos in the two competition categories -- the Jury Category and the People’s Choice Category.
The 2015 Physics Photowalk saw eight physics research laboratories from across the world give rare behind-the-scenes access to take pictures in areas seldom open to the public. Each lab submitted their three top choices from the locally-hosted events.
Mark Killmer’s photograph featuring Dr Phillip Urquijo working at the temporary laboratory set up in the Stawell Gold Mine has won the Second Place in the Jury Category.
In the People’s Choice Category where over 3,800 photography enthusiasts voted online, First Place was awarded to Molly Patton’s photograph revealing an electric mining drill deep within the Stawell Gold Mine.
“There are so many high-quality submissions this year. The photographs from the SUPL Photowalk show how a laboratory is, in its very early stage. It’s great to see these images alongside photos from laboratories that have been around for years.” Professor Elisabetta Barberio, leader of SUPL Project and Chief Investigator of CoEPP said.
Mayor Cr Murray Emerson of the Northern Grampians Shire Council, where the SUPL project is based, said the Photowalk competition provided an excellent opportunity to showcase the new laboratory and the town. "The development of SUPL is a huge achievement for our town and we're very excited to see it coming to fruition and to have shared that excitement with people through the photowalk competition,"
SUPL, currently under construction, will be the only lab of its kind in Australia and is set to house the first ever direct-detection dark matter experiment in the southern hemisphere.
Photographs of the winners can be accessed at http://www.interactions.org/cms/?pid=1035363