A. Petrilli

Advances in information and communications technologies (ICTs) have given rise to innovative uses of web-based video tools for global communication, enhancing the impact of large research facilities,including their outreach and education programmes.As an example, the Virtual Visits programmes developed by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations at CERN, use videoconferencing to communicate with schools and remote events around the globe.The goal of these programmes is to enable the public, especially young people, to become engaged in and understand the field of particle physics through direct dialogue between ATLAS/CMS scientists and remote audiences.

Recent developments in science education policy and practice suggest that successful learning in the 21st century requires the horizontal connectedness across areas of knowledge by linking the arts and humanities with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.The rapidly increasing STEAM movement calls for arts integration into science teaching and learning to help school students develop skills that are necessary to thrive in an innovation economy.Education and outreach in high-energy physics are not an exception to these developments.This paper outlines a series of learning activities for students at secondary and tertiary level that use a cross-disciplinary approach to fostering creativity and imagination in physics education and outreach.