Laboratory Training Facility – Virtual Tour

Laboratory scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia can receive hands-on training at CDC’s Laboratory Training Facility (LTF). The LTF is used to deliver biosafety level-2, -3, and -4 training, conduct personal protective equipment training, facilitate emergency response drills, and provide laboratory inspection and audit training in a realistic laboratory environment in the absence of pathogens. Furthermore, the LTF’s dedicated decontamination space supports research, training, and procedure development for laboratory and equipment fumigation techniques.

The Office of Laboratory Science and Safety (OLSS) launched the LTF in 2019 with the goal of ensuring that responsibilities and facilities for laboratory safety training are in-house and centralized. When the COVID pandemic eliminated the ability to conduct in-person laboratory tours, OLSS realized there was a need to showcase the LTF’s capabilities using virtual options that enabled a person to experience the LTF remotely. An OLSS web platform had photos of the facility available to those interested in seeing the space although the photos were not as compelling as a tour.

Based on this need, C² Technologies, Inc., WebMD/Medscape, and OLSS partnered to create the Laboratory Training Facility Virtual Tour. This tour was created from 360 degree photos of each area within the LTF that were then stitched together to form a fluid “walking tour” of the facility. The viewer can control where they navigate in the facility, and a “mini-map” appearing in the top right corner helps orient the viewer to their location within the LTF.

Phase one of the tour introduces a virtual touring experience to the CDC workforce. This allows OLSS to reach more staff than previously reached through in-person tours, opening the aperture for how the LTF can be used to increase training, safety, and security in CDC laboratories.

Phase two of the tour is in its planning stages now. Phase two will add videos of equipment being used, information about the historical use of this facility, and other interactive elements.