Session K34: Quantum Computing, Education, and Information

Teaching Introductory Quantum Engineering to Science and Engineering Students with Diverse Educational Backgrounds

Quantum Information and Science Engineering (QISE) is an emerging field, requiring the training of a future workforce with proficiencies in the building and operation of quantum machines. This workforce will be composed of multidisciplinary students, creating a pedagogical difficulty for a single-semester course with diverse student backgrounds. We employ an approach to teaching an Introduction to Quantum Engineering which favors an audience less trained in the traditional physics formalisms for quantum; an attempt to make the important quantum phenomena more digestible. While our pilot course was composed of students from sophomore year up to graduate school, and from various STEM fields, it informs primarily the lower-level limits of what future courses can be offered in QISE. We employed a pictorial representation of quantum gates, creating an approachable abstraction of concepts like superposition and entanglement, which served to teach students the operations that a quantum computer may perform while forgoing the cognitive difficulties of linear algebra. Moreover, this allowed the discussions to include the coding of quantum computers using cloud-based platforms (i.e., IBM Quantum Composer). It is possible to create variations of the course which may serve students at differing levels of education, and the courses will best be complemented by the inclusion of lab-like exercises involving the implementation of these fundamental concepts and quantum algorithms in quantum simulators.   

Exposing students to various STEM concepts using open-source tools for quantum computation

Quantum computation is highly interdisciplinary, and draws from concepts in linear algebra, computer science, physics, electrical engineering, and materials science, among many others. In this talk, we present open-source tools for demonstrating quantum computation, giving students hands-on tools to iterate rapidly. Coupled with the appropriate tutorials, these tools provide exposure to the many interdisciplinary concepts arising in quantum computation, and provide a powerful way for introducing students at levels ranging from high school to university. We present some examples of these tools used to expose students to such concepts, and discuss how they can be integrated into existing curricula.   

Portable Nitrogen-Vacancy Center-Based Quantum Demonstrator

The quantum revolution is here and making quantum technology accessible to a wider audience is the need of the hour. This work is a step towards building a portable quantum demonstrator so that end users can run their own quantum experiments. To achieve this, we leverage the Quantum Engineering Toolkit from Keysight to control a Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) center-based quantum magnetometer from SBQuantum.

Ensemble NVs are an ideal platform for such demonstrations as they can be coherently controlled at room temperature irrespective of the surrounding environmental conditions. This platform was used to perform basic quantum experiments, and it can also be used to carry out custom experiments by designing DIY pulse sequences and for learning the basics of quantum sensing. We can characterize the device by performing Allan Deviation and Randomized Benchmarking to determine the sources of noise/errors and formulate mitigation/correction strategies. Quantum technologies are moving into a highly applied science domain for which it needs skilled people. University education teaches theoretical skills, but nothing can replace the learning received from a more hands-on experience of manipulating a quantum system and this demonstrator promises to do just that.

*This work was supported in part by the NRC of Canada Quantum Sensors Challenge Program.

    

Quantum LifeLong Learning

Quantum technologies comprise rapidly growing scientific fields with great potential for applications in industry. The current challenge is to educate a sufficiently large number of students in quantum technologies and to transfer knowledge as well as technological expertise from the research laboratories to the industrial sector.1 A key role is played by the specialists and executives of the high-tech industry, who have to recognize and implement the specific potential of quantum technologies for the respective company. We present our Munich project Quantum LifeLong Learning (QL3), a targeted education and training program of the Munich universities in the field of quantum technologies according to a university certificate and ECTS system with the target group of specialists and executives in the industry. We acknowledge financial support from the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) of Germany.

    

Development of an Undergraduate Quantum Engineering Degree

The fast growth of the quantum technology industry poses enormous demands on the timely and effective training of a quantum-skilled workforce. While most present quantum engineers have been trained through PhD programs, it will soon be necessary to prepare skilled workforce more quickly, already at the undergraduate level.

Here we present the design and implementation of an undergraduate Quantum Engineering degree at UNSW Sydney [1]. The degree is born out of an Electrical Engineering curriculum, and intentionally retains all of its “true engineering” characteristics, including design proficiency and core courses. Quantum subjects are introduced early on, taught in a modern matrix-based method, and augmented by extensive coding exercises. Practical skills are taught in dedicated laboratories, developed in-house [2], focusing on quantum control of spins and photons. Research projects at various levels (internship, thesis) are available through the many resident research groups, especially in silicon quantum hardware and quantum communications. This program, and the lessons we will learn from its adoption and impact, represents a key contribution to the sustainable growth of the Australian and international quantum industry, and a living example of what a "standard" Quantum Engineering curriculum may look like in the future.

[1] A.S. Dzurak et al., IEEE Trans. Quantum Engineering 3, 6500110 (2022)

[2] V.K. Sewani et al., Am. J. Phys. 88, 1156 (2020)

    

Creating Standards-Aligned K–12 Quantum Curriculum Materials and Teacher Supports

K–12 education poses challenging circumstances for engaging and preparing diverse students in quantum information science (QIS). QIS learning must compete with established topics already crowding out electives; teachers are likely underprepared having taken only a single quantum mechanics class, if any physics at all; and students lack mathematical preparation—particularly underserved students who are already likely to miss out on future QIS learning opportunities.

 

However, K–12 teachers can successfully teach topics outside of their expertise given sufficient supports including well-run professional development, daily lesson plans, formative and summative assessments, and on-going school-year support. Additionally, there are three sets of well-known K–12 STEM standards that can motivate schools and teachers to make room for quantum and help curriculum developers create developmentally appropriate materials: those for mathematics (CCSSM), science (NGSS), and computer science (CSTA).

 

Join a seasoned K–12 STEM curriculum developer for an overview of the teacher supports necessary at the K–12 level; the QIS-related K–12 standards; and how to design opportunities for teachers to customize and differentiate materials to the cultures and prior learning experiences of their students.   

Designing a Quantum Field Theory Course for Engineers

Predictions from Quantum Field Theory have led to some of the most influential discoveries in modern physics. We need to distill the information and methods of this field for a wider audience as quantum phenomena become more relevant to engineered materials. Our one quarter course does this by highlighting the phenomena of superconductivity, integer quantum hall effect, and Majorana states. We describe these by focusing on specific fundamentals, such as the Lagrangian, gauge field, coherent states, and symmetry breaking. To set the stage for these topics, we begin with the Einstein Equation instead of the typical Schrödinger Equation. From there, we show that all the fundamental quantum equations of motion can be accessed by quantizing the Einstein Equation and imposing specific restrictions on those quantized equations. By making Quantum Field Theory widely accessible, we advance interest and progress in a vast range of areas from topological quantum computing to energy materials.   

Promoting First Year Physics Student Belonging through DEI Education

Recent studies show that the majority of women and LGBTQ+ students experience harassment during their undergraduate physics education, impacting their perception of belonging in the physics community. Black and Latinx students who begin college as STEM majors are more likely than white students to withdraw from college or switch to another major. To increase the representation of these minority groups we must change the culture of undergraduate physics and build a safe community where all students can thrive. I will detail recent efforts to enhance student belonging through open dialogue about diversity, equity, and inclusion held in a course for first year physics majors. Facilitators from our Center for Multicultural Student Services visited our classroom to introduce DEI terminology and to guide conversations around topics like microaggression and bystander intervention within the context of physics. Students are then introduced to diverse role models from throughout the history of physics. Working in teams they construct a biography of a professional physicist and are encouraged to reflect upon the role of allyship in their chosen physicist’s life and career. I will share successes and challenges identified in the first two years of this pilot program, highlighting how we plan to improve upon our approach in the future.

    

A Supplementary, Language-focused, First-year Physics Textbook for Multilingual Students: Key Instructional Approaches

In this presentation, we report on the development of a Systemic Functional Linguistic (SFL)-informed instructional project in content-integrated language learning (CLIL) that culminates in a unit-by-unit supplementary English language textbook that accompanies a first-year physics textbook, both open educational resources. While the textbook is designed primarily to support multilingual physics students using English, it is expected to benefit any physics students interested in understanding and improving how they solve problems and communicate their solutions.  The supplementary textbook, which can be used in either self-study or instructor-facilitated contexts, is guided by integrated content/language learning aims associated with the multiple competencies in play in general physics: linguistic, figural, and mathematical. Based on the guidelines, we centred our material on solutions to physics problems across the mode continuum, specifically between a formal, written solution with rationale and this solution as it emerges in a spoken dialogue involving three fictional physics students with various mode-related competencies. Using the solutions as samples, we highlighted key linguistic tools from SFL to tackle the three modes of meaning-making: verbal, visual and symbolic, which corresponds to three competencies in general physics. Equipped with the tools, students were guided to focus on the variation of competencies through different stages in problem-solving with both physics and linguistic perspectives and were provided with a mindset on applying or diagnosing their competencies in problem-solving. We also emphasize the variation between written and spoken, with which we generalize to the variation between different genres in academic writing. Early trialling of the developed units by 1st-year science students indicates the generally positive value of the pedagogical choices taken, that this resource will catalyze literacy development in first-year physics education.

    

Qubit by Qubit: Insights and Best Practices from Teaching Quantum to 10,000 High School Students Globally

In recent years, there has been growing global interest in quantum education. However, there is still  a long way to go to make quantum education accessible to K-12 students and educators. In surveying approximately 7,000 high-school age students from over 2,000 schools around the world, over 80% had never previously taken a formal lesson or class on quantum. 

 

At Qubit by Qubit, a nonprofit initiative focused on making quantum education accessible and inclusive for K-12 students and educators, it is our mission to change those figures. Since 2020, we have taught quantum to over 10,000 high school students and educators around the world, and more broadly, have built an empowering pipeline for high school students to pursue further studies in quantum - in university and beyond. 

This talk will focus on the pipeline of K-12 programming we’ve designed and key takeaways and best practices we’ve learned from teaching quantum to thousands of high school students in the hopes of helping fellow educators increase the impact of their quantum education efforts. 

In terms of programs, we will discuss our Middle School Summer Camp, two-semester Introduction to Quantum Computing course in collaboration with IBM Quantum, and the first national High School Quantum Research Program. We will share data-driven insights from these programs, including on students’ STEM self-confidence gap at varying ages and how learning quantum increases students’ confidence in their STEM abilities. 

Best practices will focus on incorporating DEIA in quantum education (55% of the students we serve are from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in STEM). This includes the importance of providing free programming and offering a mobile-friendly curriculum for students, as well as how to account for students with learning differences. Through this discussion, we hope listeners will better understand how to implement and scale a K-12 quantum educational initiative using an inclusivity-driven framework.   

Qubit by Qubit: Insights and Best Practices for Designing and Scaling a Virtual Global Quantum Course

COVID-19 may have accelerated the roll-out of virtual learning around the world, but we at Qubit by Qubit have been teaching students virtually before the pandemic and will continue to do so long after. To date, we have taught quantum to over 40,000 students hailing from over 125 countries, and are currently in the third iteration of our two-semester Introduction to Quantum Computing course. Since its inception in 2020, the course has been offered virtually with live instruction from researchers at top universities, including UC Berkeley, MIT, and Harvard. Though our students speak different first languages; are demographically diverse; and have varying knowledge of Python and physics, we have done the seemingly impossible - maintain an 80%+ course retention rate.

In this talk, we will discuss best practices for designing and scaling a global, virtual, and accessible quantum course. We will break down the course’s instructional design, infrastructure conducive to its global growth, and recruiting practices aimed at creating a diverse cohort of students. Based on years of trial, error, and experimentation, we will also discuss topics such as the importance of live instruction, key components to an inclusive curriculum, and how to foster a sense of global community.