Yesterday, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) National Quantum Coordination Office (NQCO) and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) – in coordination with the National Q-12 Education Partnership – convened educators and leaders in Quantum Information Science and Technology (QIST) to explore training and education opportunities for America’s future QIST workforce. Furthering a national strategy to ensure the United States remains an international QIST leader, the event focused on ways to engage young minds in QIST and established tools to help improve early (K-12) education and outreach.

The event also announced U.S. participation in World Quantum Day, an international event to be held on April 14th, 2022, to highlight the many ways quantum has, does, and will impact and benefit all of society. 

Press Release OSTP/NSF Jan 2022 Press Release

During the event, OSTP’s NQCO and NSF released the National Strategic Plan for Quantum Information Science and Technology Workforce Development. A product of the National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Quantum Information Science (SCQIS), the plan recommends a series of actions and community opportunities to grow the QIST workforce through expanded training and education at all levels.

So what exactly would Quantum Information Science look like in K-12?  Good question and I don’t think we have all the answers yet, but we are working on it. A group of teachers, professors, scientists, and professionals recently posted a framework for K-12 quantum education. The framework is an expansion of the original QIS Key Concepts, providing a detailed route towards including QIS topics in K-12 physics, chemistry, computer science and mathematics classes.

Currently the only released versions are computer science and physics, but chemistry and math are in the works. All of the Key Concepts will be posted on The Q12 website https://q12education.org/learning-materials/framework 

A pdf of the Physics QIS Concepts are attached below.  Several of the people involved in this project helped with this document and we would love to hear any feedback you have on them.  Give it a peek and use the contact button on the right side of the website to let us know or contact someone on the Q12 website.  Thanks in advance! QISE-K-12 Framework-HS Physics

A few years ago several of us were working on a manipulative for QKD.  I felt that it needed to be something more than just writing numbers on paper or a simulation, but the students needed a hands-on activity.  The first iterations of my idea came in the form of a folder with cardstock cutouts, but then I got the idea of using Scrabble tiles and it seemed to work quite well. Little did I know that someone many many years before had the same time of idea, but for a different concept. Nobel Prize Laureate Julian Schwinger had struggled to find ways to help his students understand quantum concepts in his graduate quantum course. Schwinger decided the traditional Newtonian Laws were not what his students needed so he jumped to the algebraic laws derived from the 1922 Stern-Gerlach experiment. Evidently one of his students, Papaliolios, designed some aluminum blocks, open on each end with a polarized filter inside.  Shining light through the block, or a series of blocks, yielded one of two states: The light passed through or it didn’t.  WOW.  Not only a clever method, but amazingly insightful pedagogical approach. Seems people have known for a long time that students, even graduate students, need help understanding quantum concepts.

“While Schwinger represented the atomic measurements of the Stern-Gerlach experiment as a matrix, Papaliolios represented the two states using the polarization of light. The quantum toys were equivalent to the magnetic field of the Stern-Gerlach experiment and to Schwinger’s matrix. By reordering, adding, or omitting blocks, you could see the unique characteristics of calculations made with matrices. For example, different combinations of blocks could produce the same outcome, illustrating that different matrix representations could lead to the same quantum mechanical behavior.”  Another interesting note, Papaliolios was involved in the Harvard Physics Project which was led by James Rutherford (a name you will also recognize). A project that shaped the way we teach physics today.  For more information on the Harvard Physics Project, check out https://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/ex-libris-universum/harvard-project-physics-role-history-science.

For a more detailed explanation of the Quantum Games, check out this article. https://spectrum.ieee.org/for-some-reason-these-quantum-mechanics-toys-didnt-catch-on

Yep, we are in the 2nd quantum revolution. Did you miss the first one? The first quantum revolution occurred nearly a century ago!! It led to the 20th-century technological revolution, which was based on the transistor, laser, and atomic clock which gave us computers, optical fiber communication, and the global positioning system. Even things we consider “life changing” such as the iPad and discovering the HIggs Boson are now “old”.

The second quantum revolution is about controlling individual quantum systems and focusing on applications of quantum systems. Quantum mechanics was applied first to information theory and then to information technology. To understand quantum information systems, one needs to understand math. Fortunately, the math does not have to be complex. I have seen good reviews on a book that lays out this simple math in a way that is appropriate for high school students. It has been ordered. Stay tuned for my own review. If I can understand it, anyone can.

At a press conference on March 26, 2021, Biden said, “The future lies in who can, in fact, own the future as it relates to technology, quantum computing, a whole range of things, including in medical fields,” adding that he would focus on investing in “industries of the future.” A new bill

The Endless Frontier Act includes a bill to address science and technology priorities. “This bill also pushes the Foundation to continue to evolve. While it is undeniable that the Foundation has a legacy of scientific achievements that have delivered enormous benefits to society, it is important to acknowledge that those benefits have not always been widely shared. Some segments of the public have been left behind by the traditional approach to science and
innovation. This bill promotes increased accountability to the public through improvements to the implementation of the Broader Impacts review criterion and a new requirement for researchers to describe the ethical and societal implications of their work. The bill also expands public access to data resulting from NSF-funded research and promotes increased vigilance against threats to research security and integrity. The bill funds centers that will connect NSF STEM education innovations to school districts and teachers, so more students can benefit. It encourages universities to collaborate with the private sector to better align undergraduate STEM education with workforce needs. It raises the bar for mentoring and training of graduate students and postdocs and establishes a pilot program to strengthen the research capacity of emerging research institutions, including minority serving
institutions.” Source: Floor Statement from Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

We are extremely excited to announce that the ITEST project, Preparing Secondary Teachers and Students for Quantum Information Science has been approved by the National Science Foundation. Over the course of 3 years the project will focus on preparing HS teachers to teach STEM through the lens of quantum mechanics. The project will include online sessions, summer workshops, student camps, and research. Stay tuned for more information on how you can participate as an educator, business leader, or individual.

There have been some great workshops, sessions, and discussion over the past few weeks regarding the importance of quantum in our current and future environment. The reasons are numerous as to why we need to teach students K-12 about quantum, but do they all need to be quantum experts? No, but they do need to understand the relevance of quantum in the world around them such as phones, computers, games, GPS, and virtually all of the technology they use, especially during COVID.

One of the participants last week made a comment that really stuck with me (I don’t remember who said it or I would give them credit). To paraphrase, they emphasized the need for students to be able to physically build the prototypes needed for quantum computers and other equipment. Below are some pictures from IQC labs that are cool and an impressive display of technology. It took a lot of smart people to design how these needed to work, BUT it also took people knowing HOW to build them.

Many years ago, there was a movement to take many of the “skills” classes out of the local high schools. The argument was that everything was going digital– CAD, computers, etc. Of course computer science is important, but so are those trade schools and skills. A quantum genius can design elaborate computer and equipment, but someone has to know how to build it. I think we have lost sight of the importance of the trade skills, and we need to reflect on their contribution to our society before it is too late and they are no longer there.

I have a friend’s son took woodworking in HS and loved it. Now he has a career designing and building all sorts of things with wood. Cabinets, tables, railings, floors, chairs…..all of the things we use on a daily basis. The cutting board he made me is almost too pretty to use!

It takes all types of trades and expertise to keep our communities and economy healthy. I challenge you to look around and appreciate all that is there. Support your local businesses, craftsman, and skills people. We will need them if we are to continue to advance in other areas, like quantum!

We are partnering with Texas Section AAPT by providing 2 workshops (1.5 hrs each) on the Power of Quantum Computing (i.e. Deutsch-Jozsa Algorithm) and the Two Golden Rules of Quantum Mechanics.

The Power of Quantum Computing workshop will use the concept of an interferometer to demonstrate this algorithm, showing the gain in efficiency from quantum computing due to superposition.

The Two Golden Rules of Quantum Mechanics will focus on the quantum concepts of superposition and measurement uncertainty. These concepts are absolutely essential for students to understand when considering future technologies based on quantum physics. In this workshop, we’ll learn how to connect light polarization to superposition and measurement, and how these concepts link to the powerful technology of quantum cryptography.

Both sessions are suitable for both high school and introductory college physics and no prior knowledge of quantum computing or quantum principles are required. Contact us for more information or join or email list for future updates

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Q2Work hosted a workshop Feb. 24 at 12:30-4:00 pm Eastern Time/11:30-3:00 pm Central Time. This workshop, Systemic Change in QIS Education, was primarily aimed at people working on designing, implementing, and/or scaling quantum education programs. My role in the workshop was to share some of the efforts being made to increase awareness of quantum in the high school classroom. Attached is a pdf of the ppt.

This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) encourages submission of proposals for projects that will motivate and prepare students for quantum industries of the future. The National Science Foundation (NSF) is interested in preparation of students for quantum information science and engineering (QISE) at all levels and in all settings, both formal and informal.