QUEST

Education and workforce training in quantum information science and technology (QIST) exists primarily at the graduate and postdoctoral positions, with few undergraduate efforts now growing out of these. This workshop aims to maximize the impact of these efforts in undergraduate QIST education by bringing together faculty from the CSU and other Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) to learn the state of undergraduate QIST education, identify challenges associated with implementing QIST curriculum at PUIs and to develop strategies and solutions to deal with these challenges. The workshop will be held virtually June 3rd and 4th,  2021.

For more information please reach out to Justin Perron or Shahed Sharif.

Registration

Thanks to support through the American Physical Society’s Innovation Fund registration for this conference is free. We will confirm registration by April 30th.

Registration Form

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• Agenda

  The two-day workshop will take place on Thursday June 3rd and Friday June 4th. 

  Day one of the workshop will consist of presentations and panel discussions with speakers from academia, industry, and goverment sectors. The day will be broken into three sessions focusing on 

  1. Knowledge and skills desired in a quantum capable workforce
  2. Current efforts in undergraduate quantum information science education
  3. Best practices for developing thriving and inclusive departments

   

  Confirmed Speakers:

  • Emily Edwards, Managing Director IQUIST, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  • Brian La Cour, University of Texas at Austin, Center for Quantum Research
  • Robert Hilborn, Associate Executive Officer, American Association of Physics Teachers
  • Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin, Department of Physics, The Ohio State University
  • Lincoln Carr, Quantum Engineering Program and Department of Physics, Colorado School of Mines 
  • Heather J. Lewandowski, University of Colorado Boulder, JILA
  • Jórge Lopez, Dept. of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso
  • Chris Rasmussen, San Diego State University
  • Daniel Sank, Staff Research Scientist, Google
  • Ms. Isabella Bello Martinez, Lead Quantum Technologist, Booz Allen Hamilton

   

  Day two of the workshop will consist of breakout sessions among attendees to discuss various challenges associated with implementing quantum information science curricula in a primarily undergraduate and regional universities. These sessions will aim to identify specific challenges unique to these institutions and propose strategies to overcome these issues.

• Code of Conduct

  All participants will conduct themselves in a professional manner that is welcoming to all participants and free from any form of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. Participants will treat each other with respect and consideration to create a collegial, inclusive, and professional environment. Creating a supportive environment to enable scientific discourse is the responsibility of all participants.

  Participants will avoid any inappropriate actions or statements based on individual characteristics such as age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, nationality, political affiliation, ability status, educational background, or any other characteristic protected by law. Disruptive or harassing behavior of any kind will not be tolerated. Harassment includes but is not limited to inappropriate or intimidating behavior and language, unwelcome jokes or comments, unwanted attention, offensive images, photography without permission, and stalking.

  Violations of this code of conduct policy should be reported to meeting organizers Justin Perron (jperron@csusm.edu), Charles De Leone (cdeleone@csusm.edu), Shahed Sharif (ssharif@csusm.edu). Sanctions may range from verbal warning, to ejection from the meeting, to notifying appropriate authorities. Retaliation for complaints of inappropriate conduct will not be tolerated. If a participant observes inappropriate comments or actions and personal intervention seems appropriate and safe, they should be considerate of all parties before intervening.

• Organizing committee

  	Justin Perron, CSU San Marcos Justin is an Associate Professor at CSU San Marcos in the Physics Department. He currently teaches the undergraduate quantum mechanics sequence and his research focuses on silicon-based spin qubits.
  	Shahed Sharif, CSU San Marcos Shahed is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics. His research focuses on post-quantum cryptography, especially cryptography based on arithmetic geometry.
  	Charles De Leone, CSU San Marcos Chuck is a Professor in the Department of Physics at CSU San Marcos. He is currently serving as dean of the office of graduate studies and research. He is a physics education researcher and is one of the pioneers in using and researching the "spins-first" approach to quantum mechanics.
  	Thomas Carter, CSU Stanislaus Dr. Carter is a Professor at CSU Stanislaus in the Computer Science Department, which he helped found.
  	Levent Ertaul, CSU East Bay Dr. Ertaul is a Professor at CSU East Bay in the Department of Computer Science. He recieved his Ph.D. from Sussex University in 1994. He specializes in Network Security and Cyber Security, and post-quantum cryptography.
  	Josh Grossman, St. Mary's College of Maryland Dr. Grossman is a Professor at St. Mary's College of Maryland, a public liberal-arts college, where he has chaired the physics department and taught a course on quantum information.  His research interests include cold-atom applications, quantum measurement, and physics education.
  	Gina Passante, CSU Fullerton Dr. Passante is an Associate Professor at CSU Fullerton in the Department of Physics. Her research focuses on teaching and learning of quantum mechanics. She previously studied non-classical correlations in NMR quantum computing architectures.
  	Joshua Sack, CSU Long Beach Joshua Sack is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in CSU Long Beach. He studies relationships among quantum structures and logics for quantum interaction, information, and computation.

• Faculty Online Learning Communities

  Following the workshop, in the 2021/2022 academic year,  we will also be hosting Faculty Online Learning Communities (FOLCs) to support faculty in implementing quantum information science into their curriculum at their host institutions.  Participants will meet bi-weekly through the year to discuss various aspects of their efforts in implementing quantum information science into their courses.  In addition to the synchronous meetings there will be asynchronous discussion as well.  There is additional support for participants in the form of a modest stipend.  Applications for participation in the FOLCs will begin in the summer of 2021 following the workshop.