C2QA Fosters Growth of Quantum Workforce through Educational Programs

The classical computers used in offices, schools, and research laboratories around the world seem incredibly powerful as they quickly accomplish tasks that would take hours, or longer, if approached manually. Despite their proven utility, there are still several scientific problems that classical computers cannot tackle.

Quantum computers, which work fundamentally differently than classical computers, have the potential to solve these scientific problems and revolutionize other industries, such as finance, energy, and healthcare.

Scientists and engineers across the U.S. are racing to develop the technologies needed to realize large-scale quantum computing. Yet, the anticipated size of the required workforce far exceeds the number of qualified individuals.

Despite this well-known problem, barriers to learning about quantum computing before graduate school still exist.

“There are talented high school, community college, and undergraduate students across the country who could thrive in the burgeoning field of quantum information science,” said Kimberly McGuire, Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage (C²QA) chief operations officer. “However, they often don’t know what working in this field entails or how to pursue a career in quantum.”

To increase awareness of quantum opportunities and help grow the U.S. quantum workforce, C²QA, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Quantum Information Science (QIS) Research Center led by DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, hosts several annual outreach programs. These programs include the Quantum Thursdays virtual lecture series, the QIS Career Fair, and the Faculty Outreach for Quantum-Invested UniversitieS (FOQUS) program, which cultivates collaboration between individuals from minority serving institutions and researchers across the DOE complex.

C²QA also hosts and co-hosts educational programs that introduce students to the foundational principles of QIS and foster the development of skills needed for a successful career in this rapidly expanding field.

The programs held this year, including the QIS & Engineering High School-Level Program, QIS 102: Quantum Computing Summer School, and QIS 303: Quantum Error Mitigation, reached more than 170 participants worldwide, from students who just completed their first year of high school to full-fledged QIS researchers — and enthusiastic learners from every level of expertise in between.

Laying the groundwork: quantum for high school students

Quantum computing integrates advanced knowledge and skills from numerous disciplines, including mathematics, computer science, and quantum physics. These topics are hard to come across in the average high school curriculum, so C²QA and Virginia Tech, a C²QA partner institution, designed a QIS and engineering program accessible to high school students with an understanding of arithmetic and introductory algebra.

During this four-day experience, more than 60 students dove into the principles that speed up calculations on quantum computers — and could enable solutions to currently unsolvable problems.

For example, the students explored “quantum superposition” in nontechnical terms. Classical computers, like the ones found in classrooms or offices, store information in bits that can take on values of either 0 or 1. For the sake of this program, they were either black circles or white circles. Quantum computer building blocks, known as qubits, can exist as 0 (white), 1 (black), or in a superposition of these two states, meaning that, loosely speaking, they are both 0 and 1 (white and black) at the same time.

Through hands-on exercises, the students also explored other quantum concepts, like entanglement and teleportation.

“These complicated topics are attainable for high school students if you can find a way to present the concepts in a rigorous way that does not rely on advanced math courses,” said Sophia Economou, a C²QA principal investigator who led the program. Economou is also a professor and T. Marshal Hahn Chair in Physics at Virginia Tech.

These pictorial representations of abstract concepts were just the start for the students who subsequently designed quantum circuits using IBM Quantum Composter, an online simulation tool from C²QA partner IBM.

With a game-show-like activity in which a contestant is presented with two identical doors, the students got a glimpse into the impact of quantum computing. In this fantasy game show, a bag of cash is hidden behind at least one door. The other door may or may not have a deadly tiger hiding behind it. Both doors open simultaneously when the contestant pushes a button. The catch is that the contestant has only one chance to ask the “tiger box” if there is a tiger behind the door of their choice. If the tiger box operated on classical principles, the game show contestant could never be certain about the existence of, or lack thereof, a tiger hiding behind one of those doors. But when they leverage the tiger box with qubits in superposition, the contestant is guaranteed to leave the game show alive — and potentially richer than they were before.

One student said this demonstration of quantum advantage — when a quantum computer or algorithm outperforms a classical one — was “the most important part of the program because it gave an actual argument as to why and how quantum systems should be used.”

Another shared that the interactive nature of the entire course was “impactful and long-lasting.”

Undergraduate students cultivate their coding toolbox

College students pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degrees are actively developing critical skills for QIS careers — but many are unaware of the quantum capabilities their talents could unlock.

David Biersach, a senior technology architect at Brookhaven, authored the C²QA QIS 102: Quantum Computing Summer School to make quantum computing more tangible for students who have demonstrated interest and ability in STEM. The 2024 cohort — including 17 undergraduate students, one graduate student, and eight university professors, all from 10 different U.S. states — gathered for 45 virtual sessions over three weeks to build a foundational knowledge of scientific computing and develop their programming skills.

“You can’t rush into quantum computing if you don’t know how to program classical computers,” said Biersach, who also taught the course. He incorporated several days of demonstrations and hands-on programming labs to “give students time to play so they can develop an enhanced intuition for the novel topics they are exploring.”

Over 90 classroom hours — the equivalent of a 6.0 credit hour college course — the students covered several cornerstone topics, including coding with Python, quantum mechanics, advanced linear algebra, and scientific computing. They also developed real-world quantum algorithms using IBM Qiskit, an open-source software development kit that C²QA partner IBM developed and continuously improves. For example, the students created a hybrid Python-quantum algorithm that increased data compression of network transmissions by 200%, enabling more efficient data transfers and reduced network congestion.

Each aspect of this course contributed to Biersach’s goal of teaching the students how to solve real-world science problems with computer code.

“Eleven lines of code can change the world,” he explained to the students. The foundational scientific computing skills Biersach taught during QIS 102 not only align with growing market needs but also bolster students’ likelihood of earning internships that are “key to STEM retention.”

Over the past five years, 27 graduates of Biersach’s course have secured positions in the DOE’s Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) program, and three others have obtained full-time quantum computing positions at world-class corporations.

Katie Harrison, for example, served as a teaching assistant for QIS 101 — an earlier iteration of QIS 102 — the summer after earning a bachelor’s degree in physics.

“I wasn’t sure if graduate school was right for me at that time,” explained Harrison. “But assisting with the QIS 101 course showed me that there are so many careers I can pursue with a knowledge of quantum physics and computer science.”

Harrison opted for a program administrator role at the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE), but in her free time she applies the skills she learned from Biersach to independent research projects. One of them resulted in a first-place prize from Microsoft’s 2024 QRISE Quantum Computing Competition.

Harrison continued her quantum research with a SULI internship at DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory, but she remains dedicated to mentoring the next generation of quantum scientists, just like Biersach.

At CQE, Harrison connects students with institutions that offer educational programs and other opportunities in quantum science. Earlier this year, she helped organize the Chicago Recruiting Forum, which attracted more than 200 students and 34 institutions.

“The field of quantum physics is blossoming right now, and I really feel like I can help build a diverse and robust workforce,” said Harrison. “My experience with QIS 101 inspired me to reach out to students and others who are curious about the exciting opportunities in this field.”

Beyond preparing students for the next steps in their education and career, QIS 102 is a particularly accessible opportunity. All participants received a weekly stipend, enabling them to prioritize a learning experience that has already enhanced the career trajectories of several alumni.

Biersach often receives emails from these alumni sharing how his quantum computing program inspired them to take more advanced QIS courses at their respective universities — and recounting times they revisited his course materials for help with machine learning or linear algebra concepts.

Morgan Beck, a 2023 graduate of QIS 102 who assisted Biersach with the 2024 program, said, “Before participating in this course, I didn’t think of myself as a programmer. Now, I see it is not only possible but necessary — and thoroughly exciting — to be both a scientist and a programmer.

“The QIS course avoids abstract metaphors while providing transferable and concrete skills for coding in scientific research,” Beck added. “Dr. Biersach inspires genuine curiosity and a love of learning in his students, making them feel capable of diving deeper on their own. I wish every undergraduate student in STEM could take a course like QIS 102.”

Quantum practitioners elevate their error-mitigation expertise

In their pursuit of large-scale quantum computing, researchers face a major barrier known as “noise.” It may arise from environmental disturbances, imperfections in quantum materials, or unintentional interactions between qubits, and it causes disruptive errors in the calculations performed by quantum computers.

The noise, unfortunately, is inevitable, so quantum researchers are actively working on methods to mitigate and suppress the errors and maintain the integrity of quantum calculations.

Stony Brook University professors and C²QA principal investigators Dmitri Kharzeev and Tzu-Chieh Wei are well-versed in the leading techniques. So, they designed a four-day workshop called QIS 303: Quantum Error Mitigation to discuss them with graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and other quantum practitioners.

“Noise and the errors it causes are among the main challenges to achieving quantum advantage — where quantum computers outperform their classical counterparts. Consequently, quantum error mitigation stands at the forefront of quantum computing,” said Kharzeev. “Our school brought together leading global experts and enthusiastic students to explore this critical topic.”

The course comprised lectures from QIS experts and supplementary office hours with the researchers. Among the experts was Nathan Wiebe, a University of Toronto professor and joint appointee at DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) who leads C²QA’s Software & Applications Thrust.

QIS 303: Quantum Error Mitigation was the third addition to C2QA’s 300-level virtual series. The first courses, QIS 301: Quantum Characterization, Verification, and Validation and QIS 302: A Practical Guide to Superconducting Qubit Experiments, were held in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Each course’s lectures were recorded and are available online, making these opportunities available to anyone with an internet connection.

QIS research opportunities for DOE interns

In addition to facilitating several educational programs, C²QA researchers from across the country mentored interns as part of the DOE’s Community College Internships (CCI) and SULI programs. The CCI and SULI programs, funded by the Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) in DOE’s Office of Science, offer students the opportunity to participate in cutting-edge science at a DOE national laboratory.

In 2024, C²QA researchers from four DOE national laboraties —  Ames Laboratory, Brookhaven Lab, PNNL, and Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) — welcomed CCI and SULI students into their labs, offering them opportunities to hone key quantum research skills and grow their professional networks. Ames Laboratory, PNNL, and Jefferson Lab are C²QA partner institutions.

Aleida Perez, interim manager of Brookhaven’s Office of Educational Programs, said, “It is a pleasure to collaborate with C²QA and support their mission through programs like QIS 102, the WDTS Visiting Faculty Program, and the CCI and SULI internship programs. These opportunities not only provide students and faculty with access to Brookhaven’s scientific tools but also foster long-lasting connections.”

This summer, PNNL hosted over 1,700 interns and research associates and provided them with access to the PNNL “Gold Experience,” which includes professional development, networking, and mentorship. One facet of the 2024 Gold Experience was a three-part QIS professional development series, which kicked off with an “Introduction to QIS” workshop with C²QA Deputy Director Kai Mei Fu. Fu holds appointments at the University of Washington and PNNL.

During the second event, students explored quantum physics and materials science characterization projects at PNNL. The series concluded with a panel of PNNL and Brookhaven Lab researchers who shared their journeys to QIS careers, illustrating how diverse backgrounds and skill sets can open doors to opportunities in the field.

Looking ahead

This year, C²QA and its partners made notable strides in their educational initiatives, with the center’s influence growing into local communities.

Educators from Freeport High School, for example, collaborated with Biersach to develop a semester-long course inspired by QIS 102. Located just 50 miles southwest of Brookhaven Lab, Freeport became the first school district on Long Island, New York, to offer a quantum computing course, which launched earlier this fall.

As C²QA enters its fifth year, plans for 2025 programs are already underway.

In June, Biersach will teach QIS 100, a six-week-long iteration of C²QA’s quantum computing summer school. The expanded format — double the length of 2024’s QIS 102 —will offer students more time to engage with active quantum researchers and write Qiskit code to run on IBM-hosted quantum computers.

C²QA and Virginia Tech also plan to host their high school program in August 2025. The application period for this program and QIS 100 will open in early 2025.

“As a center, we are committed to making a positive impact on the QIS ecosystem,” said McGuire. “The successes of our students, who have used their experiences with C²QA programs as a launching pad, validate that we are doing our part to build a diverse and robust QIS workforce.”

She added, “We look forward to what 2025 holds for our programs and our students.”

Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit science.energy.gov.

 

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