For US to Remain Competitive Requires ‘Taking the Quantum Leap’

March 5, 2021 by Victoria Turner
For US to Remain Competitive Requires ‘Taking the Quantum Leap’
The University of California, Berkeley is developing a collaborative research laboratory that will make state-of-the-art quantum processor technologies available to a broad user base. (Photo courtesy of University of California, Berkeley)

If the United States wants to remain competitive in the global marketplace for the rest of this century and beyond, it needs to foster education in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, said a group of experts on Thursday. 

A robust “STEM workforce is the way we remain competitive,” said Talitha Washington, director of the Data Science Initiative at the Atlanta University Center Consortium, during the Center for Strategic and International Studies event entitled, “Taking the Quantum Leap: The skills and education we need to build a diverse quantum workforce.”

This is particularly true for quantum computing, which all experts pointed to as the future technology driving the digital economy. If the U.S. wants to keep up with others already developing this technology, it needs to educate today’s young people in its applicability.

Quantum computing, once fully developed, will be able to perform in a few seconds what current supercomputers now need years to do. It uses the principles of quantum mechanics, which describes the properties and interactions of energy and matter at the level of an atom or subatomic particle, when processing multiple sets of data. By processing the probability of the outcomes of many tiny and fast interactions simultaneously, it arrives to conclusions quicker than classical computers. 

For example, traditional computing goes through a painstaking process of elimination through trial-and-error to see if a new vaccine will work, whereas a quantum computer will “simply do the computation,” said Tara Fortier, project leader in the Time and Frequency Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

This technology is not just quicker and better, it represents “completely new paradigms for computation” that will solve issues classical computers cannot, according to Zaira Nazario, technical lead at IBM Quantum. It will create more secure communications systems, she added, and increase sensitivity and accuracy of sensors like those used in GPS navigation, smart technology and artificial intelligence. 

“In the beginning, you need people who have a lot of technical skill in terms of quantum information,” said Fortier, just to understand what can be done with this technology. Once products are created from this technology, the need will be for engineers, computer scientists, mathematicians, physicists, chemists, product designers, software developers, and more. 

The current workforce demand in quantum technology is not as high as that of conventional computing and AI, Nazario said, but it is increasing and will continue to do so exponentially. 

“If we do nothing to increase the supply, we will not be able to meet that future demand to sustain the needs of the industry,” Nazario said, the supply being a STEM workforce. 

Washington agreed, calling it a “national security matter” as quantum computers will be able to make or break encryption systems that secure our data. 

“Fundamentally different technology requires a fundamentally different approach to education,” said Nazario, since these STEM principles are typically learned in college. Age-appropriate education initiatives, like IBM’s hackathon, need to be developed, she added. 

Fortier suggested exposing children earlier, at the ages of five or six, to “learn the basics of the language” of quantum science so that they understand these principles to later apply them.

Adults without a degree in physics or quantum studies should not shy away from retraining themselves, added Washington, a professor of mathematics who did so herself. 

A growing number of resources exist for adults to retrain from online courses and

college lectures. The University of Chicago, for example, now offers a certifications program to train STEM professionals in quantum technology. 

Another early education initiative panelists pointed to was the National Q-12 Education

Partnership aimed to expand quantum education and tools by bringing together the professional, industry, and educational communities. 

“The opportunities are endless, so take the quantum leap,” Washington urged.

A+
a-
  • Center for Strategic and International Studies
  • engineeering
  • math
  • quantum compting
  • science
  • Technology
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Education

    February 20, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Supreme Court Lets Virginia High School Keep ‘Race Neutral’ Admissions Policy

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The U.S. Supreme Court decided Tuesday to allow a Virginia high school to choose its own racially... Read More

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The U.S. Supreme Court decided Tuesday to allow a Virginia high school to choose its own racially influenced admissions policy rather than intervening at the request of Asian American students. The elite Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria adopted... Read More

    Cough? Sore Throat? More Schools Suggest Mildly Sick Kids Attend Anyway

    Trenace Dorsey-Hollins’ 5-year-old daughter was sick a lot last year. Dorsey-Hollins followed school guidelines and kept her home when she... Read More

    Trenace Dorsey-Hollins’ 5-year-old daughter was sick a lot last year. Dorsey-Hollins followed school guidelines and kept her home when she had a cough or a sore throat — or worse — until she was completely better. Near the end of the year, the school in Fort... Read More

    January 29, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    CMS Announces $50M in Grants for School-Based Health Services for Children

    WASHINGTON — The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced $50 million in grants for states to connect millions more... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced $50 million in grants for states to connect millions more children to critical health care services, particularly for mental health, at school.  Made possible by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the grants will provide 20 states... Read More

    Some Americans Will Get Their Student Loans Canceled in February as Biden Accelerates New Plan

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will start canceling student loans for some borrowers in February as part of a new... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will start canceling student loans for some borrowers in February as part of a new repayment plan that's taking effect nearly six months ahead of schedule. Loan forgiveness was originally set to begin in July under the new SAVE repayment plan, but... Read More

    January 8, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    EPA Awards Nearly $1B in Clean School Bus Program Grants

    WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday announced that it will award nearly $1 billion to 67 applicants as... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday announced that it will award nearly $1 billion to 67 applicants as a result of its very first clean school bus program grant competition. The agency said the awards will enable the selected applicants to purchase more than... Read More

    Ohio’s GOP Governor Vetoes Ban on Gender-Affirming Care and Transgender Athletes in Girls' Sports

    COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a measure Friday that would have banned gender-affirming care for minors, casting... Read More

    COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a measure Friday that would have banned gender-affirming care for minors, casting the action out of step with many in his own party as thoughtful, limited and “pro-life.” He simultaneously announced plans to move to administratively ban transgender... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top