The work of Purdue University researchers to bring quantum education to pre-college classrooms continues with a $300K award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund a two-year pilot project in select Indiana middle schools.

Although quantum education is considered a strategically important investment and a major priority for workforce development in the U.S., there are limited educational programs and opportunities for K-12 students to learn fundamental quantum concepts. 

The Purdue team has been working to bring quantum education to pre-college classrooms since 2021 with funding from the National Defense Education Program (NDEP) in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). This latest NSF-funded Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) project, EAGER: Integrating Quantum Concepts and Technologies into Middle School Science Lessons, focuses on embedding quantum concepts into middle school education to better prepare students for advanced studies and careers in STEM fields. It will run from August 2024 through July 2026, involve 10 science teachers from six Indiana middle schools, and impact more than 1,000 students 

Associate Professor Muhsin Menekse, Ph.D., with the School of Engineering Education, and Purdue’s 150^th  Anniversary Professor of Physics and Astronomy Erica Carlson, Ph.D., are leading the project. They—along with Mahdi Hosseini, Ph.D., an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northwestern University—created the Innovation in Quantum Pedagogy, Application, and its Relation to Culture (IQ-PARC) initiative to promote a STEM-literate workforce by providing learning opportunities for youth to understand basic principles and applications of quantum concepts.

“As we continue this work to foster scientific curiosity and literacy earlier in a student’s educational journey, we need to be cognizant of the capacity of younger students to learn abstract concepts,” Menekse said. “To bring the concepts of quantum randomness and superposition down to earth for middle schoolers, we need to develop and implement science units in which they can interact with the concepts through real-world applications such as radioactive decay and light.”

Interaction with these advanced concepts in a tangible way, using simulations and hands-on experimental kits, is critical in helping students understand them, Menekse said. 

Carlson, who hosts the YouTube channel The Quantum Age, added “I absolutely love the opportunity to take really fun concepts like quantum science and make them accessible to a broad audience. I look forward to continuing this collaboration with Professor Menekse to bring the excitement of the quantum realm to Indiana middle school students.”

The teachers and researchers will work together to ensure the instruction methods and educational materials are deeply integrated into the existing curriculum as well as sensitive to the academic needs of students to promote educational diversity.