History

In December of 2018 President Trump signed into law the quantum leap initiative to support research and training in Quantum Information Science (QIS). This called for our nation to expand different areas of the work force and develop technology that would make the United States at the forefront of these technological advancements. 

HBCUs are responding to that call. We are developing research capabilities and more so that we can be a leader in Quantum computing.

The ExpandQISE: Track2

NC A&T QISE Research Workforce Development Programs consist of: Core Research Projects (Quantum algorithms for computational fluid dynamics of nonlinear flows; quantum computational chemistry for the design and fabrication of novel semiconductor and quantum materials), a Development Project (construction and operation of programmable quantum computer); and the design and implementation of QISE education research and workforce development projects (QISE Undergraduate Scholars Program; QISE Short Course Series).

The utilization of Noisy, Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) devices to solve challenging scientific problems has been hampered by the low coherence in massively entangled quantum systems. Hence, investigators have developed a variety of strategies to minimize the limitations and maximize the strengths of current NISQcomputers. Our team will employ several variational quantum algorithm techniques to enable the exploitation of the computational advantages of NISQ computers in the areas of hypersonic flow and the design of novel 2D quantum materials.

The team consists of academic institutions (NC A&T, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Ohio State University, and the University of the West Indies), a national laboratory (Brookhaven National Laboratory), a private research organization (Universities Space Research Association), and a leading quantum computing service provider (qBraid). 

The QISE ecosystem is faced with the enormous challenge of rapidly expanding and simultaneously diversifying the workforce.  As part of our long-term strategic plan for enhancing the diversity of the QISE Research Workforce, we have developed the QISE Undergraduate Scholars Program and the QISE Short Course Series.

QISE Undergraduate Scholars Program

The goal of the QISE Undergraduate Scholars Program is to expose and acculturate NC A&T students from all disciplines to the QISE ecosystem. In Fall 2022, we recruited and retained an inaugural cohort of students, most of whom freshmen, from 15 NC A&T academic departments.  The program consists of a two-course sequence, piloted in the Fall and Spring semester, complemented by professional development activities and QISE-related events throughout the academic year. 

QISE Short Course Series

We understand that the provision of QISE professional development programs to HBCU faculty is a critical mediator of our ability to sustainably engage HBCU undergraduate and graduate students in the QISE workforce. Enhancing faculty members’ research capability in QISE will also generate research and application opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. Therefore, we designed and implemented the QISE Short Course Series for HBCU Faculty, which comprised of four courses: 

• Course 1: Introduction to Quantum Computing
• Course 2: Introduction to Variational Quantum Algorithms
• Course 3: Introduction to Quantum Chemistry
• Course 4: Introduction to Quantum Machine Learning

We conducted the first course in December 2022, wherein 16 faculty members from a number of disciplines practiced fundamentals of quantum computing, studied the latest development in QISE software and hardware, discussed potential approaches to incorporate QISE into their disciplines and courses, and identified opportunities for pivoting their research program to QISE.

In addition, we have established a partnership with MIT xPRO to offer two quantum computing programs to NC A&T faculty. A cohort of 7 faculty and 6 undergraduate students are currently enrolled in the Quantum Computing Fundamentals and the Quantum Computing Realities online program