January 28, 2025
On January 24, 2025, QACTI held a virtual town hall with around 40 attendees on the topic of Near-Term Workforce Development. Attendees included experts from industry, academia, other NQVL projects, and government labs, with the majority being faculty from primarily undergraduate institutions, HBCUs, and MSIs. The agenda included 4 breakout sessions for discussing opportunities in workforce development and quantum education, with a focus on (1) models for faculty programs, (2) opportunities for students, (3) public engagement, and (4) K-12.
In the breakout discussions centered on public engagement and K-12, attendees supported the big picture ideas for QACTI, and were specifically interested in developing exhibits. They discussed re-using decommissioned quantum lab equipment for exhibits and demonstrations for the public and students. A few examples currently exist, including an NC&T-Yale collaboration. Attendees also articulated a continued need for maintaining and expanding online resource repositories (learning materials and opportunities), similar to what is available in other domains of science. This is likely beyond the scope of a single NQVL project, but could be an opportunity for collaboration. There was support for the creation of QACTI learning materials to help orient faculty to quantum computing and engage them in open research questions.
Participants in the breakout sessions on faculty programs and opportunities for students shared their ideas and experiences with engaging in quantum research. They agreed that it was important for MSI researchers trained in traditional science and engineering disciplines to reach out to and engage with national labs, should they be interested in pivoting to quantum research. Another emergent theme was to connect graduate students and undergraduate students with industry and academic partners with established quantum research and training programs. Participants were hopeful that QACTI could propel early career faculty development and enhance existing workforce development programs by providing various opportunities to engage in the process of building the hardware.
For the town hall agenda and participant list, see the QACTI Workforce Development Town Hall overview.