[AISWorld] NSF Webinars on Advancing Quantum Education and Workforce Development

[He, Wu]

Dear Colleagues,

The United States has made American leadership in quantum information science and engineering (QISE) a critical priority for ensuring our Nation’s long-term economic prosperity and national security. Harnessing the novel properties of quantum physics has the potential to yield transformative new technologies, such as quantum computers, quantum sensors, and quantum networks. Prior examples of QISE-related technologies include semiconductor microelectronics, photonics, the global positioning system (GPS), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These underpin significant parts of the national economic and defense infrastructure. Future scientific and technological discoveries from QISE may be even more impactful.

We are on the cusp of a new quantum revolution that will require the nation to engage a well-prepared workforce. NSF has been funding quantum research and education since the 1980s, providing support for thousands of graduate students, post-docs, and early-career researchers. Now NSF intends to go even further by supporting projects to educate students in QISE, starting at the K-12 level and spanning informal and formal educational settings. NSF expects that these projects will not only help students develop the interest and flexible thinking needed to understand QISE, but also lead to improvements in educational practices that would have broad benefits across the country. Through such efforts in QISE education and workforce development, the United States can improve its industrial base, create and fill new jobs, and provide economic and national security benefits.

To improve QISE education and workforce development, NSF is accepting proposals to conduct education-related research and development to prepare a diverse QISE workforce.

Next Tuesday, April 27; 1-2:30 PM ET we will have a webinar addressing some of the programs related to the Dear Colleague Letter “Advancing Quantum Education and Workforce Development” :

https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2021/nsf21033/nsf21033.jsp


You can follow this link to register and participate in the webinar (Webinar 1):

https://www.quantumdcl.edc.org/


Six programs to be discussed in this webinar are:


*The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP)
*Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)
*Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Program (IUSE)
*Advanced Technological Education Program (ATE)
*Scholarships in STEM Program (S-STEM)
*Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)


Best regards,

Wu He, Ph.D.
Program Director (Rotator), National Science Foundation
Program Lead, Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) Program
Editor, Information Discovery and Delivery
Associate Professor of Information Technology
Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA