| NSF Org: |
DRL Division Of Research On Learning |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | March 31, 2020 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | March 31, 2020 |
| Award Number: | 2015205 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Wu He
wuhe@nsf.gov (703)292-0000 DRL Division Of Research On Learning EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | April 1, 2020 |
| End Date: | March 31, 2022 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $99,996.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $99,996.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1 PHYSICS ELLIPSE FL 5 COLLEGE PARK MD US 20740-3841 (301)209-3311 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
One Physics Ellipse College Park MD US 20740-3841 |
| Primary Place of Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
OFFICE OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY AC, CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, XC-Crosscutting Activities Pro, QIS - Quantum Information Scie, Discovery Research K-12 |
| Primary Program Source: |
04002021DB NSF Education & Human Resource |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
The National Quantum Initiative Act was signed in December 2018 to ensure the United States remains competitive in technology and quantum information science. Quantum information science is fundamental to technology (e.g., cell phones), national defense, navigation (e.g., GPS), energy systems, banking security, and more. It is critical for the future workforce to understand basic principles of quantum mechanics and exposure to that knowledge should begin in grades K-12. Currently, most U.S. educators lack content background and confidence in teaching quantum information science. Furthermore, not all K-12 students take physics and even fewer will major in physics in college. Educators who recognize the relevance of quantum mechanics may not have adequate resources, curriculum, or content background to effectively introduce or teach quantum information science to students. This award supports the phased development of quantum information science curricula through summer workshops, communities of practice, and a conference of stakeholders.
This award supports three activities: (1) Development and implementation of summer workshops for teachers that focus on a cross-disciplinary approach to introducing quantum information science to high school teachers and their students. The workshops will utilize a matrix formalism for two-state spin systems and then use computer notebooks for hands-on computation of linear systems, thus integrating mathematics, physics, and computation. (2) Building a community of practice. This will include teachers engaged in the design and deployment of both science content and pedagogical content as they create lessons and curricular materials for their students. Evaluations of the first two activities will be conducted to explore the content knowledge growth of teachers and the barriers they encounter. (3) Convening a conference of stakeholders. This conference will be a venue to articulate current efforts, describe lessons learned, explore the current and future workforce needs of industry partners, and chart an organized and research-driven pathway for improvement in K-12 quantum information science.
This project is supported by NSF's Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12) program, in the Directorate for Education & Human Resources. DRK-12 seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools. This project is co-funded by the Division of Materials Research, the Division of Physics and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Quantum computers have the potential to revolutionize computation by making certain types of classically intractable problems solvable. While no quantum computer is yet sophisticated enough to carry out calculations that a classical computer can't, great progress is underway. This new Quantum Revolution could revolutionize artificial intelligence, material science, medical drug discovery, cyber security, and finance, and make quantum-based devices into everyday tools. Although Quantum Computers are still in their infancy, they are projected to generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue over the next decade. The technical difficulties to bring this technology to the people are surmountable, but the biggest constraint on the growth and development of Quantum Computing is the domestic workforce. Over the next decade, the United States will need to build a new workforce of users of quantum technology. Without the workforce, technological advancements and their downstream applications will stagnate. If one projects out who will be entering the workforce 10 - 15 years from now, you discover that those individuals are currently in the nation's K-12 schools. To capitalize on the promise of Quantum Computing in the future, we must start now to integrate the foundations of Quantum Computing, and thinking in a "Quantum" way into our schools. To ensure equal access for all students to these future careers we must strive for integration across all STEM subjects, in all schools, and in all classrooms. Consequently, the main goals of our project were:
- Using the NSF-funded Key Concepts for Early QIS Learners document as a foundation, develop and implement professional development materials for high school physics, mathematics, and computer science teachers that introduce teachers to the fundamentals of two-state quantum systems, and their application to Quantum Computing.
- Build a community of knowledgable, motivated STEM teachers who are interested in being leaders in their communities by working with their students, schools, school districts, and each other to develop innovative instructional tools for their students. These teacher-leaders will also serve as the vanguard of K-12 professionals who can collaborate with academics, industry partners, and governmental agencies in charting short and long-term goals that will lead to the successful generation of a quantum-capable workforce.
Specific Outcomes:
- Developed and tested teacher professional development resources covering the following topics:
- Complex Number Arithmetic
- Two-state quantum mechanical systems and operators using both Dirac and Matrix formulations
- Fundamentals of Quantum Computing
- Quantum Computing Algorithms
- Quantum Computing Hardware and their limitations
- Introduction to coding with python and Jupyter notebooks
- Programming Quantum Computers using IBM Qiskit (both Qiskit Lab and Qiskit Composer)
- 45 high school teachers (Math, Physics, Computer Science) from 20 states were trained over two summers using project-developed resources.
- After two years, 65% of participating teachers have incorporated information from our teacher workshops into their existing courses
- Three teachers started quantum computing courses at their schools. These courses range in length from "winter term" courses of 4 weeks, to full semester courses.
- Five teachers started after-school clubs to allow students to explore QISE topics or added QISE topics to existing clubs.
- Participating teachers have gone on to serve on other NSF-supported QISE education efforts including the National Q-12 Education Partnership which has developed and published new QISE teaching standards for Physics, Computer Science, and Mathematics.
Future Plans:
- Continue to develop and test the efficacy of our teacher workshops for growth in teacher content knowledge, and teacher pedagogical content knowledge for QISE topics.
- Revise workshop materials, expand resources to include Chemistry, and then propagate resources to a wider collection of teachers, school districts, and other professional development providers.
- Continue to foster a community of teacher-leaders who are empowered to work towards diverse, equitable access to QISE careers for their students.
Last Modified: 11/11/2022
Modified by: Mark S Hannum
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