Educating the Next Generation of Quantum Computing Developers

国家科学基金会的加速发现：教育未来的科技人才队伍支持能够定位未来科技人才队伍的努力，以便在国家科技基金会的大创意(https://www.nsf.gov/about/congress/115/10bigideas.jsp).中取得大胆的进展这个加速发现项目将通过开发一个专注于研究的量子计算和量子信息科学本科课程来支持量子飞跃和人类技术前沿大想法的工作。量子计算是21世纪发展最快的技术领域之一。在过去的三十年里，它已经从一个抽象的想法成长为演示的硬件，可以在选定的问题上与最好的超级计算机相媲美。该项目旨在为这一不断发展的领域培养下一代STEM工人。在这些学生迷失在更成熟的领域之前，在他们的职业生涯早期激发他们的兴趣是至关重要的。如果没有受过量子计算培训的STEM工作人员，与目前在这些领域投入巨资的国家相比，我们的国家将处于竞争劣势。该项目旨在招募和准备下一代量子计算开发人员。为了做到这一点，它将在德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校2018年开始的一个试点项目的基础上再接再厉，并将其扩大，该项目旨在向即将入学的一年级学生介绍量子计算和量子信息科学。该项目将作为德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校成功的新生研究计划的一部分进行，该计划为一年级新生提供独特的研究型学习体验。事实证明，参加新生研究倡议可以改善学生的表现，增加学生对STEM的参与，包括在许多STEM领域任职人数不足的群体的学生。该项目将在2018年试点项目成功的基础上，开发一个更全面的项目，将一年级学生的经验与高年级课程和高级项目相结合。这些课程和经验将被整合到量子计算证书项目中，该项目将为应届毕业生提供在量子技术领域开展职业生涯所需的培训和正式认可。该项目将使用为新生研究倡议开发的评估工具和战略，评估量子计算教育对学生发展和在科学方面的坚持性的影响。这项评估的目标将是确定证书计划的哪些具体方面对提高STEM专业的学生表现最有贡献。这个项目将制作一系列教学材料和影响分析，重点关注那些对量子物理或量子计算几乎没有或根本没有先验知识的初中级STEM学生。预期的结果是一个独特的量子计算项目，可以扩展到国家层面。在该项目中开发的课程材料将被包括在通过edX提供的大规模开放在线课程中，以支持公众访问和其他机构的采用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The NSF's Accelerating Discovery: Educating the Future STEM Workforce supports efforts that can position the future STEM workforce to make bold advances in the NSF Big Ideas (https://www.nsf.gov/about/congress/115/10bigideas.jsp). This Accelerating Discovery project will support the Quantum Leap and the Work at the Human-Technology Frontier Big Ideas by developing a research-focused undergraduate program in quantum computing and quantum information science. Quantum computing is one of the fastest growing technology fields to emerge in the 21st century. Over the last thirty years, it has grown from an abstract idea to demonstrated hardware rivaling the best supercomputers for selected problems. This project is designed to educate the next generation of STEM workers for this evolving field. It is critical to engage these students' interest early in their careers before they are lost to more established fields. Without STEM workers who are trained in quantum computing, our nation would be at a competitive disadvantage compared to countries that are now investing heavily in these areas. This project aims to recruit and prepare the next generation of quantum computing developers. It will do so by building upon and expand a pilot program begun in 2018 at The University of Texas at Austin to introduce incoming first-year students to quantum computing and quantum information science. The project will be conducted as part of the University of Texas at Austin's successful Freshman Research Initiative, which provides entering first-year students with a unique research-oriented learning experience. Participation in the Freshman Research Initiative has been demonstrated to improve student performance and increase participation of students in STEM, including students from groups that are underrepresented in many STEM fields. The project will build upon the success of the 2018 pilot by developing a more comprehensive program that integrates the first-year student experience with upper division coursework and senior projects. These courses and experiences will be integrated into a certificate program in quantum computing, which will provide graduating students with the training and formal recognition needed to launch a career in quantum technology. This project will assess the impact of the quantum computing education on student development and persistence in the sciences, using assessment instruments and strategies developed for the Freshmen Research Initiative. The goal of this assessment will be to determine which specific aspects of the certificate program contribute most to improved student performance in STEM majors. This project will produce a body of instructional material and impact analysis focusing on early post-secondary STEM students who have little-to-no prior knowledge of quantum physics or quantum computing. The intended result is a unique program in quantum computing that can be scaled to a national level. The curricular materials developed in the project will be included in a Massively Open Online Course available through edX, to support access to the public and adoption by other institutions.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.