Pivots: Creating a Pathway to a Career in Quantum Information Science and Technology

支点：开辟量子信息科学与技术职业之路

• 批准号: 2321413
• 负责人: Leonard Kahn
• 金额: $ 99.87万
• 依托单位: University of Rhode Island
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Cooperative Agreement
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-10-01 至 2026-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2321413&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Pivots; Creating; Pathway; Career; Quantum

Quantum Information Science and Technology (QIST) is an important national priority that is expected to play a crucial role in advancing scientific discovery and innovation. The current and anticipated demand for a quantum-educated workforce far exceeds the available talent, which does not reflect the diversity of the population. This project will respond to this challenge by developing a new pathway for STEM professionals to pivot towards QIST leveraging a new online quantum computing certificate program at the University of Rhode Island (URI). To enhance the program's outreach to professionals seeking a career in QIST, a strategic partnership will be formed with the MITRE Corporation. As a not-for-profit corporate entity with extensive expertise in quantum technologies, MITRE will be collaborating with industry, academia, and government to support the US government in this domain. Through this collaboration, participants in the program will have direct access to experienced QIST professionals who will provide mentoring and focus on career development. Additionally, they will be offered valuable experiential learning opportunities. Successful execution of this project will lead to a model for fostering academic/corporate partnerships in QIST nationwide, aiming to retrain professionals for QIST careers.The online certificate program in quantum computing at URI is a novel pathway designed specifically for professionals holding STEM degrees. This program comprises four 7-week asynchronous online courses. Its primary objectives are twofold: to establish a solid foundation in quantum algorithms, which can be applied to real-world industry use-cases, and to provide a comprehensive understanding of various aspects of QIST, such as sensing, teleportation, cryptography, and communication. This project's unique feature lies in its collaboration with MITRE, which contributes to the experiential component. Real-world QIST challenges will be integrated into the educational projects, which will be jointly developed by the researchers and MITRE. Through active participation in these educational projects, participants will gain practical experience in tackling authentic QIST problems. This project will follow a cohort model, simulating a professional environment, and will foster the formation of a supportive community among the participants. The success of the project will be assessed based on two key factors: the number and diversity of participants and their achievements in transitioning into QIST careers. This project aligns with the NSF ExLENT Program, funded by the NSF TIP and EDU Directorates, as it seeks to support experiential learning opportunities for individuals from diverse professional and educational backgrounds to increase their interest in, and their access to, career pathways in emerging technology fields.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.

量子信息科学与技术（QIST）是一项重要的国家优先发展项目，有望在推动科学发现和创新方面发挥关键作用。目前和预期对受过量子教育的劳动力的需求远远超过了可用的人才，这并没有反映人口的多样性。该项目将通过开发STEM专业人员转向QIST的新途径来应对这一挑战，利用罗德岛大学（URI）的一个新的在线量子计算证书课程。为了加强该计划对寻求在QIST工作的专业人士的推广，将与MITRE公司建立战略合作伙伴关系。作为一家在量子技术方面拥有广泛专业知识的非营利企业实体，MITRE将与工业界、学术界和政府合作，在这一领域支持美国政府。通过此次合作，项目参与者将直接接触到经验丰富的QIST专业人士，他们将提供指导并专注于职业发展。此外，他们还将获得宝贵的体验式学习机会。该项目的成功实施将成为在全国范围内培养QIST学术/企业合作伙伴关系的典范，旨在为QIST的职业生涯再培训专业人员。URI的量子计算在线证书课程是专门为持有STEM学位的专业人士设计的新途径。该项目包括四个为期7周的异步在线课程。它的主要目标有两个：建立量子算法的坚实基础，可以应用于现实世界的工业用例，并提供对QIST各个方面的全面理解，如传感、隐形传态、密码学和通信。这个项目的独特之处在于它与MITRE的合作，这有助于体验组件。现实世界的QIST挑战将被整合到由研究人员和MITRE共同开发的教育项目中。通过积极参与这些教育项目，参与者将获得解决真正QIST问题的实践经验。该项目将遵循队列模式，模拟专业环境，并将促进参与者之间形成一个支持性社区。该项目的成功与否将根据两个关键因素进行评估：参与者的数量和多样性以及他们在向QIST职业过渡方面的成就。该项目与由NSF TIP和EDU董事会资助的NSF ExLENT计划保持一致，因为它旨在为来自不同专业和教育背景的个人提供体验式学习机会，以增加他们对新兴技术领域职业道路的兴趣和机会。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。