During Quantum Quest, participants will explore the fascinating world of quantum computing with unplugged, hands-on activities and exercises on-site at Girl Scouts’ facilities. These topics will cover everything from the foundational concepts that make-up the quantum world–entanglement and qubits–to teaching girls how to code on real quantum computers. Girls will learn from outstanding researchers from the University of Arizona and hear from STEM role models across the Tucson area, including SARSEF staff who support student/STEM mentor relationships year round.
Quantum computing is a rapidly developing field, with potential impacts in nearly every industry: from finance to medical research to chemistry. However, the majority of students will not hear about this field until graduate school. This camp provides a fun and inviting entryway to one of the most revolutionary fields today.
Cost: This is a FREE camp
Dates: June 10-14, 2024
Location: Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona, Angel Charity Place for Girls, 4336 E. Broadway Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85711
Participants: Girls, ages 14-17
Requirements: No science or mathematics prerequisites needed
Express Interest Here: bit.ly/QxQTucson
For more information, contact Gabbie, K-12 Program Manager: 319-440-2039 or GABBIE@QUBITBYQUBIT.ORG
Informational Video:
This project is supported by the National Science Foundation Award OIA-2134830.
Partners
Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona (GSSoAZ):
GSSoAZ prepares girls to empower themselves and promotes compassion, courage, confidence, character, leadership, entrepreneurship, and active citizenship through activities involving camping, community service, learning first aid, and earning badges by acquiring practical skills. Girl Scouts' achievements are recognized with various special awards, including the Girl Scout Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards.
Qubit By Qubit:
Qubit By Qubit is the quantum initiative of The Coding School, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to empowering the next generation through computer science education. Founded in 2014, TCS has become a global leader in emerging technology education, teaching over 50,000 students and educators in 125 countries with over 55% of students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. TCS’ flagship program, Qubit by Qubit offers a wide-range of first-of-its-kind programming; from classroom workshops to a full-year high school course, Qubit by Qubit has introduced over 20,000 students to quantum computing since 2020. Regarded as an international quantum education expert, Qubit by Qubit is partnered with a number of leading academic institutions, companies, and organizations, including Google Quantum AI, IBM Quantum, Microsoft, and the White House’s National Q-12 Education Partnership. To learn more about our organization and programs, visit: www.the-cs.org.
Southern Arizona Science, Research, and Engineering Foundation (SARSEF):
With SARSEF, children don’t have to wait to become scientists or engineers. With curiosity as their guide, they can start asking questions they care about and use science and engineering to find solutions that are meaningful to them, and even, the world. Through this exploration of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), students gain critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are important for whatever career they choose.
University of Arizona Societal Impact (SI):
The goal of SI is to challenge the research enterprise to be more inclusive and to focus on impacts beyond benefits to departments or disciplines. We work to translate the curiosity and expertise of researchers into policies, practices, and programs to benefit society, measuring reach not only in articles published and conferences attended, but in lives touched and improved. Through every step of the research process, we help researchers center real people and their real lives.
Resources
Why Quantum from Australian Chief Scientist, Dr. Cathy Foley: (see excerpts below)
“Quantum technologies will impact almost every part of our lives – they will give us new ways of monitoring health at the cellular level, new therapies, new materials for the energy transition, navigation without GPS, the ability to create entirely new molecules. They will allow us to ask questions and solve problems we haven’t had the tools to tackle before. The range of possibilities is astounding.
To make our quantum leaps, we need people trained in quantum physics, of course, but we also need people with broader science and software savvy; we need people in electrical engineering, data science, math, precision manufacturing, and nanofabrication. These are all part of quantum.
And women are underrepresented in quantum.
It’s essential that we have gender equity in our future quantum workforce. It’s essential that we have socioeconomic, age, cultural and neuro-diversity. The more diverse the perspectives and experiences of our future workforce, the better off we’ll be. And the more people working on a problem – the sooner we’ll solve it!”
Arizona Technology Council “Why Quantum” for the state
It’s hard to imagine anyone in this readership who has never used a computer for work or school. And it likely would be no surprise to find out that members of at least one generation have always had a computer on their laps or desks or in their palms.
After all, computers can quickly help with the tasks that our parents, grandparents and earlier generations painstakingly did by hand. It’s hard to imagine anything faster than those machines that surround us.
Why Quantum? Quantum technologies are projected to reach a market cap of $1.3 trillion by 2035, with the potential to impact nearly every field: from health care to cybersecurity, to finance and supply chain. Despite these projections, the current talent gap leaves about a third of jobs in the field unfilled. By creating an opportunity for our girls, the goal of this program is to engage and nurture minds early on in their STEM journeys so that they are empowered to pursue a career in Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE).