White House celebrates World Quantum Day

On April 14, local time, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) celebrated the first official World Quantum Day in history[1]. 4.14 represents the rounded first three digits of Planck's constant, the fundamental constant that governs quantum physics. World Quantum Day is the result of an international civil initiative to promote public understanding of quantum science and technology.

Emerging technologies such as Quantum Information Science (QIS) promise to transform society. The Biden administration is committed to ensuring that these advances are used to advance the principles of investigative freedom, openness, transparency, honesty, fairness, fair play, objectivity, and democracy. World Quantum Day embodies these ideals, connecting people around the world and underscoring the need to create inclusive science communities – from classrooms to research centres – so that everyone can fully participate and have an equal opportunity to succeed.

What are quantum technologies and how do they affect the public? Think of the atomic clocks that made possible the global positioning system (GPS), the semiconductors that made the information age possible, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for medical applications, and lasers for telecommunications. The United States helped pioneer many of these revolutionary quantum technologies, and now the United States is investing in another quantum technology revolution, developing new quantum computers, quantum networks, and quantum sensors.

Launched in 2018, the National Quantum Initiative is a whole-of-government effort to accelerate U.S. research and development in quantum information science. The National Quantum Coordination Office (NQCO) is an integral part of the OSTP and is tasked with supporting national quantum initiatives, including developing and supporting public outreach around quantum information science.

So how does the Biden administration celebrate World Quantum Day? OSTP and the National Science Foundation (NSF), through the National Q-12 Education Partnership, work with NASA to provide learning opportunities in classrooms across the United States:

This Is Quantum: A montage of videos in which students, teachers, scientists and more share what quantum is, what technology it uses, and what drew them to the field.

QuanTime: A coordinated set of middle and high school quantum activities and games, each less than an hour. More than 150 teachers have now signed up for online and hands-on learning experiences. More than 600 kits were distributed, and thousands of students from at least 33 states will participate in quantum events next month.

PhysicsQuest Toolkits: These toolkits help students understand quantum mechanics and understand the life and work of Dr. Deborah Jin, a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researcher who passed away in 2016 (at the age of 47), a leading quantum Scientist, she uses lasers and magnets to cool atoms and create new states of matter. To date, more than 15,000 kits have been distributed across the United States.

Study Quantum with NASA: NASA has developed classroom worksheets and online games for studying Quantum.

Industry, academia and the public are also very excited and actively engaged. The U.S. Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), together with several international quantum consortia, issued a joint statement on the importance of quantum technologies [2]. A number of academic institutions and national laboratories, many of which are affiliated with the 13 National Centers for Quantum Information Science, hosted webinars, question-and-answer sessions, and online and in-person lab tours.

These efforts will support the U.S. National Quantum Initiative, OSTP said. World Quantum Day is a celebration of the many ways quantum science is changing modern society and the possibilities it holds for our future. The Overview of the National Strategy for Quantum Information Science (2018) outlines the U.S. quantum strategy. The two pillars of the strategy are building a diverse and outstanding workforce and promoting international cooperation. In February, the National Science and Technology Council Quantum Information Science Subcommittee released the National Strategic Plan for Quantum Information Science and Technology Workforce Development. A major initiative of the program is to introduce quantum information science to a wider audience through public outreach and educational materials. The World Quantum Day event is a big step in that direction.

Countries all over the world are building quantum programs. In fact, over 40 countries participated in World Quantum Day, with more than 100 events taking place in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. OSTP believes that continued engagement and support for international cooperation is key. To this end, the United States recently signed quantum cooperation agreements with Finland and Sweden; the United States has previously signed similar agreements with Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Link:

[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-updates/2022/04/14/white-house-office-of-science-and-technology-policy-ostp-marks-world-quantum-day /

[2] https://quantumconsortium.org/world-quantum-day-2022/