Adam Davenport’s natural enthusiasm ratchets up a few levels when he talks about quantum science, in which theories about the behavior of infinitesimally small subatomic particles upend the classical physics he learned while earning his undergraduate degree.
“Our brains have evolved to deal with stuff on a level we can see, not to deal with this tiny scale where all the rules we know go out the window,” he says. “Quantum concepts are counterintuitive, and this confuses everybody! That’s the challenge, and that’s what makes it fun.”
Davenport, a physics and chemistry teacher and chair of the science department at James H. Bowen High School in South Chicago, is one of four South Side high school teachers collaborating with UChicago quantum researchers to teach students quantum concepts early.
Closing the quantum gap
Quantum encryption, computing, and sensing are expected to have a broad impact on industry and the economy, potentially enabling everything from unhackable digital communications to more powerful, energy-efficient electronic devices to new ways of diagnosing and treating disease.
But while there’s a rapidly growing need for quantum-trained researchers and workers, the field is young and not yet part of most students’ pre-college learning.
“We’re making exponential progress toward real-world applications of the technology, but we have a huge gap in training students who will become the workforce for this industry,” says Tian Zhong, a quantum researcher and assistant professor at PME.
When high school students master the quantum basics that Davenport and Zhong both call “counterintuitive,” they’ll have an easier time with related material later. “Companies are realizing that they don’t have people in these fields because quantum isn’t part of schools’ curriculum — students may encounter bits and pieces in grad school, but that’s too late,” Zhong says.
“There’s a huge gap in our education pipeline, and given how fast the field is moving, we have to start solving it now.”
Zhong’s solution sprouted in 2019, when he had the idea for TeachQuantum, a program that immerses high school teachers in quantum research labs and prepares them to teach quantum-focused STEM concepts in their classrooms. The new program connects to a broader effort at UChicago to ensure South Side educators and students are equipped with the knowledge and skills to take part in the quantum revolution.