Quantum Engineering Research and You! (QuERY)
About
QuERY (Quantum Engineering Research and You) aims to introduce high school students of all backgrounds to scientific research by connecting them with graduate students in the quantum engineering sector. Our graduate student mentors present on their research, share their personal experiences as a scientist, and mentor high schoolers to complete their own science communication projects. Mentees will gain a firsthand view into the lives of scientists and build lasting connections that may serve them well in the future should they decide to follow that path themselves.
We are sponsored by the MIT Center for Quantum Engineering iQuISE group and the Harvard Quantum Initiative. At present, the workshop runs in a hybrid format at Bellaire High School in Texas.
Overview
QuERY participants meet once a week after school. The beginning of the program is focused on making the quantum world approachable by introducing key concepts in an intuition-focused way. We have worked hard with our mentors to design and test an introduction that is accessible to everyone while covering important points needed later. In subsequent weeks, students listen to talks about the frontiers of quantum research, participate in small group discussions about technical content and research culture, and work on a group project with the assistance of their mentors. The culmination of the program is a poster session where the students will have the opportunity to present their work (see past projects here).
A tentative schedule of session topics is listed below; the specific title and scope of each talk will be determined by the preferences and qualifications of the graduate or postdoctoral mentor.
| Date (TBD) | Concepts covered (speaker TBD) |
|---|---|
| 2/8 | Kickoff - meet the scientists! |
| 2/15 | Waves |
| 2/22 | Small group discussion - meet your group! |
| 2/29 | Quantum mechanical waves |
| 3/7 | Small group discussion - quantization activity |
| 3/14 | Spring break |
| 3/21 | Superposition |
| 3/28 | Entanglement |
| 4/4 | Small group discussion - quantum information activity |
| 4/11 | What is science communication? and project start |
| 4/18 | Project |
| 4/25 | Project |
| 5/2 | Project |
| 5/9 | AP testing - optional |
| 5/16 | AP/IB testing - optional |
| 5/23 | Poster session |
Important Dates
2024 mentor application deadline: 1/25/24
Contact:
QuERY is currently organized by Jennifer Wang (jwang17@mit.edu) and Matthew Yeh (myeh@g.harvard.edu). The faculty facilitator at Bellaire High School is Jimmy Newland (newton@jayfox.net). Please feel free to email us with any questions.
