Partner Highlight: Montana State University’s Quantum Education and Outreach

Suzi Taylor, Director - Science Math Resource Center, Co-leader - Montana Girls STEM Collaborative, Montana State University
An individual stands next to the Montana State University mascot Bobcat.
Montana State University's mascot, Champ, helped demonstrate scale during the Powers of Ten activity. Photo credit Montana State University

"When our team was asked to lead quantum education and workforce development efforts for Montana State University’s new Applied Quantum CORE (QCORE), the first place I turned was the NISE Network,” said Suzi Taylor, Director of MSU’s Science Math Resource Center. “Having past experience with NanoDays, I knew that we would find clear messaging and hands-on activities to help us convey concepts that are key to both nano and quantum, such as scale and ‘small is different.’"

Taylor said the NISE Network did not disappoint. One of QCORE’s earliest strategies was to host a statewide quantum convening. The NISE Network hands-on activities, including NanoSand and Polarizers, helped break the ice and start to introduce key concepts to an audience largely unfamiliar with quantum.

Two individuals stand by a table with a dark tablecloth that says Exploring the Future of Quantum. There is a sign and some small unidentifiable objects on the table.
MSU's team using the NISE Network's Graphene activity. Photo credit Montana State University

While creating a kit for pre-service teachers to use in rural outreach, the team turned again to NanoSand along with Graphene.  The kit, called “Small Stuff,” is now housed in SMRC’s STEM Lending Library for future educators to check out. Polarizers resurfaced in another Lending Library kit called “Quantum Art,” which also included soap bubble activities and thaumatropes, an optical illusion activity from the National Q-12 Education Partnership.

Another mainstay is the Powers of Ten cards, which were included in a recent kit to be distributed to member organizations of the Montana Afterschool Alliance.

 

A card game representing the powers of 10 is spread across a tabletop as multiple sets of hands reach out for cards.
The NISE Network's Powers of Ten cards. Photo credit Montana State University

Taylor said that as the work has evolved and as the team becomes more experienced in conveying key quantum concepts, they have added in ethics-related activities like What Values Do You Share?, which was used at a QCORE convergence event on quantum and healthcare.

Taylor added that the NISE Network-QCORE connection came full circle last fall, when the team’s presentation called “Optics & Photonics: The Gateway to Quantum Education” was the only non-research talk accepted to the Optical Technology Center’s annual scientific conference. When was the talk presented? On Oct. 9 – National Nanotechnology Day – of course!

 

More NISE Network resources: