The strangeness of quantum physics is being harnessed to revolutionize computing as we know it, and the annual QCaMP for Educators aims to ensure teachers have a front-row seat.
Sponsored by Sandia National Laboratories, other national laboratories and educational institutions, the educator program will take place in 18 cities around the country June 22-26.
During the weeklong camp, teachers will get a primer on the fundamentals of computing, use hands-on activities to explore some of the perplexing phenomena of quantum physics, and gain access to resources to bring quantum concepts into their classrooms.
"QCaMP is an opportunity for educators to be part of the rapidly growing quantum ecosystem right here in our backyard by providing early exposure to concepts and careers in the emerging field of quantum science," said Megan Ivory, a Sandia National Laboratories physicist and QCaMP co-creator.
QCaMP, which stands for Quantum Computing, Mathematics and Physics, became one of the first programs of its type in the country when Ivory and former Sandia employee Jake Douglass launched it as a virtual camp in 2022. QCaMP has grown into a weeklong camp for teachers in 15 states and a four-week camp for students in New Mexico and California.
The camp gives teachers tools to introduce quantum concepts in their classrooms and increase participation in quantum science at an earlier stage.
"When I watch a teacher leave QCaMP, I don't see someone who just completed a professional development course. I see someone who has fallen back in love with learning," said Deb Menke, Sandia STEM education outreach program manager. "That energy and sense of wonder is contagious. It goes straight back into their classrooms, and it reaches kids who may never have thought of themselves as scientists. Teachers are going home as quantum ambassadors."
Sandia and its partners were recently recognized for efforts to advance quantum innovation and economic development in New Mexico. QCaMP is one piece of that broader effort.
"The quantum workforce of 2035 is sitting in a classroom right now, and they may not even know it yet. Our job at Sandia is to make sure their teachers do," Menke said. "QCaMP gives educators the tools, confidence, and excitement to open that door for their students. That's the investment we're making, and I believe it's one of the most important things our laboratory can do for this community."
