Torrington High School students Alyssa Amato, Manav Patel, and Thomas Suchowolec had the opportunity to attend Quantum Molecular Day at UConn last Saturday. The event occurred on two days, January 9th and 16th, and lasted for 6 hours each day during which students engaged via lecture-based learning, to lab activities exploring the fundamentals of quantum mechanics.
Reflecting on the event, Manav believes that the atmosphere provided a productive experience that allowed him to engage with the topic. “It felt like you were in an actual lab environment. It was definitely very hands on, it was very interactive.”
He notes that “The professors were very friendly to the students and were there to help and any time you had a question they were always there to answer questions.” Which he believes were done “to the best of their ability.” He further elaborates on the environment created by the professors claiming that “they approached it with such excitement and actual passion for it kinda rubbed off on the people.”
Thomas records having a similar experience: “I was impressed with how well-spoken the professors were on various topics of Quantum Chemistry and Physics.” Likewise, he also mentions that the “conduction of the program was optimal for both a comfortable working environment, and a professional learning experience,” articulating his belief that the program provided a positive enriching environment.
However, one of Thomas’ concerns given the limited amount of time was that “the program accomplished more of an introductory role in informing students about the topic of Quantum Chemistry, more so than going in depth on the topic itself.” His comments emphasize the opportunity that the program created, but also the vastness of the topic that remains to be thoroughly explored.
The Quantum Molecular Day program was made in effort to increase early engagement in quantum molecular topics. Associate professor Dr. Tomoyasu claims that the event “is a part of the efforts we are making, as to connect the quantum concepts into daily life.” Right now UConn is partnering with Yale University via quantum CT in attempts to increase quantum molecular research. Dr. Tomoyasu claims that they intend “To make Connecticut the national heart of quantum technologies.”
Doctor Professor Zhao described the goal of Quantum Molecular Day as an effort to engage students early on in advanced topics. According to her, “This concept seems very abstract, and then hard to understand. So, we are trying to bring more real life examples to the students.” This goal was prompted by the fact that “most physics students may take [a quantum physics class] in their senior year or at least junior year.” This is problematic since students are currently not usually given the opportunity nor time to engage in the topic, reducing the amount of interest in this field to a small handful of people.
Considering the current climate of technology, the team “expect[s] that quantum technologies will be increasingly used” and that “It will impact our lives significantly in the next 5 to 10 years.” Because of this, the professors are attempting to engage students as early as possible.
Additionally, Dr. Tomoyasu mentioned that it will be easier to fund programs if “there is a significant interest from high school to have this kind of experience in the future.” The team hopes that if enough interest does follow from the event, they will be able to offer similar opportunities to other students or perhaps explore further depths.
Dr. Selampinar emphasizes the urgency of programs such as this one, articulating that “we are trying to engage the interest of students so we can develop our future activities.” She sums up the program as “part of the effort to push quantum education as a formal education.”
