Session SpeakerQuantum Computing

Quantum Computing Education Efforts at the Introductory Level

Lia Yeh (葉上儀) 

PhD student

Department of Computer Science

University of Oxford

Oxford, UK

 

   

Biography:

Lia Yeh is a PhD student in the Quantum Group at the University of Oxford on a Clarendon scholarship. As a steering committee member and quantum education lead of the IEEE Quantum Initiative, she coordinates open discussions and summary reports on how to support teaching and mentoring students in learning quantum information science at the high school level. She is the lead on a grant from the Unitary Fund nonprofit for the Quantum Universal Education online community, which creates free events and community-driven, open access learning resources at https://fullstackquantumcomputation.tech/ across all areas of the quantum computing stack.  She works part-time at IBM Quantum developing quantum computing educational curriculum using diagrams, for high school students and software developers.  She is one of Major League Hacking’s 2020 Top 50 Hackers for co-founding WomxnHacks (renamed to OceanaHacks), and taught quantum computing to high school students as a TA for Qubit by Qubit’s yearlong free online course.  Lia graduated BS Computing and BS Physics from the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, during which she taught/led the Full-Stack Quantum Computation undergraduate seminar course.

Abstract:

Although the idea of using quantum physics to perform computation has been around for several decades, it is only in recent years that engineering has advanced enough to realize the first quantum computing devices.  To achieve the goal of ensuring everyone is welcome to take part, and in turn ensure technological advancement does not miss out on the talents of entire segments of the population, there is no better time than the present to learn and teach quantum computing.  In this talk, I will deliver an introductory lecture on quantum computing key concepts and applications—no prerequisite knowledge is needed.  In doing so, I will demonstrate the diversity of quantum information science educational tutorials, tools, and games accessible virtually during this pandemic, enjoyed by students as young as middle school level.  Finally, I will conclude with an overview of the quantum education efforts ongoing around the world, and pointers as to where one can start learning.

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