From Diffraction to Entanglement and Quantum Circuits: Teens Tackle Quantum Science at SBU Camp

Professor Dominik Schneble with high school students attending the Quantum Information Science & Technology (QIST) Camp at Stony Brook. Photos by John Griffin.

Thirty-five high school students gathered at Stony Brook University for a crash course in one of the world's most exciting scientific frontiers: quantum information science and technology.

The students, rising 10th-12th graders, were accepted into a four-day intensive camp from June 30-July 3, offered through QuEST (Quantum Education for Students and Teachers), a National Science Foundation-funded program led by faculty members from Stony Brook's Department of Physics and Astronomy, Institute for STEM Education, and C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics. With no tuition or prerequisite coursework required, the program aims to remove barriers to access while inspiring the next generation of quantum thinkers.

Angela Kelly, professor of physics and science education and co-lead of the program, said the camp was created to fill a critical gap in science education. "Quantum technology is rapidly emerging globally," Kelly said. "It's a novel field where students really don't have exposure to quantum-adjacent ideas that will inform them about the incredible job opportunities in this space. We want to inspire them early."

The camp began on June 30 with lectures and hands-on activities that briefly introduced classical wave phenomena and used them as the stepping stone to quantum phenomena and principles. Students explored the diffraction of laser light and experimented with polaroid films to observe the effects of polarization. For student Will Squire, a rising 11th grader at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, the experience made a lasting impact. "The most exciting event was when we were working with Malus's Law to measure the intensity of white light going through a set of polarizers," he said. "We built a double-slit device and aimed a laser through the slits. Seeing how the beam diffracted from the device really made it all click."

Angela Kelly, professor of physics and science education and co-lead of the program, said the camp was created to fill a critical gap in science education.

Students then witnessed these effects occurring at the level of individual photons, quantum particles of light. "But wait, how can a single photon possibly go through both slits at once, as is necessary for the diffraction pattern to emerge?" - such questions soon transported the students deep into the quantum world, where wave-particle duality, superpositions of mutually exclusive outcomes, and entanglement between particles abound. Within a short time, students engaged in lively faculty-led discussions of Schrödinger's cat (entangled with the state of a photon), of Wigner's friend and the general role of observers, of measurements, of decoherence, and of the inner workings of quantum computers.

The discussion of quantum concepts, principles, and applications was jointly led by Professors Dominik Schneble, an experimentalist with a laboratory investigating ultracold atomic quantum systems, and Tzu-Chieh Wei, a theorist and quantum-computing expert. Together with Kelly, whose research focuses on STEM education, the three Stony Brook faculty members have formed an interdisciplinary team focusing on exposing students to classical and quantum concepts from a broad scientific and pedagogical perspective.

The agenda of the camp introduced students to important concepts in linear algebra, and then quantum bits and quantum gates through games and hands-on model building. As one of the highlights of the camp, students learned how to use IBM's Quantum Composer to build and test virtual quantum circuits for an actual quantum computer, including Schrödinger's cat and more involved circuits featuring multiple qubits. Students also learned about Bell's inequality (and later using Quantum Composer to simulate the violation by running quantum circuits) and its meaning for the structure of the physical world and reality, as well as other applications in quantum communication and quantum teleportation, including quantum key distribution.

Tzu-Chieh Wei, a theorist and quantum-computing expert at Stony Brook, led discussions of quantum concepts, principles, and applications.

Apart from lectures and experiments, the diverse program featured a tour of a quantum research laboratory at Stony Brook University, as well as industry career discussions. A computational chemist from SandboxAQ, a B2B company that delivers AI and Quantum solutions, spoke with students about real-world applications of quantum technologies. Topics ranged from finance and pharmaceuticals to national security, and the discussion also answered questions about career paths while giving students a glimpse into life as a quantum professional.

While quantum science may sound intimidating, the program was designed for all students, regardless of background or prior experience. "We don't screen applicants for math level or whether they've taken physics or chemistry," said Kelly. "We've found that students do well regardless of their background. Too often, students think quantum physics is only for geniuses or people who've already taken every AP science class. We're here to show them that it's for everyone. You don't have to be an expert to start learning. You just have to be curious."

Students like David Gaona, a rising 11th grader at Newfield High School in Centereach, were excited to discover new interests. "I really liked it when Professor Schneble talked about superposition using Schrödinger's cat," Gaona said. "It's a hard concept, but fascinating. I'd never been exposed to quantum before. If there were a quantum science class at my school, I would definitely take it."

Kelly noted that many of the students are still forming their academic plans and futures and that's exactly who the program aims to reach. "This is when students start to think about their future coursework and career paths," she said. "By reaching them now, we can help them consider fields like quantum physics and computing that they might not otherwise encounter in a traditional high school curriculum."

The program concluded with students preparing for a group presentation, a student-led showcase of quantum topics, and the awarding of certificates.

What made this program especially unique, Kelly said, was its reach and diversity. While the camp is housed at Stony Brook's campus on Long Island, it included students from New York City, Texas, and Connecticut, representing a wide range of schools and communities. "Parents around the country are seeking out opportunities like this," she said. "But they're rare, and they mostly exist at research universities. Last year there were students from California and Virginia, and this year students from Texas and Connecticut. We're fortunate to have this kind of expertise here at Stony Brook."

QuEST will offer the same program in August at the New York Hall of Science in Queens, where a second cohort of 60 students will participate. Between the two sites, the team hopes to expose nearly 100 students this summer to quantum science and quantum computing.

For the faculty involved, the long-term goal is not just knowledge transfer, but also inspiration. "We have two main aims," said Kelly. "One is that students improve their quantum literacy, because quantum technology will soon be a part of everyone's lives. The second is to promote career aspirations. By engaging with high school students now, we can help them see themselves as future leaders in this field."

"This course opened up a whole new world for me," said Squire. "Now I'm seriously thinking about how quantum could be part of my future."

"There are so many jobs emerging in quantum technologies right now, especially in New York State," added Kelly. "We want to prepare the next generation by getting high school kids excited and inspired to become tomorrow's quantum leaders."