Fostering Mentorship Through Authentic High School Quantum Computing and Engineering Research

Jennifer Wang¹, Dr. James (Jimmy) Newland², Matthew Yeh³

¹ Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

² Texas Advanced Computer Center at UT Austin, Austin, TX 78758, USA

³ John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

Funded by: Harvard Quantum Institute, MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics, MIT Center for Quantum Engineering (iQuISE)

Quantum Engineering Research and You (QuERY) program

• Hybrid format: 40-60 high school students and teacher in person at Bellaire High School in Houston, TX. 10 graduate student mentors virtual; in-person final presentation
• Goal: science communication and excitement about science, as well as in-depth mentoring.

Program structure/timeline

• Mentor orientation and Kickoff (1 week):
• covering helpful teaching/mentoring tips as well as relevant protection policies
• Fundamentals of QM (9 weeks): tutorials + small group discussion
• Focused on building comfort with the topics & getting to know the mentors, low barrier for students
• Project period (5 weeks): how to make a scientific poster
• Sorted by research interests
• Groups choose format of project: journal club, science demo, or simulation.
• Groups present to their peers on last day with printed posters

Virtual tutorials on quantum physics + mentors’ personal journey through science

Tutorial topics:

• Waves
• Wave Mechanics
• Superposition
• Entanglement

Small group discussion/activity topics:

• Quantization
• Quantum logic

Hands-on, authentic research experiences

Interferometer built with tabletop optics

Superconductivity demonstration with liquid nitrogen

Poster samples:�science demo

Poster samples:�simulation

Poster samples:�journal club

Demographics

Participant Gender Distribution. Program achieves gender parity (particularly salient for gender gap in engineering and computer science, where womxn make up 16.1% and 26.7% of the workforce.

Feedback: Self-efficacy

From 2024, over 70% of students responded “Good gain” to “Great gain” on a Likert scale rating of

• My ability to contribute to science
• Discussing scientific concepts with others
• Working collaboratively with others
• My ability to do well in future science courses

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Feedback: Mentorship

From 2024, over 80% of students responded “Good” to “Excellent” on a Likert scale rating of

• My working relationship with my mentor
• The amount of time I spent with my mentor
• The advice my mentor provided about career or schools

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Free responses & mentorship continuity

• Students greatly appreciated the more interpersonal sections of talks highlighting mentors’ individual research/science journeys; key to building trust and more authentic interactions
• From 2023, 100% of students indicated “Yes” or “Maybe” when asked if they would contact their mentor in the future for help or advice, and all students would recommend QuERY to their peers.
• Students who have remained in contact with their mentor after completion of QuERY have experienced additional gains
• “I met wonderful people and found my passion for quantum computing. I want to pursue it in the future.”

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Thank you! Questions?

More photos from final presentation day:

Feedback: Motivation

From 2024, over 50% of students wanted to participate in QuERY in order to:

• Explore interest in science
• Gain hands-on experience in research
• Clarify if they wanted to pursue a scientific research career
• Have a good intellectual challenge
• Participate in a program with a strong reputation
• Enhance my resume

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Program details: cost breakdown

Over 15 hybrid sessions, plus in-person final poster session

• Student food: $3000
• Mentor food/stipends: $1500
• Transportation and lodging: $7500
• Demo costs: $3000

-> $15,000 in total, including 18% overhead

Demographics: Ethnicity

[1] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Employed persons by detailed occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity," Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey, Table 11, 2022.

Ethnicity demographics are largely aligned with national averages for computer science [1]; will pursue more targeted recruitment strategies in future for better representation.