Bringing Quantum Information Science to Diverse Undergraduate Populations

In 2021 the APS Innovation fund supported the project “Bringing Quantum Information Science to Diverse Undergraduate Populations.” The need for a quantum aware workforce to fill the anticipated needs of the field of Quantum Information Science and Technology (QIST) presented an opportunity for students. However, access to QIST focused education (courses, labs etc.) was primarily occurring at larger research-focused institutions. This project sought to identify barriers to providing these QIST-focused experiences at predominantly undergraduate institutions and conceive approaches to overcome them. In this talk, I will summarize the Innovation Fund supported effort as well as some other programs that have grown out of its success and provided QIST-focused opportunities to students who would have otherwise been unlikely to engage with the field.