Quantum Education and Community Building with Olivia Lanes
Download MP3Sebastian is joined by Olivia Lanes, Global Lead for Education and Learning, IBM Quantum to discuss quantum education, IBM's efforts to provide resources for workforce development, the importance of diversity and equality in STEM, and her own personal journey from experimental physics to community building and content creation. Recorded on the RPI campus during the launch event of their IBM System One quantum computer.
Key Topics:
- Olivia's background in experimental quantum physics and transition to education at IBM Quantum
- Lowering barriers to entry in quantum computing education through IBM's Quantum Experience platform, Qiskit open source framework, and online learning resources
- The importance of reaching students early, especially women and people of color, to build a diverse quantum workforce pipeline
- Quantum computing as an interdisciplinary field requiring expertise across physics, computer science, engineering, and other domains
- The need to identify real-world problems and use cases that quantum computing can uniquely address
- Balancing the hype around quantum computing's potential with setting realistic expectations
- International collaboration and providing global access to quantum education and technologies
- The unique opportunity of having an IBM quantum computer on the RPI campus to inspire students and enable cutting-edge research
Resources Mentioned:
- IBM Quantum learning platform
- "Introduction to Classical and Quantum Computing" by Tom Wong
- Qiskit YouTube channel
In summary, this episode explores the current state of quantum computing education, the importance of making it accessible to a broad and diverse group of students from an early age, and how academia and industry can partner to build the quantum workforce of the future. Olivia provides an insider's perspective on IBM Quantum's efforts in this space.
Key Topics:
- Olivia's background in experimental quantum physics and transition to education at IBM Quantum
- Lowering barriers to entry in quantum computing education through IBM's Quantum Experience platform, Qiskit open source framework, and online learning resources
- The importance of reaching students early, especially women and people of color, to build a diverse quantum workforce pipeline
- Quantum computing as an interdisciplinary field requiring expertise across physics, computer science, engineering, and other domains
- The need to identify real-world problems and use cases that quantum computing can uniquely address
- Balancing the hype around quantum computing's potential with setting realistic expectations
- International collaboration and providing global access to quantum education and technologies
- The unique opportunity of having an IBM quantum computer on the RPI campus to inspire students and enable cutting-edge research
Resources Mentioned:
- IBM Quantum learning platform
- "Introduction to Classical and Quantum Computing" by Tom Wong
- Qiskit YouTube channel
In summary, this episode explores the current state of quantum computing education, the importance of making it accessible to a broad and diverse group of students from an early age, and how academia and industry can partner to build the quantum workforce of the future. Olivia provides an insider's perspective on IBM Quantum's efforts in this space.
Creators and Guests
Guest
Olivia Lanes
Global Lead, IBM Quantum advocacy & education| PhD @PittTweet | @DickinsonCol | “Sufficiently amusing” | Ask me about my qubit.
Composer
Omar Costa Hamido
OCH is a performer, composer, and technologist, working primarily in multimedia and improvisation. His current research is on quantum computing and music composition, telematics, and multimedia. He is passionate about emerging technology, cinema, teaching, and performing new works. He earned his PhD in Integrated Composition, Improvisation and Technology at University of California, Irvine with his research project Adventures in Quantumland (quantumland.art). He also earned his MA in Music Theory and Composition at ESMAE-IPP Portugal with his research on the relations between music and painting. In recent years, his work has been recognized with grants and awards from MSCA, Fulbright, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Medici, Beall Center for Art+Technology, and IBM.
