Transforming the STEM Pipeline into a River

Three young women holding an apparatus and participating in Science Olympiad

The traditional metaphor of the “leaky pipeline” tracks the number of students entering the educational system and emphasizes points at which women and minority students leave the system. IQIM is working to increase diversity on our campus and more broadly in STEM by encouraging a less rigid system, not just one pipeline or path to STEM. Here are several programs where we are working to transform a narrow path into a broad series of options – from a pipeline to a river.

CSUN/IQIM PREP Partnership

IQIM is a partner in the NSF PREP program with Cal State Northridge (CSUN) working to develop models for topological states of matter and calculations on specific two-dimensional materials that can realize these states. The CSUN research will augment existing theoretical and experimental efforts in fundamental quantum information science at IQIM. The exchange and education programs are likely to benefit CSUN students and postdoctoral researchers from underrepresented groups substantially and build more diversity in the IQIM community.

  • The goals of the PREP award with CSU Northridge are to: (1) foster multidisciplinary and innovative research in quantum matter and quantum information science; (2) educate and train students in cutting-edge quantum research; (3) increase recruitment, retention, and degree attainment by members of groups underrepresented in research. The scientific collaboration between CSUN PI, Yang Peng, and members of IQIM has continued during the past year.
  • June 2023 is the launch of our first PREP Summer Research Institute. We are currently finalizing plans for CSUN graduate students to participate in a ~6 week program on-site research program in participating IQIM research groups.

Caltech’s Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, in partnership with the Heising-Simons Foundation, launched FUTURE of Physics in 2018 with the goal of increasing the number of women choosing to continue to a STEM (Physics) PhD program or careers and encouraging more women students to consider Caltech for graduate school. The conference is co-chaired by a current Caltech woman graduate student, and the faculty co-chair David Hsieh (IQIM co-Director).

  • Over 67% (107 of 159) women that participated in FUTURE of Physics are currently in graduate school; of the 159 participants 11 are currently students at Caltech. FUTURE has increased the number of women graduate students in Physics, Applied Physics, Astronomy and Engineering programs throughout the U.S. FUTURE of Physics alumni are current students at a range of universities (including Stanford, MIT, Harvard, Berkeley) and include one Rhodes Scholar and several Marshall Scholars.
  • Through participation in FUTURE of Physics, IQIM works to recognize the important role that diverse students and postdocs bring to our community, to the Caltech campus, and also to the broader Physics community. The support demonstrated by IQIM extends from the top with Dave Hsieh as founder and co-Chair through active participation of current students and postdocs in lab tours, as speakers, panel members, and as reviewers and mentors in the application review workshop provides strong insight into a range of diverse backgrounds from not only the women attending FUTURE but the members of IQIM investing their time to host the program.
  • FUTURE of Physics was also the catalyst for a Caltech initiative FUTURE Ignited, modeled after FUTURE, aimed at addressing the severe lack of representation of students of color in STEM fields and careers in the US. Caltech organized virtual workshops in 2020 and 2021, attracting 200 undergraduate students to the program, in which faculty, postdocs, and students from five of Caltech’s Academic Divisions participated, supported by Caltech’s Student Faculty Programs team.

  • Caltech’s Science Olympiad club has hosted the statewide competition for years and in 2022 hosted the National Championships fully virtually. The organization is fully student-run with Caltech graduate and undergraduate students responsible for fundraising, organizing the event, applying for permission to host through their national organization, planning and implementing the event.
  • IQIM has been a strong advocate for Science Olympiad; Spiros Michalakis is the club’s faculty sponsor. He has also been instrumental in assisting with discussion and negotiation with other Caltech campus offices including Office of the President and Student Activities. These negotiations were particularly challenging with the proposal to host the 2022 National Competition.
  • Science Olympiad increases diversity at Caltech by providing an engaging STEM experience for Southern California middle and high school students. It also provides current Caltech students with opportunities to demonstrate leadership and develop a program that supports other students. The competition brings over 2,500 students, their parents, and teachers and coaches to the Caltech campus. Events are held in campus lecture halls and labs, providing insight into life as a scientist and a university experience. In addition to the competition, additional events include a short program from Caltech’s admission team.

Support for programs that encourage STEM participation

Summer Research Institute

Summer Research Institute for local High School teachers – commitment to inquiry based learning by local teachers. Our return teachers are Eryn Walsh (7 summers) and Benjamin Fackrell (9 summers) working with the Yeh group. Both teachers also participated in the QuanTime focus groups and made valuable contributions to the student activities.

Pasadena Public Schools

Active participation in Pasadena area public school programs. Hsieh and Xie Chen groups participated in Pasadena High School App Academy, classroom visits, and hosted visits to campus. IQIM presented Quantum Chess for Marshall Secondary School Science Night with over 300 middle and high school students attending.

Qubit by Qubit

Through our ongoing partnership with The Coding School (TCS), Michalakis is on the TCS board of advisors and participates in Qubit by Qubit, the online learning initiative of TCS. IQIM works with Qubit by Qubit to further develop their program and expand the options available to students. Current programs include a two-semester online Introduction to Quantum Computing which can be completed for high school course credit, online summer workshops with separate programs for middle school and high school students, and a series of online workshops.

Building a more inclusive community at Caltech

Diverse Minds

Diverse Minds Seminar Series is a campus-wide program that aims to provide a platform for distinguished speakers from a diversity of backgrounds to share their science and personal journey into science with the Caltech Community.

AWS Scientists

IQIM provides a connection between the AWS Scientists and the broader community, through joint seminars, AWS participation in informal collaborations, and student internships at AWS. AWS scientists have also supported FUTURE of Physics by participating as panelists, discussing career options in Industry v. Academia.

Partnering with groups to host Events

IQIM is a point of contact in building collaborations on campus between groups hosting events, in order to connect to a broader group of students and faculty. Examples include Eugenia Cheng, x + y: A Mathematician’s Manifesto for Rethinking Gender, October 2022. Co-hosted with the Caltech Y, student speaker series.

2023 Inaugural Workshop to encourage diverse students

April 2023 – Launched an inaugural workshop to encourage undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds to consider Caltech, and also to introduce Caltech community to the need for campus Allies for students and community members facing immigration challenges. IQIM facilitated the workshop, together with campus offices for career development, student research, admission, and support from the Caltech President’s office. The Caltech Center for Diversity and Inclusion is working to develop a Task Force to direct further program development, following this event.

Public outreach for scientists and also the broader public

World Quantum Day

  • Spiros Michalakis is the U.S. representative for World Quantum Day. He has been responsible for the development and implementation of an enhanced website to be available before April 14, 2023. In addition to the opportunity to connect with local institutions and meet current quantum scientists, Michalakis has also been a driving force behind the QuanTime resources specifically directed toward K-12 students.
  • Michalakis facilitated several broad enhancements to the World Quantum Day site: redesign and relaunch of the website, including more accessible links to learn more, prominent display of videos submitted by participants world-wide, and materials developed for QuanTime.
World Quantum Day 2023

QuanTime

  • Michalakis working with the National Q-12 Education Partnership (NSF and White House OSTP), Google Quantum AI, and Quantum Realm Games launched a set of quantum-related activities to K-12 classrooms across the nation. The IQIM-led efforts have leveraged Quantum Chess to introduce students and teachers to concepts such as quantum superposition, quantum measurement and quantum entanglement in a series of story-driven, puzzle-based realms. This effort was piloted in November 2021 and evaluated through a pilot program of teachers. The initial results were encouraging, with students requesting additional content and more time with our activities.
  • The QuanTime site has been available since April 11, 2022 and has continued to be a classroom resource. IQIM also used the QuanTime resources at local school outreach events.
  • Support of the Caltech Science Exchange, a web resource that provides expert insight to the scientific questions that define our time:
    • Why We Want Quantum Computers, John Preskill, March 2022
    • Storytelling and Science, Spiros Michalakis and Ed Solomon, April 2022
    • The Power of Quantum Materials, Nai-Chang Yeh, May 2022
    • Why Space Isn’t What You Think It Is, Rana Adhikari and Kathryn Zurek, July 2022
    • Building a Quantum Computer, Fernando Brandao, April 2023
  • Participation in Caltech events: such as panel discussions discussion about the challenge and promise of quantum technology. Participating in Alumni events with speakers and also panel discussions.
  • Enhancing public awareness through short videos by celebrities to appeal to both other academic communities and the general public.
  • IQIM is a partner in Quantum Shorts. This outreach program has been bridging the gap between science and art with their international competition of films and short fiction since 2012. The program alternates each year between short films and short fiction. Watch this year’s finalists for short films.

Quantum Shorts is an initiative of the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) at the National University of Singapore. IQIM is a scientific partner, along with other international universities. Media partners for the contest are Scientific American and Nature. In addition to our advisory role, IQIM is actively involved; Spiros Michalakis is on the shortlist committee that decides the top 10 submissions.

Using Media to reach a broad audience

Our access to the entertainment industry leverages our strategic location near the heart of Hollywood, connections forged by Michalakis through the Science and Entertainment Exchange, our work with Marvel Studios, and ties to some of the best writers in the industry. Our goal is to develop a series of entertaining short films inspired by cutting-edge quantum science, but rooted in popular culture. Partners like AWS and Chess.com, have expressed interest in co-producing and promoting these future outreach films.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was released in February 2023. Michalakis has worked with the NSF, Marvel Studios, Caltech Strategic Communications and other resources to build the connection between the film and the science behind the film.

    • NSF’s Discovery Files blog, Mysteries of the Quantum Realm with Spiros Michalakis, February 20, 2023
    • NSF’s Discovery Files blog, Understanding the Universe With Quantum discussion with Spiros Michalakis about World Quantum Day and the importance of quantum science in our lives. April 10, 2023.
    • PodCast ‘This Week in Marvel’ Celebrates World Quantum Day. Host Ryan Penagos is joined by: Rick Loverd, the director of The Science & Entertainment Exchange, part of the National Academy of Sciences; Dr. Spiros Michalakis a mathematical physicist and manager of outreach at Caltech’s Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, where he focuses on research in quantum many-body physics and quantum gravity; Rana Adhikari, a Professor of Experimental Physics at the California Institute of Technology; and Kathryn Newton, who plays Cassie Lang in Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, for the wide-reaching chat about science, technology, and how real-world things were incorporated into the latest installment in the MCU.