NSF Org:	ITE Innovation and Technology Ecosystems
Recipient:	OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, THE
Initial Amendment Date:	August 22, 2020
Latest Amendment Date:	November 12, 2020
Award Number:	2040581
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Pradeep Fulay pfulay@nsf.gov  (703)292-2445 ITE  Innovation and Technology Ecosystems TIP  Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships
Start Date:	September 15, 2020
End Date:	May 31, 2022 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$709,707.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$709,707.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2020 = $709,707.00
History of Investigator:	Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin (Principal Investigator) ejh@mps.ohio-state.edu David Awschalom (Co-Principal Investigator) Angela Wilson (Co-Principal Investigator) Andrew Heckler (Co-Principal Investigator) Russell Ceballos (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	Ohio State University 1960 KENNY RD COLUMBUS OH  US  43210-1016 (614)688-8735
Sponsor Congressional District:	03
Primary Place of Performance:	Ohio State University Columbus OH  US  43210-1016
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	03
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	DLWBSLWAJWR1
Parent UEI:	MN4MDDMN8529
NSF Program(s):	Convergence Accelerator Resrch
Primary Program Source:	01002021DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):
Program Element Code(s):	131Y00
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.084

ABSTRACT

The NSF Convergence Accelerator supports use-inspired, team-based, multidisciplinary efforts that address challenges of national importance and will produce deliverables of value to society in the near future. This project aims to develop an undergraduate curriculum that combines Quantum Information Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (QuSTEAM) to build a quantum smart workforce. The QuSTEAM curriculum will have a modular format with in-person, online, and hybrid delivery modalities. The modules will provide educational opportunities for a variety of stakeholders including members of the workforce, 2-year institutions, 4-year institutions, and minority-serving institutions. The project will leverage partnerships with industry and national labs to both identify critical skills and modes of thought, and to directly participate in education and pedagogy, ensuring that the curriculum will develop a diverse quantum smart workforce.

The QuSTEAM curriculum will rely on research-based educational best practices to provide a convergent and inclusive curriculum to develop a diverse quantum smart workforce. This curricular structure will be designed from the ground up to address structural barriers that have to date limited the diversity and inclusiveness of STEM training, and will include concurrent training in the societal impact of QIS technologies by incorporating content beyond traditional STEM disciplines. The project will engage with those conducting quantum research as well as STEAM education research to create a multi-tiered curriculum at the major, minor, and certificate level. Deliverables include (1) a schematic of interdisciplinary modules that details how the building blocks of QIS competency can be organized for different educational targets (BS, AD, certificate); (2) a map of steps taken to actively promote equity and inclusivity in the curriculum that will serve as a model for curricular development beyond QuSTEAM; and (3) individual course curricula that demonstrate the implementation of QuSTEAM. This curriculum will provide a framework for quantum information sciences (QIS) education that can be implemented at a national scale to develop a diverse quantum smart workforce.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

QuSTEAM (Quantum Information Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) is a transformational undergraduate curriculum that provides a national educational model for the emerging field of quantum information science and engineering (QISE). The development of QuSTEAM relies on collaborative and research-based educational strategies to build a convergent and inclusive curriculum for a diverse community of future scientists and engineers. The severe human-resource shortage in all areas of quantum science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is projected to significantly slow the societal impact of the second quantum revolution. To address this need and accelerate the NSF Quantum Leap, a comparable leap in education strategy is required. The QuSTEAM curriculum has a modular format and an iterative design approach, with in-person, online, and hybrid delivery modalities to meet the educational needs of diverse stakeholders, including future quantum professionals and members of the current industrial workforce, community colleges, minority-serving institutions, and other bachelors and doctoral degree-granting institutions. We draw on the extensive expertise of the core participants in both quantum research and STEAM education to create a new curriculum with multiple implementations at the module, class, minor, and certificate level. The curriculum has been piloted at participating institutions, leveraging partnerships with industry and national labs while demonstrating the ability to train a quantum smart workforce at the scale necessary to support economic development. 

Last Modified: 11/28/2022
Modified by: Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin

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