On August 24, the University of New Mexico (UNM) announced that the National Science Foundation (NSF) had granted a $4 million award to advance quantum photonic technology research and establish a quantum science and engineering graduate program in partnership with the University of Delaware.
According to UNM, the program will be modeled after the Quantum Science and Engineering program at the University of Delaware, which introduces students to quantum mechanics and information processing fundamentals through hands-on, project-based learning.
UNM’s award, which is titled “Laying the Foundation for Scalable Quantum Photonic Technologies” is led by principal investigator Ganesh Balakrishnan. He is New Mexico’s director of the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Track 2 and a professor of electrical and computer engineering. The research will be based in the Center for High Technology Materials (CHTM) at the University of New Mexico (UNM).
“This award dovetails nicely with UNM’s recent efforts with Sandia National Labs and other partners to build on our recognized history in the field of quantum information science and technology,” said UNM Vice President for Research Ellen Fisher in a statement. “The EPSCoR Track 2 grant expands on the past success of CHTM and will help to empower New Mexico to be a quantum state, including serving as the central hub for our nation’s future quantum workforce.”
Other collaborators include UNM investigators Tara Drake, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy, Terefe Habteyes, associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology, and Marek Osinski, distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering, alongside faculty at the University of Delaware.
A portion of the (UNM) funding will support Native American students with assistantships in quantum photonics research to explore career opportunities in quantum sciences.
Through this funding, researchers at both institutions will devise a new method of fabricating LED-like devices that generate photonic qubits, the fundamental information unit of quantum science.
“UNM and UD have been at the forefront of quantum materials research for over three decades,” said PI Balakrishnan on the possibilities of achieving significant breakthroughs. “This EPSCoR grant allows both EPSCoR jurisdictions to collaboratively address one of the biggest barriers to bringing quantum materials into commonplace consumer-level technologies.”
Another $10 million grant be used by researchers at the NM EPSCoR, and partner institutions from Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming to address the under-representation of American Indian and Alaska Native students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
According to UNM, Dr. Selena Connealy, associate director of NM EPSCoR, will serve as principal investigator (PI) for the New Mexico portion of the Cultivating Indigenous Research Communities for Leadership in Education (CIRCLES) Alliance, with co-PI Dr. Lani Tsinnajinnie, assistant professor of Community and Regional Planning at the UNM School of Architecture, Water, and Natural Resources.
The UNM portion of the award will be used to support native communities and STEM professionals across New Mexico through a series of community events focused on science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math (STEAM), Indigenous STEM professionals webinars, and annual New Mexico partner meetings.
Formed in 2020 with support from NSF’s EPSCoR and Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES) programs, CIRCLES Alliance serves students and educators at the kindergarten through undergraduate levels across the Mountain West.
“This funding will give us the opportunity to collaborate with New Mexico’s Native communities to ensure that STEM learning is accessible and culturally responsive in all settings, including K-12 classrooms, informal learning spaces, and community-based programs,” Connealy said.
CIRCLES Alliance PI, Aaron Thomas, director of Indigenous Research and STEM Education and professor of chemistry at the University of Montana, describes the CIRCLES Alliance’s goal as encouraging “AI/AN students to identify academically and culturally with being a Native scientist, technician, engineer, or mathematician so that more AI/AN students will enter and persist in STEM-related fields and workforce.”
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