Introducing high schools to quantum science, with simplicity

“If you can’t explain something to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it well enough.” Einstein is said to have uttered these words. This adage about understanding and simplicity resonates with the work of the Curieux quantiques team, which presents a series of quantum science workshops and demos in high schools.

These visits follow (or rather precede) the educational series already undertaken by Curieux quantiques in Quebec’s cegeps since 2020. The team has expanded with the addition of Souheila Hassoun in the fall of 2022, and Mélissa Greene this winter as science educators. Their impact with Curieux quantiques has been immediate with a series of activities in several Eastern Townships’ high schools.

Putting quantum science in the hands of young people

The project has come a long way in a few months, reaching more than 770 students through 24 activities in 10 high schools. The team also has another series of activities slated on the calendar for springtime.

“The idea of reaching out to high school students came naturally to assess what kind of material and concepts interest young people with their knowledge level, says Souheila Hassoun, who has a doctorate in mathematics. We collaborated with several enthusiastic and motivated teachers to test our material with students and find the best way to integrate it into their classroom. Our workshops are interactive, and the students are very involved.”

Popularizing quantum science is a gradual process. Illustrating quantum phenomena tangibly to anchor the learning is a great way to get more young people, and their teachers, interested in quantum sciences.

“Many of our demonstrations have an experimental aspect. They allow students to manipulate samples with their hands, and to experience quantum phenomena on their own with calcite crystals, copper pipes, magnets and polarized filters,” adds Mélissa.

Striking the imagination

The workshops touch on a variety of phenomena and expose students to little-known but equally surprising quantum aspects including quantum materials. Of course, some demonstrations immediately strike people’s imagination. For instance, the famous magnetic levitation train with cuprates cooled with liquid nitrogen (-196 degrees Celsius) remains a moment of wonder for many.

“We have designed new demonstrations on different themes, such as highlighting the wave aspect of light through the phenomenon of laser diffraction by a hair or by the hologram on banknotes, explains Souheila. The workshop on the theme of light, shows students what exposing Hackmanite samples to black light can do to the luminosity of different colours while explaining the quantum phenomenon involved!

Curieux quantiques also offers an opportunity for high school students and their teachers to visit the Institut quantique and see the experimental fabrication facilities, known as the Quantum FabLab. For most, this is a unique opportunity to see in person a real dilution refrigerator capable of cooling samples to temperatures approaching absolute zero, or -273 degrees Celsius.

“It was really good. I really loved it. I’d do it it again tomorrow morning. A teacher came to me and said that the students who participated in your workshop also loved it and were talking about it during class. A huge thank you” – Monia Ammar, Guidance Counsellor at Collège François-Delaplace

With this new series of workshops for young people, the Curieux quantiques team seems to have everything in hand to bring quantum science to high school teachers with simplicity.