We are working on several quantum education projects looking at various ways to teach students the knowledge and skills needed to work with quantum experiments. Here at CU Boulder, there is a new senior capstone course where students partner with a company in the quantum industry for a year-long authentic project. We are investigating how students’ perceptions about, and interest in, the quantum industry change throughout this year-long course.
Technologies such as quantum computing, networking, and sensing are moving out of the laboratory to applications in the wider world. These technologies are being developed and disseminated by a broad range of companies that make up the Quantum Industry (see, for example, the Quantum Economic Development Consortium). We are interested in learning how best higher-education institutions can adapt their existing curricula and degree programs to meet the needs of this new industry.
During the Fall 2020 term, when faced with the challenge of instructing a large (400+ student), introductory physics lab virtually, we redesigned the entire course to create a unique experience for the students in this very unique situation--a CURE. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) involve students in authentic research by engaging students in inquiries where neither the students nor the instructor know the answer.
In the spring of 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, colleges and universities across the world rapidly transitioned classes and activities to be conducted remotely. This transition presented particular challenges for laboratory courses. We are currently conducting research to document the variety of creative approaches employed by physics lab instructors, measure the impact of the transition to remote teaching on student learning and students' beliefs about experimental physics, and to assess the effectiveness of remote lab teaching strategies.
The Lewandowski Group studies how students obtain experimental research skills in the context of instructional labs and undergraduate research experiences. In addition, we work to transform classroom experiences to help students better transition into the research lab environment.
Physics Frontiers Centers (PFCs)
The Physics Frontiers Centers (PFC) program supports university-based centers and institutes where the collective efforts of a larger group of individuals can enable transformational advances in the most promising research areas. The program is designed to foster major breakthroughs at the intellectual frontiers of physics by providing needed resources such as combinations of talents, skills, disciplines, and/or specialized infrastructure, not usually available to individual investigators or small groups, in an environment in which the collective efforts of the larger group can be shown to be seminal to promoting significant progress in the science and the education of students. PFCs also include creative, substantive activities aimed at enhancing education, broadening participation of traditionally underrepresented groups, and outreach to the scientific community and general public. Read more about this program at the NSF website.
