Beijing Institute of Technology: Integrating Teaching-Grade Quantum Computers to Enhance Quantum Technology Education

 

As quantum technology rapidly advances, numerous colleges and universities are increasingly focusing on nurturing talents in this field. Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) has initiated a quantum technology practice course that utilizes educational-grade quantum computers from Quantum Spin Technology. This initiative aims to enhance students' grasp of the theoretical and experimental foundations of quantum information, foster their innovative thinking and problem-solving skills, and further promote the development of quantum information education in higher education.

 

 

BIT's Pioneering Effort in Quantum Information Education

 

Established in 1940, BIT is among the first universities to join the "211 Project" and "985 Project" of the State. It has consistently emphasized research and exploration in foundational frontier areas such as quantum information, integrated circuits, and intelligent manufacturing. Guided by the strategic needs of the State and the global frontiers of scientific and technological development, BIT established the Quantum Information Research Center (QIRC) in 2016, the first of its kind in China.

 

In 2016, BIT established the Quantum Technology Research Center, which was set up and operated under the organization and guidance of academician Ge Molin, to innovate the form of quantum education around the country's strategic needs in quantum technology.

 

Professor Yin Zhangqi, deeply engaged in the field of quantum technology for many years, joined BIT's Quantum Technology Research Center during this period. His significant task is to transform his extensive research experience into teaching outcomes, enhance classroom effectiveness, and promote the development of students' innovative abilities.

 

"In the era of great development of quantum technology, introducing mature experimental techniques in the field of quantum information into the classroom will greatly benefit the enhancement of teaching effect." In Yin Zhangqi's opinion, science has a frontier and a foundation. The frontier needs someone to delve into it, and the foundation needs someone to pass it on. As a university teacher engaged in quantum science research, he feels that he has the responsibility to introduce the mature experimental techniques accumulated in the field of quantum information into the classroom over the past nearly two decades to help more students learn and master quantum science knowledge and experimental skills.

 

In October 2019, Yin Zhangqi proposed to BIT's  Quantum Technology Research Center to offer  a practical course on quantum technology, which was recognized and strongly supported by the center.

 

 

Challenges and Solutions in Quantum Technology Education

 

However, for Yin Zhangqi and the teachers at BIT, there are still many practical problems in opening a quantum technology course for undergraduates from research to teaching, such as the lack of funds for construction, insufficient space for experimental teaching, etc. One of the most urgent problems is the lack of space for experimental teaching. One of the most pressing issues is the lack of teaching aids and equipment for experimental teaching. If the equipment used in scientific research is directly moved to the teaching scene, the stability is not ideal, and students often have to spend a lot of time debugging and calibrating, so the overall teaching experience is not good.

 

In addition, teachers at the school have tried to get students to use IBM's cloud platform, Qiskit, but for most of the lower-middle-aged undergraduates in unrelated majors, it's a headache just to register for an account and set up the environment.

 

 

Introducing Educational-Grade Quantum Computers for Hands-On Experience

 

In the ensuing multiple comparisons, Yin Zhangqi learned that Quantum Spin Technology's education-grade quantum computers, hardware and software equipment packaged into an integrated solution, able to provide a complete set of quantum computing teaching and demonstration, a complete set of experience. After communication, the prototype was quickly obtained for trial.

 

At the beginning of 2020, "Quantum Precision Measurement Technology", in which Yin Zhangqi was deeply involved, was opened to all science and engineering students at BIT, marking the first quantum science and technology practice course in the school.

 

According to Yin Zhangqi recalls, the first lecture, just in time for the spring of 2020, the new crown epidemic outbreak, students can not return to school to do experiments, but their enthusiasm for learning is unprecedented, the number of people who choose the course soon reached the upper limit of the course. The laboratory course, which captures the hot topics of science, became a popular choice for students to take. Despite the epidemic, students successfully completed their experiments through the remote login control system.

 

In this course, Yin Zhangqi and BIT's faculty spend six weeks to introduce the basic theoretical knowledge of quantum technology to the students. In the subsequent six-week practical course, teachers demonstrate the calibration of qubits, quantum superposition, quantum entanglement, quantum state manipulation, and some classical quantum algorithms to the students through the real quantum computer. Students then conducted hands-on operations and related experiments.

 

After the preliminary course and system guidance, students were able to independently utilize the quantum computer for constructing and measuring single/double quantum bit lines. They generally agreed that although the quantum theory portion was challenging, hands-on experiments provided a personal and intuitive experience of quantum technology.

 

"In class, after teaching the basic principles, we let students operate the quantum computer. The desktop quantum computer from SpinQ is easy to operate and particularly suitable for teaching scenarios. After understanding the principles, students can immediately start conducting various experiments and feel the superiority of quantum algorithms over classical algorithms in solving certain problems. This further stimulates their interest," said Yin Zhangqi.

 

Yin Zhangqi instructs students to do nuclear magnetic resonance experiments

 

 

BIT's Commitment to Quantum Education and Talent Development

 

Since the course's introduction, BIT has seen hundreds of students from various colleges, including Physics, Astronautics, Locomotive, Shinden, Optoelectronics, and Computer Science, take the course and complete numerous experiments related to quantum precision measurements on platforms such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Single Photon Counting Imaging (SPCI). The experiments involving Quantum Spin Technology's quantum computer were the most accessible and received the best response.

 

Yin Zhangqi believes that in quantum education, practical aspects often hold greater value than theoretical explanations, helping students broaden their horizons and ideas.

 

The Rise of Quantum Information Majors in Higher Education

 

In 2021, based on the practice and experience of the public course "Quantum Precision Measurement Technology," BIT began preparing for a new undergraduate major in quantum information science, which was officially approved by the Ministry of Education in April 2023. This means that in September of this year, BIT will welcome its first class of undergraduate students majoring in quantum information science.

 

Yin Zhangqi stated that in the future, depending on enrollment numbers, he will consider expanding the quantum computer equipment, not only for public elective course experiments but also for the construction of the undergraduate major in quantum information science. "For majors oriented towards practical application scenarios, this practical class is especially important," he emphasized.

 

The future undergraduate program in quantum information science at BIT will be structured hierarchically, with basic introductory courses, specialized courses, and scientific research and practical training courses. Correspondingly, experiments will be divided into basic, specialized, and research-level experiments.

 

The development of quantum computing relies on high-level scientific research and technical talent. According to McKinsey & Company, the talent gap in quantum computing is significant: as of 2021, the ratio of graduates in quantum computing-related majors to the recruitment demand for talent positions worldwide is as high as 1:3, indicating that for every three vacancies in a professional position, there is only one qualified candidate.

 

With the rapid development of quantum technology, higher education institutions are focusing on cultivating talents in quantum technology. This includes launching online courses on quantum computing, conducting summer camps, adding undergraduate majors in quantum information, and collaborating with enterprises for talent development.

 

In 2020, the Ministry of Education issued the Guidelines for the Construction of Future Technical Colleges (for Trial Implementation), emphasizing the need to "strengthen the deep integration of modern information technology and education, and explore the deep application of new technologies, tools, and standards, such as mixed reality and quantum computing, in teaching and learning."

 

Since 2021, universities like China University of Science and Technology have established undergraduate programs in quantum information science, and Tsinghua University has set up the "Yao Class" in quantum information. In 2023, the Ministry of Education approved five colleges and universities, including Beijing Institute of Technology, Anhui University, Southwest University, Hubei University, and Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, to establish undergraduate programs in quantum information science.

 

As the "bridgehead" of quantum science and technology talent cultivation, universities play a crucial role in nurturing a group of quantum science and technology talents with professional knowledge and practical skills, which has become an urgent task. Against the backdrop of the rise of quantum information education, universities can only accelerate the cultivation of quantum science and technology talents by improving the cultivation system and expanding cooperation channels, thereby providing continuous support for the development of China's quantum science and technology field.

 

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