(October 2025) EdQuantum Returns to SPIE Photonics West 2026 for Third Consecutive Year! EdQuantum will present “Quantum Technology Essentials for Non-Quantum Professionals” (Course SC1353) at SPIE Photonics West 2026 on Monday, January 19, 2026, from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM PST in San Francisco. This introductory-level workshop, now in its third year, is designed for technical managers, product developers, sales engineers, and other professionals seeking a foundational understanding of quantum technologies without extensive mathematical background. Participants will explore key quantum concepts including superposition, entanglement, quantum tunneling, and quantum coherence, while learning how these principles drive innovations in secure communications, advanced sensing, and computation. The course emphasizes practical applications and provides professionals with the knowledge needed to engage in technical discussions, identify quantum opportunities within their organizations, and make informed strategic decisions in this rapidly evolving field.
(September 2025) EdQuantum is presenting an eight-lecture series on quantum technologies at SUNY Broome Community College as we continue to pilot our curriculum with local partners. Approximately 20 enthusiastic students from Broome are participating in this initiative to learn about quantum technologies. The biweekly lecture series runs throughout the Fall 2026 semester and is being offered at both SUNY Broome Community College and Syracuse University, fostering collaboration and expanding access to quantum education across our regional partners.
(September 2025) EdQuantum Delivers Quantum Cryptography Workshop at TAPIA Conference in Dallas. EdQuantum presented “Demystifying Secure Quantum Communication: A Hands-on Workshop for All” at the TAPIA Conference in Dallas, Texas, introducing participants to the fundamentals of quantum cryptography and secure communication technologies. The 75-minute interactive workshop guided attendees through the principles of quantum key distribution (QKD) and the BB84 protocol, combining theoretical presentations with hands-on experimentation. Participants set up and aligned optical communication links, learning how to implement quantum-inspired encryption techniques using polarizers, waveplates, and detectors. Syracuse University students Sofia Macaluso and Donovan Donlin played key roles in the workshop, demonstrating quantum cryptography setups and assisting participants with optical component alignment. The workshop attracted a diverse audience including undergraduate and graduate students, academic faculty, and professionals from government, corporate, and non-profit sectors, all seeking to understand how quantum technologies are reshaping cybersecurity in the face of evolving quantum-enabled threats.
(August 2025) EdQuantum successfully conducted “Quantum Frontiers – Unlocking the Secrets of Tomorrow’s Technology” during July 2025 at Syracuse University’s summer college program for high school students. Ten students from various parts of the country, including two international participants, explored the fundamentals of quantum science through interactive lectures, hands-on laboratory activities, and group discussions. Students gained practical experience with cutting-edge quantum technologies, including exfoliating two-dimensional materials and working with single-photon detectors. A highlight of the program was a field trip to the Nano-Complex in Albany, where participants learned how semiconductor chips are used to create next-generation quantum devices, providing them with valuable insight into the real-world applications of quantum technology.
(February 2025) We’re excited to announce that the EdQuantum management team has signed a contract with SPIE to publish our three-book series, which provides detailed textbook material for three comprehensive courses developed for technician education in quantum technologies. The inaugural volume, “Gentle Introduction to Quantum Optics,” has successfully completed a comprehensive peer review process and is scheduled for publication in early 2026. These books also serve as excellent resources for individuals and professionals without a physics background who are interested in learning about quantum technologies. Stay tuned for more details on this and future volumes in the series!
(January 2025) We’re proud to announce that our research paper, “Quantum technician skills and competencies for the emerging Quantum 2.0 industry” by M. Hasanovic, C. Panayiotou, D. Silberman, P. Stimers, and C. Merzbacher, has been selected for inclusion in Quantum Photonics: From Optical Bench to Global Impact, the second volume in SPIE’s new Selections book series. Edited by Jess Wade and Miles Padgett, this publication chronicles the historical development of quantum photonics through carefully curated content from SPIE’s Digital Library. Our paper was chosen from approximately 12,000 articles based on its impact to the field, content quality, and contribution to the narrative of how quantum photonics has transitioned from laboratory research to real-world applications. The book is now available online through SPIE Press.
(January 2025) The EdQuantum project has transitioned from Indian River State College to Syracuse University. This move is expected to leverage the robust support structure of a four-year, research-oriented institution, enabling the project to make a greater impact on developing the quantum workforce. Additionally, the project’s new regional location positions it within a hub of quantum-enabling industries, creating additional opportunities to build stronger academic and industrial partnerships.
(August 2024) The EdQuantum team, supported by the NSF 19-057 Dear Colleague Letter, recently visited academic and industrial partners in Australia to strengthen global collaboration in workforce development for photonics, quantum, and nano/micro technologies. The U.S. delegation, including Mo Hasanovic (EdQuantum PI), Jared Ashcroft (MNT-EC PI), and Grant Emmel (Madison Area Technical College), engaged with over 30 institutions in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, and Sydney. Our mission included exploring workforce training strategies, gathering insights on lab tools and equipment, and fostering collaboration in emerging technologies. Key takeaways highlight the need for a skilled quantum workforce, enhanced educational resources, and closer international collaboration to address critical gaps in quantum workforce development.
(December 2023) We successfully piloted our first EdQuantum Course at Indian River State College in Fall 2023! The title of this 3-credit course is “Introduction to Quantum Technology.” This was for the first time ever that a course in experimental quantum technologies was offered at a two-year institution in the United States. For more information about the course, please check a short video in Lab Demos on this website. To inquire about the course learning outcomes or equipment used in the course, please contact us at mhasanov@irsc.edu.
(May 15-18, 2023) We presented the work at Education and Training in Optics and Photonics Conference (ETOP 2023) in Cocoa Beach, Florida. As an invited speaker to the quantum symposium at this conference, Dr. Hasanovic gave a 30-minute talk titled “Quantum Education: How to Teach a Subject that Nobody Fully Understands?” In the presentation, the EdQuantum team shared the experiences and results of the project and the curriculum being developed. It was stressed that the curriculum may also be used to raise awareness and inspire high school students to seek careers as future quantum scientists. In addition to the presentation, this work was also published in the conference proceedings.
(May 4, 2023) EdQuantum team offered a quantum cryptography workshop at SPIE DCS Conference in Orlando, Florida. The targeted audience for this workshop, titled “Basics of Quantum Cryptography,” were technicians, business, marketing, sales, and other non-technical professionals and managers with an interest in this technology and its projected impact on modern society. New cryptographic techniques have recently emerged that combine quantum and traditional methods to provide protection against quantum threats. In this workshop, we elaborated on the foundations of quantum cryptography, how it works, and its current challenges. The course participants set up a simple communication link based on BB84 protocol and demonstrated a classical and single-photon version of quantum encrypted communication. About fifteen participants attended the workshop. More information about this workshop can be found here.
(April 12, 2023) EdQuantum students and instructors actively participated at the Photonics Symposium and Community Event at Indian River State College. The students demonstrated a variety of quantum equipment from IRSC Quantum Lab. This event attracted local industry as well as the community and served the purpose of raising awareness about photonics and quantum technologies.
(October 2, 2022) EdQuantum team presented a paper titled “Upskilling photonics technicians to meet challenges of the quantum 2.0 revolution” at SPIE Optics and Photonics Conference in San Diego, August 21-25, 2022. The paper and recorded audio of the presentation are published in SPIE Digital Library and is available online here. In this publication, we outlined the program and course learning outcomes of the curriculum we are developing through the EdQuantum project. Educational material (textbooks, labs, and other supplemental material) for the curriculum are under development.
(August 31, 2022) Dr. Mo Hasanovic (EdQuantum PI) and Donn Silberman (EdQuantum Collaborator, CA) visited local school Samueli Academy in Santa Barbara, California, and met with the group of high school students interested in quantum photonics. During this visit, the students were exposed to different photonics enabled technologies and equipment. Mr. Silberman gave a very inspirational talk about his professional career and opportunities that quantum and photonics offer to younger generations. Students also had a chance to participate in a two-hour hands-on activity on a quantum-inspired hardware. Raising awareness about the impact of quantum technologies is one of the most important objectives of the EdQuantum project.
(May 1, 2022) Dr. Mo Hasanovic (EdQuantum PI), Dr. Chrys Panayiotou (EdQuantum Co-PI), and prof Gary Beasley (EdQuantum Collaborator, NC) visited academic and industrial institutions in North Carolina interested in quantum technology and spectroscopy. Potential ways of collaboration were discussed with the colleagues at Duke Quantum Center, IBM Quantum Hub at North Carolina State University, Wasatch Photonics, and University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. Hasanovic also gave a presentation titled “Facing the Quantum 2.0” to the students at Central Carolina Community College.
(April 9, 2022) The article “Quantum Technician Skills and Competencies for the Emerging Quantum 2.0 Industry” is now published by the SPIE Journal of Optical Engineering. In this article, we presented the results of the recent study of the emerging quantum industry workforce needs that our team conducted with our external partners over the last six months. The article is open access and can be downloaded from this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.61.8.081803.
(March 15, 2022) The EdQuantum team invites all our partners from industry and academia to attend the High Impact Technology Exchange Conference (HI-TEC 2022) to be held in Salt Lake City, July 25-28, 2022. Our team will be offering a workshop titled “Practical Demonstration of Quantum Inspired Secure Communication” on Monday, July 25, 8:30AM-Noon. The abstract and more information can be found here: https://www.highimpact-tec.org/hitec2022-precon.
(February 28, 2022) EdQuantum team has completed the survey of the quantum industry, academia, and other stakeholders. We collected input about the skills and competencies that a future quantum technician should possess in order to support the development and commercialization of the Quantum Revolution 2.0 products. Our industrial partners have provided a valuable experience-based input that has been analyzed by our team and will be used as a guideline to develop the three course curriculum in quantum technologies.
(October 30, 2021) EdQuantum team actively participated at Virtual ATE PI Conference taking place October 18-22, 2021. We presented two sessions – Demonstration titled “Quantum Experimentation in Community College Lab Setting” and Virtual Roundtable titled “Let’s Talk Quantum: Introducing Quantum Technology to Two-Year Institutions of Higher Education“. Two virtual sessions can be previewed on this website (see sections LAB DEMOS and INDUSTRY COLLABORATION).
(Sep 1, 2021) Our New quantum photonics lab is now up and running! We have successfully performed experiments of single-photon interference, quantum eraser, delayed choice, and entanglement. Thank you Kiko Galvez (Colgate University) for all your generous help and advices during the work on setting up the apparatus!
