BOZEMAN — Montana State University will celebrate its first-ever World Quantum Day in the weeks surrounding April 14 by supplying Montana middle and high school teachers with free kits and downloadable resources to help students at their schools learn about quantum science.

World Quantum Day is an annual event to promote public awareness and understanding of quantum science and technology, which have become a focus of MSU’s growing research.

Recently funded projects include the Applied Quantum CORE supported by the Air Force Research Lab, which will house equipment to test prototype quantum components in the extremely cold environments in which they operate, and a planning grant from the National Science Foundation’s Engines program for Montana to collaborate with Idaho and Wyoming to study key gaps in the national quantum supply chain.

Related projects at MSU include the MonArk Quantum Foundry, a collaboration between MSU and the University of Arkansas; Spectrum Lab, which bridges MSU’s research with Montana businesses; the Optical and Quantum System Program in the Department of Physics; and the Montana Nanotechnology Facility, or MONT.

Quantum mechanics is the science of atoms and particles – the tiny building blocks of the universe, according to the U.S. National Quantum Initiative. “Using quantum mechanics, scientist and engineers have created revolutionary technologies that impact our everyday lives,” the website states, listing as examples lasers, LED monitors, the inner workings of smartphones, MRI scanners in hospitals and the GPS system.

MSU’s Science Math Resource Center, which leads education and workforce development for Applied Quantum CORE, is curating World Quantum Day resources for teachers and will give away 25 kits for middle and high school teachers who wish to celebrate World Quantum Day with their students. No previous quantum experience or knowledge is required, as QCORE will provide an online professional development workshop that includes a short overview of quantum science, MSU’s research in the emerging field and how to use the kit’s resources. All activities will also be posted freely online. Teachers are encouraged to think about how they can share the resources with students who have been historically excluded from science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, fields.

Similar to Pi Day, which is celebrated on March 14, aka 3/14, in reference to the first digits of that number, World Quantum Day is celebrated on April 14 in reference to Planck’s constant, a number relevant to quantum physics.

To learn more about World Quantum Day at MSU or to apply for an educators’ kit, visit montana.edu/smrc/quantum. The deadline to apply for an educators’ kit is March 16. For more on World Quantum Day, visit worldquantumday.org.