Quantum technology is among the biggest talking points on the web. And yet, the general feeling is that only experts can understand it. The Sparks! Forum at CERN aims to prove this wrong.
Like several other types of information technology developed in the recent past, quantum technology looks like a “strange new thing” with the potential to change our present and future. At CERN, this feeling is not new to us, as it is here that the World Wide Web was invented over 30 years ago.
Today, quantum is a global initiative spread involving research centres, established companies and startups. At CERN, the Quantum Technology Initiative, which provides a platform for quantum computing, has recently been complemented by the Open Quantum Institute (OQI), which has been designed to become the societal arm of CERN’s Quantum Technology Initiative and aims to support projects that use quantum computing for the benefit of all.
There could arguably be no better place to showcase this theme than the Sparks! Forum, designed to inspire curious minds to discover cutting-edge topics in science and technology that affect society. Its third edition will be on the theme of Future Quantum. In preparation for it, on 16 November in the recently inaugurated auditorium of CERN Science Gateway, speakers will take the audience on a journey into the future of quantum technology, as well as looking at how it is already shaping our present.
At the event, you will hear a range of presentations, from a basic overview of quantum technology to quantum’s applications in agriculture and medicine, passing through the potential impact of quantum in the field of high-energy physics.
Confirmed speakers are:
- Nicole Yunger Halpern, author of Steampunk Quantum.
- Mira L. Wolf-Bauwens, Responsible Quantum Computing Lead at IBM Research.
- Rachel Maze, Head of Quantum Technologies Policy, UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
The event will also explore the theme of quantum technology through the artistic point of view of dancers Wenchi Su and I-Fang Lin.
The event will be moderated by Bruno Giussani and is supported by the CERN & Society Foundation and Rolex.