Quantum for Environment challenge kicks off with a launch event
A large turnout at the Quantum for Environment Launch Event held on June 6, 2023 elicited innovative ideas on making an environmental impact using quantum ideas.
TQT is introducing an annual design challenge to mine for innovative and impactful solutions to critical societal problems that can be enabled through quantum technologies. This year, TQT is presenting the Quantum for Environment challenge to search for opportunities where quantum technology can impact environmental needs. Last week’s launch event saw over 40 participants keen to explore how quantum may play a role in advancing environmental solutions, both in the near and long term.
The launch event introduced the Quantum for Environment design challenge aimed at harnessing quantum effects to different environmental applications. Case studies presented at the event introduced several of these needs, including aerosol observation, ocean sensing, detecting pathogens in aquaculture systems, reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide, optimizing field chemical analysis, soil carbon monitoring, tree-health monitoring, and monitoring methane release. Each speaker eagerly challenged the audience to think of possible quantum solutions to their proposed problem, noting problems with existing methods or technologies.
Following the case studies, participants collaborated to brainstorm potential environmental needs and suggest quantum modalities that may enable solutions. Several of the brainstormed ideas offered possible solutions to the case study problems, such as using quantum simulation to model the reduction of greenhouse gases, pollutants, and aerosols from the environment. While eleven topics were given to facilitate discussion amongst the participants, the brainstorming session led to several wide-reaching solutions that could address multiple issues, for example, quantum gravimeters for earth exploration and soil density imaging, optimized two-dimensional quantum materials that can lead to better energy sources and energy-efficient devices, and various quantum sensors to monitor a wide range of environmental applications, such as temperature detection and monitoring of forest firsts, heavy metal and toxic gas detection, earth imaging via LiDAR, and mapping ocean currents. Additional themes of quantum mathematics for numerical solutions, RNA purification and quantification of biological samples, and more effective data storage were also proposed.
Vassili Karanassios, a Professor in the Department of Chemistry, and his research group are developing solutions expected to revolutionize chemical analysis and environmental measurements by developing approaches and instrumentation that help bring the lab to the field. Karanassios believes this TQT challenge represents a step towards realizing significant environmental impacts: “I would like to thank David and Tracey for developing this challenge. I have never seen something like this done in this format and scale before, by providing an optimal platform for those across fields to collaborate to develop new impactful solutions to existing environmental problems.”