Can a one-day event trigger interest in quantum physics at the university level?

by Daria Anttila (University of Jyväskylä)

Wednesday 19 Nov 2025, 11:00 → 12:00 Europe/Zurich

From the big bang to black holes, from elementary particles and the fundamental interactions that govern our universe to the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments, our knowledge of the world builds on modern physics. To make our current-best understanding available to all, we need to invest in educational research and bridge the gap between those who know science, those who teach science, and those who learn science. 

This month, we are going to discuss a paper by Daria Anttila, Antti Lehtinen and Pekka Koskinen:

Abstract: The ongoing second quantum revolution and the growing impact of quantum technologies on our society and economy are making quantum physics education even more important. Consequently, there is a lot of research on quantum physics education for university students and even the general public. However, studying quantum physics or any other topic is primarily voluntary and thus a matter of personal interest—and it can only grow from a seed planted earlier. Here, we describe and test how a one-day event designed to trigger interest and change perceptions about quantum physics among physics and mathematics students at the University of Turku, Finland succeeded in meeting its goals. The data was collected from participants through questionnaires and complementary interviews. We found that the event made attitudes and views toward quantum physics more positive, versatile, and realistic. Although the event was too short to notably or permanently elevate the phase of interest when evaluated externally on a four-level scale, self-evaluations still reported an increased interest for most participants. Thus, it appears that even a short event can cultivate the ground to make it fertile for maintaining and developing interest further, for example, by well-designed and -timed quantum physics curriculum.

Paper:

Anttila, D., Lehtinen, A., & Koskinen, P. (2024). Can a one-day event trigger interest in quantum physics at the university level? European Journal of Physics, 45(4), 045708. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6404/ad4f33