Quantum Noir 2024
Creating a community
Coffee in one hand, pastry in the other, I scan the room. The walls are lined with wooden bookshelves and long tables have been laid out in the centre. I'm in the Jefferson physics library at Harvard University. There are clusters of people standing around, and some have settled down on tables. Nearly all of them are people of color. A loud buzz of conversation fills my ears. Given I can't eat with just one hand, it seems prudent to find a seat. I spot a man eating a muffin, sitting at the edge of a group that's deep in conversation and decide to approach him.
His name is Moses Asom and he works in Dallas. Out of habit, I introduce myself as an editor, and quite a bit of conversation ensues before my book comes up. "Oh I was at Bell Labs", he exclaims. He goes on to tell me about his decades long career at Bell Labs, where he arrived as a postdoc doing physics research and then moved into the business side, working to create spin-off companies. He's at the conference to talk about the role of venture capital in translating research from academia to industry.
I'm at Quantum Noir - a conference on quantum science and technology - that features a stellar line-up of talks and tutorials, aimed at students of color. This is the brainchild of Bill Wilson (who originally told me about the scholarship program at Bell Labs). The intention is to create a community of researchers of color working in the quantum space. And it's working. Over lunch, I was in a conversation with two Black women - a 4th year PhD student at Harvard giving an undergraduate tips on applying for grad school and general advice about being in academia.
The conference itself is the legacy of a Black community - from Bell Labs. It's not just Moses who was at Bell Labs. Most senior faculty here seem to have some links to Bell, even if it is just a summer program that they did in the 90s. And almost every speaker has made some allusion to work done at Bell Labs in their talks. At the conference dinner, I talk about my book and Jim West dials in to make some remarks. West’s legacy of mentorship has created a whole generation of Black scientists - and impacted the next one too. He is the cool uncle (or grandfather depending on your age) of the community.
Community creation is at the heart of this conference and it lives up to its promise. Everyone is open and friendly and the senior speakers actively engage with the students. All the talks have been pitched perfectly - there's enough technical detail to be interesting, but they all offer a big picture overview. The incredible level of talks, combined with a carefully chosen range of topics (based around quantum - sensing/computing/nanotech/photonics/materials) means that this is probably the most physics I have ever learnt in a week: I even fully followed a theory talk!
Over the course of the conference, word spreads about the book - and the responses are warm and encouraging. I've made a huge number of connections with an wonderfully warm and encouraging community of scientists. I’m leaving with a notebook full of physics, a phone full of new contacts and some snazzy conference stash!
