Encouraging women to take a quantum leap into the future of science

The University of Waterloo held its second annual Quantum Connections Conference this week.

“Quantum computing is a new way to harness some of the properties of nature to give us new powers, new potential with computing, which is really kind of the next frontier,” explained Lisa Lambert, the CEO of Quantum Industry Canada.

She said it’s expected to be a $139 billion industry in Canada by 2045 and more than 220,000 people will be required to maintain and accelerate the industry.

Calista Blessing studies business at Wilfrid Laurier University and computer science at Waterloo University simultaneously, but it’s her work as a member of ‘Girls in Quantum’ that has her excited about the future of the field.

“I can promote these communities, share that with other people [and] can get them interested in it,” she said. “That [is] immensely important to have those different perspectives when you’re building things.”

Blessing was chosen to be this year’s closing keynote speaker. The message she wants to share is the importance of mentorship for the next generation.

Attendees who spoke with CTV News on Thursday said they’ve noticed more young women showing an interest in quantum computing.

“I feel like people are getting the word out that there is a gap in diversity and trying to encourage young girls, young physicists to take the opportunity to jump into the field,” said Estelle Inack, a scientist with the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo.

“As a quantum engineer myself, it’s important for me to promote women in the field,” added Chloe Archambault, a partner at Quantacet. “The stats we know are pretty low, the problem being that we lose women along the way, so retention is very important.”

Blessing added that both the conference and Girls in Quantum “aim to just raise awareness that quantum is a possibility for young women across the world and show them that it’s a really exciting and innovative field to join.”