Dr. Franz Klein leads Quantum Computing Workshop at the University of the District of Columbia

As part of an ongoing commitment to education and community outreach, researchers from the National Quantum Laboratory (QLab) regularly present at professional meetings and workshops throughout the year. Most recently, on May 1, 2026, QLab's Dr. Franz Klein served as a featured speaker at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) for its second Quantum Computing Workshop.

Dr. Klein’s presentation offered a comprehensive introduction to the foundational concepts of the field, including two-state quantum systems, qubits, and the basic architectural elements of quantum computing.

A major focus of this year's workshop was distinguishing the theoretical promise of quantum technology from its current reality. Under the topic "Quantum Supremacy? What can be accomplished with NISQ computers," Dr. Klein provided attendees with a grounded look at the limited—yet highly valuable—performance of today’s noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices.

To demonstrate what is practically achievable on current hardware, Dr. Klein walked the audience through several concrete, near-term applications. These included examples of variational quantum eigensolvers (VQE), the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA), and quantum machine learning (QML).

By breaking down both the fundamentals of quantum mechanics and the realities of NISQ-era hardware, Dr. Klein's session helped equip UDC students and attendees with the realistic perspective needed to engage with the rapidly evolving quantum computing landscape.