Quantum information science is rarely taught in high school – here's why that matters

Many students attend high schools that don't offer physics. BraunS/E+ via Getty Images

The first time I heard about quantum information science, I was at a teacher development workshop in Canada in 2008.

I already knew that quantum science was the study of the smallest objects in nature. I also knew that information science was the study of computers and the internet. What I didn’t know was that quantum information science – sometimes called QIS – was a new field of science and technology, combining physical science, math, computer science and engineering.