PsiQuantum Supports Quantum Education in South Chicago with $10K Donation to Bowen High School

Insider Brief:

• PsiQuantum donated $10,000 to Bowen High School to enhance its quantum science and engineering curriculum, funding classroom technologies such as VR equipment, drones, and robotics kits.

• The donation, which quadruples the school’s annual science budget, will support existing quantum-focused lessons and expand hands-on learning through maker spaces and pre-engineering programs.

• While PsiQuantum has taken early steps to engage with the community, local leaders continue to call for formal commitments from all South Works tenants to support education and workforce development.

• Image Credit: Maxwell Evans/Block Club Chicago

PsiQuantum, a photonic quantum computing company and anchor tenant of the planned Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, has donated $10,000 to Bowen High School on Chicago’s South Side to support its growing quantum science and engineering curriculum. The school, located about a mile from the South Works redevelopment site, will use the funding to purchase classroom technologies including virtual reality equipment, robotics kits, rockets, and drones.

According to a news release from Block Club Chicago, the donation quadruples Bowen’s typical science department budget and could also support its engineering and pre-engineering programs. These include courses introducing students to industrial design, drafting, and hands-on STEM applications.

The initiative aligns with PsiQuantum’s broader goals to integrate with local communities as it expands operations in Chicago. Mo Green, PsiQuantum’s Head of Market Development and Community and Government Affairs, described the gift as a way to help students visualize and experience what careers in science, technology, and engineering might look like in practice. “I’m really curious to see how this technology will transform the lesson plans that teachers can give in the school,” Green said in the release.

Expanding a Quantum-Focused Curriculum

Bowen High School has already been incorporating quantum science concepts into its curriculum for several years. Adam Davenport, the school’s science department head, has been a member of the University of Chicago’s TeachQuantum program since its founding. TeachQuantum trains K–12 teachers to integrate quantum mechanics into classroom instruction. At Bowen, this has included lessons on topics like quantum encryption and foundational ideas such as measurement and probability, often taught through analogies and low-cost materials.

As noted by Davenport in the release, these core ideas can be taught with minimal resources. However, illustrating their application in real-world scenarios—such as drone-based quantum communication or quantum sensing—requires additional funding and equipment. “It does not take money to teach these initial concepts,” Davenport said. “But it does take money and it takes resources to show students how these concepts are going to be used in industry.”

The new funding will also support the school’s ongoing efforts to create a maker space and integrate quantum themes into broader engineering lessons. Principal Priscilla Horton emphasized that this support gives teachers the ability to go beyond the limitations of typical public school science budgets and “plan something phenomenal for the kids.”

A Push for Community Engagement

PsiQuantum is one of the first companies involved in the redevelopment of the former U.S. Steel South Works site, a 415-acre area being transformed by Related Midwest into a mixed-use campus including quantum research facilities, a hospital, and housing. The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, where PsiQuantum will be based, is expected to serve as a local hub for both applied quantum research and industry engagement.

Though PsiQuantum has not made commitments to future education funding in the area, Green noted the company also donated $15,000 to Chicago State University and may continue supporting South Side students depending on future budgets.

The donation comes amid ongoing discussions among South Side residents about the need for a community benefits agreement tied to the ongoing campus development. While local leaders, including Bowen staff, have expressed support for the potential of the project, they have also urged developers and tenants to formalize commitments around workforce development and education access.

When asked whether PsiQuantum would sign such an agreement, Green deferred to the site’s developers. City officials have likewise avoided directly addressing whether a CBA will be facilitated. However, school leaders remain hopeful. “Having this [development] built here … gives us the opportunity to say not just — as I do all the time — how quantum is the bleeding edge, how it’s where computing is going,” Davenport reported to Block Club Chicago. “Now I can say, it’s where computing is going, and it’s right here in our backyard.”

Principal Horton echoed the importance of ongoing engagement. While she praised PsiQuantum for taking the initiative, she noted that other tenants, including Advocate Health, have yet to reach out. “I do think that all the folks that are coming into the community have a responsibility to add value to the community,” she said. “Only time will tell if the others are going to also engage with the community and the school in the same way.”