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<\/a>McKenzie McLoughlin | NAU Communications
\n(928) 523-4789 |\u00a0McKenzie.McLoughlin@nau.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You can think of quantum computers as supercomputers, though they may or may not replace classical computers. They are superior in several aspects, such as executing fast searching algorithms through large databases, breaking cryptosystems and molecular modeling, which could revolutionize medical research.<\/p>\n
Diaz and Begay-Wilson didn\u2019t just wake up one day and set out to research one of the most critical upcoming fields of physics. Their journeys began when they were young, and both traced back to a passionate person encouraging personal and scientific discovery.<\/p>\n
Taylor Begay-Wilson<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cEven for those who did not want to be academically pushed, it became apparent that the teaching staff wanted their students to excel and establish a presence outside of the reservation for greater opportunities,\u201d Begay-Wilson said. \u201cTheir passion for teaching grew on to me and ignited my curiosity. That feeling of understanding complex topics like trigonometry and fully understanding the material gave me a huge sense of accomplishment.\u201d<\/p>\n At Begay-Wilson\u2019s high school, each academic year began with a talk from alumni, giving motivational speeches to inspire students to thrive. These recent graduates, who now work successful careers in various industries, share the stories of their own success, and the impact their education has had on them<\/p>\n \u201cEver since then, it has been a dream and goal of mine to be like those alumni guest speakers,\u201d he said. \u201cAfter I acquire my doctoral degree, I will go back to my high school and give a motivational talk, similar to the speeches I heard over the years to influence the next generation of students. Because I know the struggles of those living on the reservation, like how the majority\u00a0 experience poverty, have no electricity or running water and face alcoholism there is an opportunity for me to speak about how, despite the \u00a0difficulties of growing up on the reservation, there is always an opportunity to be on the positive side of the statistics.\u201d<\/p>\n And he will have a lot to talk about. Begay-Wilson\u2019s focus is on expanding the security of computers. By implementing a quantum true random number generator (QTRNG), where the unpredictable nature of qubits in a superposition state is exploited, they were able to demonstrate true randomness, which can be used to strengthen cryptographic schemes . Since quantum computing will eventually have the processing power to break existing cryptosystems used today, there is a need for stronger security in which the approach is quantum resistant. It is such a new field, randomness and post quantum cryptography is key to defending against such attacks.<\/p>\n \u201cBy the end of this year, IBM looks to increase its qubit count to 433 qubits, or 2433<\/sup> possible configurations which are more configurations than there are atoms in the observable universe!\u201d Begay-Wilson said.<\/p>\n He hopes to work in the emerging memory industry\u2014maybe working on research that ravels on space missions to provide cyber security.<\/p>\n Jaime Diaz<\/strong><\/p>\n When you hear about photosynthesis, you may just imagine a green plant collecting sunlight, but not Diaz. His research focuses on the energy transfer between molecules in artificial photosynthetic systems. The\u00a0artificial systems are made by mimicking the photosynthetic systems found in nature like plants and bacteria. \u201cThe general idea is to use qubits to model molecular interactions, or in my case, energy transfer between artificial molecules,\u201d Diaz said.<\/p>\n He always found math and science interesting, but never really considered it as a career path until one day, his uncle took him to an event at work where Diaz was able to play with liquid nitrogen and see a thermal image of himself.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom that point, I stumbled my way into higher education as a first-generation college student and now into graduate school,\u201d Diaz said. How does one stumble into the ever-advancing field of quantum computers, you may wonder?<\/p>\n \u201cI, very much at the last minute, was convinced I should try to get my Ph.D.,\u201d he said. \u201cI was part of a few programs aimed at helping minorities like myself advance in STEM. One of my mentors urged me to apply to graduate school because they saw potential in me, so I did.\u201d<\/p>\n He ultimately chose NAU because the Applied Physics and Material Science program seemed like a perfect fit.<\/p>\n \u201cThe people in my department are outstanding scientists and, more importantly, outstanding humans,\u201d he said. Originally wanting to be an experimentalist, Diaz was convinced by his adviser, associate professor In\u00e8s Monta\u00f1o<\/strong>, to join her group that mainly does theoretical work with quantum physics.<\/p>\n \u201cQuantum physics is my favorite area in physics because of how weird things get in the quantum regime,\u201d Diaz said. \u201cI was very unsure of what I wanted to do for research at first because I find everything extremely interesting, it\u2019s just in my nature. After some early struggles, my current research project was put on the table, and I quickly realized this is what I wanted to do. Something about using quantum physics to study natural processes is really cool to me. And now I don\u2019t get as distracted by other quantum related projects because I\u2019m so invested in this one.\u201d<\/p>\n Though Diaz hasn\u2019t narrowed down what he wants to do after graduation (he still has a few semesters), he knows that he wants to help underrepresented groups pursue higher education in STEM.<\/p>\n The applications for QC are endless. It could replace existing computing methods, classical computers as we know them and even disrupt the entire information age, Cambou said.<\/p>\n \u201cOur job is to prepare our students to have successful\u00a0careers. The environment is moving fast, and new technologies can disrupt the status quo,\u201d Cambou said. \u201cTherefore, we want to be sure that our students are ready to understand and endorse these changes, not to become the victims of an ever more complicated environment.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/a>Begay-Wilson grew up in Red Mesa on the Navajo Nation. Sometimes, it felt that there were a lot of external challenges he and his family had to face, but when he went to school, he knew the teaching staff was there to help students tackle any adversity that might come their way. The teaching staff emphasized the importance of higher education and made it clear that they wanted to see their students thrive.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n