Quantum physics has taken its position with rocket science in pop culture as a shorthand for frighteningly complicated science. Quantum physics has also taken on a sort of magical connotation in fiction, with features like entanglement, superposition, and tunneling spurring imagination. But where does the science draw the line? How much is joyful speculation, and how much is disregard for reality? And if it’s always seen as either magical or scary, how does that affect the perception of quantum science?

Join RCIScience for QUANTUM + Pop Culture with John Donohue, the Scientific Outreach Manager from the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo. Examine how quantum science is used in film, TV, games, and literature and explore their interpretation before diving in to what the science actually says. Consider how it connects to modern quantum technologies, learn how to avoid quantum snake oil, and demystify the spookiness of quantum mechanics!

>> Read more in the 2020 issue of RCIScience Magazine! (page 22)

About the Speaker

At the University of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing, John Donohue's main role is to take quantum information science out of the lab and off the whiteboard and bring it to audiences of all sizes and types. John obtained his PhD in Physics and Quantum Information from the University of Waterloo, specializing in quantum nonlinear optics, followed by postdoctoral research at Paderborn University in Germany. Before that, he studied for his BSc in Physics at the University of Windsor.