QuantUM holds 1st Quantum Hackathon at Michigan

QuantUM, the University of Michigan student group dedicated to exposing the quantum world to students across the university, held its first hackathon on October 5, 2024. Many of the 50 students (from 15 different majors) who participated had no prior experience with hackathons, or even much in the way of quantum, but they left energized and with their own toolkit for exploring quantum in their own way.

“I couldn’t believe the questions they were asking after doing this for just 3 hours,” said QuantUM board member David McDermott. “They had already completed the challenge but they also wanted to understand why something worked.”

The hackathon was part of IBM’s Qiskit Fall Fest 2024, a worldwide collection of quantum computing events held on college campuses each fall. Qiskit Fall Fest gives students the opportunity to become familiar with IBM’s unique open-source software stack for building quantum circuits. 

“IBM Qiskit is the main open source quantum computing platform,” said QuantUM board member Erin Diran-Ojo. “So it’s pretty much if you want to get into quantum computing, a lot of the information will come through IBM.”

Students who were brand new to hacking, or who simply wanted some additional information about Qiskit, were invited to attend a workshop a week before the hackathon. Most of the students opted to do the workshop challenge, even some who used it simply as a refresher.

During the hackathon, the organizers, Erin Diran-Ojo (EE senior), David McDermott (Physics and CS junior), and Jeanie Qi (Engineering Physics junior, also minor in EE, CS, and Stats), were on hand to answer any questions—a job they took very seriously.

Of those who attended, about 50% had no quantum experience at all, about 35% had a little experience, and only the remaining 15% had a good amount of experience.

Because of this level of relative inexperience, the board members decided to go with one of the more introductory quantum modules available to them. Using a quantum random number generator, students built a quantum circuit and then applied it to some application. For example, one team estimated stock values, another set up a battleship game, and the winning team did a Spotify-type randomizer.

During the lunch “break,” students heard from IBM representative Angelo Danducci II. He gave an introduction to quantum computing and to Qiskit, and also spoke about career opportunities and even which courses to take for those interested in acquiring the appropriate background knowledge for a future in quantum.

That background can be as varied as the applications.

“We’ve worked really hard on trying to connect quantum to many different fields and to make people realize how it relates to what they’re studying,” said Qi.

Qi says all big tech companies, including IBM and Google, are looking to find ways to optimize their work, and even banking companies like JP Morgan are investing in quantum research.

“There’s always going to be a role in the development of quantum computing for different people to play with different backgrounds,” said Diran-Ojo, who was asked by a chemistry major how they could get involved in quantum computing.

Even the experienced students came away with a positive experience.

“The QuantUM hackathon was very well run and provided us a great opportunity to learn and experience programming for quantum computers,” said Mick Gordinier, a member of the winning team. “This experience was invaluable and we would like to thank the QuantUM team for organizing this!”

Here’s some additional information about the two winning projects:

1st place team: Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies

About the project: 

“Our team developed a project that combines IBM’s quantum computing technology with music, resulting in a unique quantum random number generator that powers a truly random music shuffler. By utilizing the properties of superposition in qubits, we ensured that our system generates truly unpredictable randomness.

The qubit can exist in a superposition, representing a probabilistic combination of the bit states 0 and 1 simultaneously. This superposition collapses to either value with a truly random probability when measured. This inherent unpredictability forms the foundation of our music shuffler, ensuring that each selection from the user’s Spotify-liked songs is unique and non-repetitive.

The system features a user-friendly interface that integrates seamlessly with the Spotify Web API, allowing users to connect their accounts and access their favorite tracks easily. By harnessing quantum randomness, we elevate the music experience, offering a dynamic and surprising shuffle that keeps listeners engaged and excited.”

2nd place team: 741 Lads

About the project: 

“Our number generator featured an error correction circuit based on shor’s code, and made a battleship-esque game that we called “Bombard” where the goal is to survive as long as possible against a computer player powered by the random number generator.“

The hackathon was sponsored by IBM, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Physics, and the Quantum Research Institute. Next year, the team plans to expand the size of the hackathon to allow more students to participate.