On Saturday, April 25 at Chicago State University, Chicago Public Schools hosted the first-ever Chi-Craft “Quantum Leap” Competition & Program Graduation, the culminating event of a 10-week afterschool program designed to introduce students to quantum concepts through Minecraft, a program they know and love.  Created by the CPS Applied Computer Science Team, Chi-Craft challenged students to respond to complex, real-world topics, and this season, the team focused on urban planning and the future applications of quantum computing. Throughout the course of the program, nearly 30 teams of middle and high school students from across the city developed their own vision for the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park. Rather than traditional STEM programming, Chi-Craft is designed to meet students where they are by using a platform they already know to make emerging, often abstract fields like quantum computing more accessible and engaging.

Photo Credit: Chicago Public Schools