MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Joined by industry partners, Middle Tennessee State University announced a new quantum center in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences that will be a world-class hub for advancing quantum discovery, innovation, education, workforce and economic development.

Called QRISE — Quantum Research Interdisciplinary Science and Education — the center is dedicated to driving breakthroughs shaping the next generation of technology and transforming how MTSU faculty and students understand and harness the quantum world.

Quantum Information Science is a rapidly growing field with enormous potential to transform various areas, including computing, national security, finance, energy research, new materials, health care and information technology. MTSU has already secured several million dollars in federal grants to promote its quantum research efforts.

“Tennessee is emerging as one of a handful of leading states in the race to develop a quantum economy, and MTSU is forging its place in this effort through the tremendous work within our College of Basic and Applied Sciences and the strategic partnerships we’ve developed throughout the region,” MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee said at the well-attended Friday, Oct. 31, announcement in the Science Building’s second-floor mezzanine area.

“The newly established QRISE Center will drive breakthroughs that will shape the next generation of technology and transform how we understand and harness the quantum world,” McPhee added.

Hanna Terletska, center director and Department of Physics and Astronomy associate professor, said, “Quantum science and quantum technologies are strategic U.S. priorities with economy-wide impact — from computing and cybersecurity to energy, advanced materials, health care and finance. These are areas that are critical for U.S. global leadership, national security and defense. This moment is a generational opportunity for state of Tennessee to become a national leader in quantum technologies, their commercialization and quantum economic and workforce development.”

Critical industry partnerships

Among the partnerships forged in the university’s quantum push are collaborations with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Middle Tennessee Electric, both of which had representatives in attendance at Monday’s announcement.

“The partnership between Oak Ridge National Laboratory and MTSU reflects a shared commitment to developing a bold workforce equipped with critical skills to shape quantum advancements, not only for Tennessee but for the nation,” said ORNL Partnerships Director Shaun Gleason. “MTSU’s QRISE Center is a significant step in preparing students for this transformative future.”

In praising Terletska’s efforts, Steve Smith, MTSU Board of Trustees chair, said that “it’s fun to win a grant on hard work or ingenuity. I compliment her and the university on getting an award on merit and being out in front. And it’s always good to partner with a giant, and Oak Ridge National Lab is just that.”

Middle Tennessee Electric President and CEO Chris Jones congratulated MTSU on “having the foresight to focus on and invest in quantum. Like our sister electric provider, Chattanooga EPB, Middle Tennessee Electric sees the potential of quantum. … MTSU, we stand with you today and we will walk with you as a partner down this path. MTE and United Communications, our fiber/broadband company, will be good and necessary partners as this moves forward.”

A special video message was shown from Congressman Chuck Fleischmann, of Ooltewah, who has been instrumental in linking MTSU with ORNL, congratulating the university on its $2.2 million U.S. Department of Energy grant secured this year that also involves ORNL and Nashville higher ed institutions, Fisk University, Tennessee State University and Meharry Medical College.

Fleischmann coordinated a visit of a group of MTSU trustees, faculty and administrators to ORNL over the summer, while Terletska and science college Dean Greg Van Patten represented MTSU more recently at a reception titled “Tennessee: America’s Next Quantum Technology Hub,” in Washington, D.C., with U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Fleischmann, Middle Tennessee Electric officials and others regarding quantum research and development.

‘A defining moment for MTSU’

McPhee, mentioning the Science Building as “the hub of our Science Corridor of Innovation, said quantum “is developing very quickly and promises, within the next few years, to significantly impact several important technologies with economic impacts in the tens of billions of dollars within the next decade.”

The president commended Provost Mark Byrnes and Van Patten “for their vision and support of Dr. Terletska, as well as many faculty and staff who will guide the work of this new center.”

Byrnes said the work of Terletska and her colleagues “is really a reflection of the fact that now … we’re doing research and creative activity at the forefront of national and international work. That is a big change for us and something that I’m really proud of, that now we are playing in the big leagues when it comes to research.”

Van Patten called it “a defining moment for MTSU — a bold step into the future of innovation and discovery. And for our students, QRISE means access to the front edge of a rapidly growing global sector. Whether they become scientists or engineers, analysts or entrepreneurs, our graduates are going to be ready to contribute on day one, because they’ve not only learned the theory, but they’ve done the work, here, with us.”

Senior Ariel Nicastro, of Franklin, said she’s “proud to be a part of the initial quantum efforts,” taking one of Terletska’s classes, being a part of Amplify with fellow students and three-time president of the Quantum Computing Club. It was great to see representatives from Oak Ridge and Middle Tennessee Electric in this partnership. To make quantum efforts broad, we have to have partners like them.”

Terletska, who has received six National Science Foundation grants and two Department of Energy grants totaling more than $8 million, said the QRISE Center “reflects MTSU’s strategic vision and leadership with the goal to make Middle Tennessee a central hub for statewide quantum technologies, bringing together academia, Oak Ridge National Lab, industry and government.”

This includes building connections with ORNL in East Tennessee, Quantum Chattanooga EPB in southeast Tennessee, data centers in Memphis and Nashville’s fast-growing innovation economy to build a united TN-state-wide quantum ecosystem.,

TN-QuMat, a collaborative project involving MTSU, ORNL, TSU, Fisk and Meharry Medical College, is funded under the U.S. Department of Energy’s RENEW initiative, which is educating new scientists and engineers in critical areas of national research. 

“At QRISE, we will design an educational training program, which includes hands-on training, experiential learning and interdisciplinary collaboration for students and faculty to develop a Tennessee quantum-ready workforce,” Terletska said. “This is to address national but also global challenges in developing quantum-ready talent. We are discovering opportunities through innovation, talent training and developing a Tennessee quantum ecosystem.”

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)