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High‑school senior showcases Robbinsville Quantum Initiative and urges district exposure to quantum information science
Summary
Robbinsville High School senior Arnav Janish described a student‑led Robbinsville Quantum Initiative, partnerships with Rutgers, UIUC and AWS, and proposed modest school‑level steps to give students early exposure to quantum information science.
Arnav Janish, a Robbinsville High School senior, told the Board of Education that he has led a student initiative to introduce quantum education to local students and to partner with university and industry groups for public talks and materials.
Janis(h) said the Robbinsville Quantum Initiative (RQI) began with a Rutgers‑hosted in‑person session and expanded to virtual lessons with speakers from the University of Illinois at Urbana‑Champaign, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Science Olympiad, Amazon Web Services (AWS), IBM and others. He described a free quantum e‑book series for high school students that has been reviewed by graduate students and university partners and said he hopes the district will consider offering modest elective exposure during post‑AP class time or through after‑school programming.
“Quantum education is not about making young students experts,” Janish told the board. “It’s about exposing students to an emerging field so they can pursue it if they want to.” Janish recommended short, voluntary modules or community sessions rather than immediate curriculum overhauls; he suggested using flexible windows after advanced placement exams or after the formal AP curriculum to pilot offerings.
Board members thanked Janish for the presentation and suggested he present to younger students and district extracurricular programs. One board member encouraged him to coordinate with Science Olympiad and middle‑school STEM offerings; another asked about motivation. Janish said he joined his high school’s quantum club, recognized a lack of seriousness from some students, and decided to provide community resources so more students could access the topic.
Why it matters: District leaders said expanding exposure to quantum information science could help prepare students for STEM pathways and local dual‑enrollment opportunities; Janish’s RQI already has university and industry contacts willing to present to students or the broader community.
What the district will do: Board members encouraged Janish to connect with district STEM staff and extracurricular programs. An administrator suggested using the district’s after‑school and community engagement channels to expand reach.
Provenance: Janish’s presentation and the following board Q&A occurred during the student presentation segment of the meeting (evidence spans cited below).
