Mission

Increase awareness in urban ZIP codes about Quantum Computing.

The Future is Quantum

Eastside Quantum Computing Interns

Ask me about Quantum Computing...Our Current Brochure

Purpose:

Beta-test our Grassroots Intro to Quantum Computing Curriculum
Implement The "Gather-Share-Connect-Build" Award-Winning Social Impact Strategy
Increase awareness in urban ZIP codes about Quantum Computing
Stipend may be available

Send email to Jason Mims (Jason@mimsinstitute.com) with your:

Name
Age
Grade
School
ZIP Code
Parent Name
Parent Email Address

Eastside Quantum Computing Interns -- Our Journey

Spring - Summer 2021

Ella Austin Community Center on San Antonio's Eastside invited us to recruit 10 high school students to participate in a 40-hour Summer 2021 Introduction to Quantum Computing Camp offered by The Coding School with scholarships funded by IBM. We learned that nobody knew about Quantum Computing and that urban teens have to work during the 20 days that the camp was offered.

Our response: A generous family (the Wrightsils) provided funding for an intern to take the four-week summer camp, Taylor Miner became our first Eastside Quantum Computing Intern. She demonstrated that urban youth can grasp Quantum Computing Concepts.

Anthony Gordon and Jason Mims decided to take Affirmative Action to increase awareness in urban ZIP codes about Quantum Computing. Jake Mandel volunteered to share his Kindness gifts. Anthony and Jake used their education and Quantum backgrounds respectively to create our Grassroots Quantum Computing curriculum. Three high school interns piloted the curriculum and successfully completed it from October 2021 - February 2022.

Fall 2021 - Spring 2022

Two seniors at Edgewood Fine Arts Academy and several students from Sam Houston High School on the Eastside signed up for the yearlong Introduction to Quantum Computing course offered by The Coding School with IBM-sponsored scholarships. The two seniors from Edgewood and two juniors from Sam Houston earned the coveted Certificate of Completion after 26 weeks of Zoom lectures and labs led by PhDs from MIT and University of California Berkeley.

Summer 2022

MIMS institute formalizes school partnership agreement with The Coding School to provide youth from underrepresented groups access to Quantum Computing resources and opportunities offered by The Coding School. Ten middle and high school students complete the Grassroots Introduction to Quantum Computing course led by Jake. One high school graduate completes the internship qualification for her Associate in Applied Science (Information Technology -- Cybersecurity) degree from St. Philip's College and increases awareness about Quantum Computing at the National NAACP ACT-SO Competition held in Washington DC.

Fall 2022 -- Summer 2023

Fifteen high school and early college students earn coveted Certificates of Completion from The Coding School. Two St. Philip's College Early College High School seniors successfully complete Spring internship qualification for their Associate in Applied Science (Information Technology -- Cybersecurity) degrees. One earns the Gold Medal at the local NAACP ACT-SO Competition from St. Philip's College and makes a presentation at the National NAACP ACT-SO Competition held in conjunction with the National NAACP Convention in Boston, MA. Alamo Colleges District enters a partnership to provide Alamo On The Job (AOTJ) interns to explore Quantum Computing and increase awareness in urban ZIP codes about Quantum Computing. AOTJ Interns lead groups of middle and high school students in weekly discussions about Quantum Computing and the Grassroots Curriculum during the summer break.

Fall 2023 - Summer 2024

Our reach expanded with additional Alamo Colleges AOTJ interns (5) for the Fall of 2023. Three of them along with 5 high school seniors from San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) completed Foundations of Quantum Computing and received coveted Certificates of Completion from The Coding School. AOTJ interns also made presentations to SAISD student organizations and classes at Sam Houston High School.

In April 2024, Eastside Quantum Computing Interns connected an AOTJ intern to a high school sophomore. They worked together and the high school student created a presentation about Quantum Key Distribution, earning a Gold Medal at the local San Antonio Branch NAACP ACT-SO Competition. For the second year in a row, presence from Eastside San Antonio "increased awareness at the National NAACP ACT-SO Competition/National Convention about Quantum Computing."

For 10 weeks during the summer, AOTJ interns led weekly exploration sessions with middle and high school students. The secondary student interns received stipends for changing the landscape in ZIP codes where access to Quantum Computing resources were previously unavailable.

Fall 2024 - Spring 2025

When the Fall 2024 semester ended, we celebrated the success of 15 Eastside Quantum Computing Interns who had successfully completed the Foundations of Quantum Computing offered by The Coding School. The number included six Alamo On The Job interns, two other community college students, and seven high school students.

Spring 2025 starts with the Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day March on San Antonio's Eastside. This year, participants will walk through a 2.7-mile stretch that was a Quantum Desert at the beginning of the decade.

Vision

Young people in urban ZIP codes need look no further than within their ZIP code to find others able to help them learn about Quantum Computing by 2027.