The Public Quantum Network (PQN) has acquired the inaugural Continental Quantum City Prize for North & Central America, a prestigious award introduced on the Closing Ceremony of the United Nations International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ 2025). Launched in November 2023 on the Urbana Free Library, PQN is the world’s first public quantum community, linking the library to a physics lab through fiber optics and permitting public interplay with quantum phenomena. The community was acknowledged for putting “quantum content directly in the urban landscape so that people can discover it serendipitously as part of their daily lives.” “It is so exciting to receive an award that recognizes precisely the intention we had in creating PQN: to bring quantum science and technology into the public space!” mentioned Virginia “Gina” Lorenz, PQN co-PI and Illinois Grainger College of Engineering physics professor, signaling a significant step in the direction of accessible quantum technology.
Public Quantum Network Wins Continental Quantum City Prize
This prize, established by World Quantum Day, particularly honors initiatives that efficiently combine quantum science and know-how into on a regular basis city life, shifting it past the confines of analysis labs. The community, a collaboration between researchers on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and native establishments, hyperlinks the library to Loomis Laboratory of Physics through a fiber-optic network. This connection enabled Leon Wilson, the Urbana Public Library IT Manager, to change into the primary public consumer to control entangled photons – a foundational ingredient of quantum communication, computation, and sensing. Beyond primary demonstrations, guests have been in a position to recreate a Nobel Prize-winning experiment, entry a ‘quantum fortune cookie,’ and even ship quantum Valentine’s Day messages. Lorenz additionally famous, “We are so grateful for the continued support of The Urbana Free Library and Urbana-Champaign Big Broadband in creating and hosting the first node.” Plans are already underway to develop the community with new nodes at Fermilab’s Lederman Science Center and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, signaling a dedication to broader public engagement. Beyond merely observing demonstrations, the general public has actively participated in complicated quantum experiments, even recreating the setup of the 2022 Nobel Prize-winning experiment. Researchers at the moment are actively making ready to increase the community’s attain past its preliminary location, constructing on the prevailing fiber-optic hyperlink between the library and Loomis Laboratory of Physics.