Connecticut invests in quantum technology at Southern Connecticut State University - WFSB
Summarize this article with:
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WFSB) - Quantum technology is expected to transform lives and impact every single industry in Connecticut, and the state is going all in.Governor Lamont and others cut the ribbon on the revamped Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Center for Quantum and Nanotechnology at Southern Connecticut State University. The goal is serving students, educators and industry partners while developing and training future employees.Experts say quantum technology already plays a big role in everyday lives, from cell phones to medical devices. The next phase is expected to be quantum computing. Students at Southern are already working with the technology. Experts say it is the next generation of computing and problem solving, allowing users to do it faster.“It breaks them down into things that can be solved in few minutes,” said Aspen Scully-Clemmons, a Southern Connecticut State University senior.Scully-Clemmons says calculations would otherwise take days.“As quantum computing technology gets better, we’ll be able to find drugs for deadly diseases faster, and we’ll be able to find forms of energy storage faster,” Scully-Clemmons said.“To have more accurate, precise results when it comes to the problems that we want to solve, whether it’s protein for medicine or finding the correct routes for ships and trucks—think of anything computers do—quantum could potentially enhance that even more,” said Crosby Dessalines, a Southern Connecticut State University senior.This past summer the state announced a $50 million investment into research and job growth in New Haven, paired with Quantum CT and a private public partnership with Yale and UConn.Research and training is key because experts say the quantum technology industry is expected to be worth $200 billion by 2040.“This is going to impact everyone, right? So if you think of finance and medicine, all of these technologies are going to impact citizens at all levels. So I’m seeing it already, with excitement, from industries and small companies thinking about being creative and innovative,” said Dr. Christine Broadbridge, director for the Center for Quantum and Nanotechnology.“Connecticut is the perfect place for this to happen. With our strengths in advanced manufacturing, finance, bioscience, and pharmaceuticals, we’re really the place for innovation that’s going to benefit from quantum,” Broadbridge said.Yale and UConn, along with Quantum CT, a nonprofit connecting researchers and industry experts, is one of just 15 finalists for a multi million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation.“We’re bringing together universities, companies, and the state to connect research to real-world impact,” said Dr. Albert Green of Quantum CT.The state is attracting students like Scully-Clemmons, who came from the University of Miami in Florida, with the hope of keeping them in state after graduating.“I’d love to continue the research I started here in the center, and honestly, I’d love to do it in CT, and I think that’s because of the skills I’ve learned here,” Scully-Clemmons said.Dessalines sees himself as part of Connecticut’s future in quantum technology.“I see New England being a new Silicon Valley of sorts when it comes to quantum,” Dessalines said.In New Haven, a nonprofit launched Connecticut’s first quantum program for high school students, one of the few across the country.Quantum technology is expected to transform lives and impact every single industry in Connecticut, and the state is going all in.Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.