Web Science and Digital Libraries Research Group

IEEE Quantum Week  2026  in Toronto From September 13-18, I attended the IEEE International Conference on Quantum Computing and Engineering (QCE), also known as IEEE Quantum Week, in Toronto, Canada. The main reason for the trip was to present our paper, " Distributed Quantum-Enhanced Optimization: A Topographical Preconditioning Approach for High-Dimensional Search ". QCE was especially interesting for me because essentially everyone there was working somewhere in the quantum computing ecosystem. There were people with backgrounds in physics, computer science, electrical engineering, AI/ML, and pretty much everything in between.  Throughout the week, I attended keynotes and technical sessions, spent too much time walking around the exhibit hall, and had the chance to meet people working across quantum hardware, software, algorithms, HPC, and AI.  My parents and brother also tagged along for the trip, so outside the conference we had some time to explore Toronto tog...

As stated in the paper, " A self-correcting multi-agent LLM framework for language-based physics simulation and explanation " [1], physics simulations are essential in science and engineering, but creating them often requires expert level knowledge of a variety of domains. For example, the development of a fluid simulation requires a strong understanding of the Navier-Stokes equations and the appropriate numerical solvers surrounding that area. In addition, users require proficiency in a programming language and familiarity with physics libraries, as building a simulation entirely from scratch is rarely, if ever, practical. The figure below illustrates the outcome of their research. Most notably, the user provides a basic ‘layman’ input and a basic set of parameters, while being afforded the luxury of omitting critical information required to develop a comprehensive solution. This is all accomplished using the Memory-Coordinated Physics-Aware Simulation (MCP-SIM), a self-c...

  Sometimes, all it takes is a trip to Norway to confirm that everything is connected. From June 2 to June 11, I traveled with my faculty advisors from Storymodelers to Kristiansand, Norway, to participate in a workshop on the use of modeling as a method for teaching and learning. This workshop was part of an ongoing project at the University of Agder  titled "Modeling for Histories", which is currently in the early stages of testing and has not yet been publicly disseminated. The project is led by Dr. Apostolos Spanos (University of Agder) in collaboration with Dr. Alexandra Lazareva (University of Agder), Dr. Jose J. Padilla ( Old Dominion University ) and Dr. Erika Frydenlund (Old Dominion University). The goal is to explore how model thinking can support history education by helping students move beyond traditional linear narratives and develop a deeper understanding of complex relationships, actors, and processes that shape historical events. This blog is a summary ...