The Schrödinger Sessions: Science for Science Fiction

The Schrödinger Sessions is a three-day workshop for science fiction writers offering a “crash course” in modern physics, to be held at the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI), one of the world’s leading research centers for the study of quantum mechanics.  We will introduce participants to phenomena like superposition, entanglement, and quantum information through a series of lectures by JQI scientists and tours of JQI laboratories.  We hope this will inform and inspire new stories in print, on screen, and in electronic media, that will in turn inspire a broad audience to learn more about the weird and fascinating science of quantum physics and the transformative technologies it enables.

 

The workshop will be held at JQI from Thursday, July 29 through Saturday, August 1. Participants will be housed on the University of Maryland campus, with breakfast and lunch provided at the workshop; evenings will be free to allow participants to explore the Washington, DC area. Limited funds may be available to support travel to and from the workshop.

 

Participants will be selected on the basis of an application asking about personal background, interest, and publication history. We will work to ensure the greatest possible diversity of race and gender, as well as type of media (print, television, etc.), with an eye toward reaching the broadest audience. Applications will be accepted on-line from March 6 through March 20, 2015, and acceptance decisions will be made around April 1, 2015.

 

Below is the schedule, which may change slightly as the workshop nears.