School Notes: School of Engineering & Applied Science
November/December 2026

Correcting quantum errors

With a $37.5 million grant from the US National Science Foundation (NSF), a new, Yale-led center will design practical and self-correcting quantum computers and point the way forward for industry to build reliable machines. For practical use, quantum computers must be able to detect and correct errors faster than they occur. Professor Robert Schoelkopf, director of the new NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Physics and Engineering of Practical Quantum Error Correction, says this is the biggest challenge in advancing quantum technology. “With this project, we’ll come up with new ideas at all levels to make error correction and fault-tolerant machines much more achievable, efficient, and practical.” 

Making good use of CO₂

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) can be harmful to the environment in large amounts, but Yale researchers have developed a way to efficiently generate valuable products from the gas. Professor Lea Winter has combined electrocatalysis (to speed up the chemical reactions) with plasma—a gas made of electrically charged particles—to break down the stubborn carbon-oxygen bonds. Key to the system is a membrane that allows the solid, liquid, and gaseous components to interact. The method enables the conversion of CO₂ to chemicals that can be used for liquid fuels, pharmaceuticals, and other valuable products.

A clearer look at metals, down to the atom

Materials science researchers show that a small, square mold with billions of nano-sized holes could provide a clearer picture of the atomic arrangement of metals—an innovation that could lead to the development of stronger and higher-performing materials for airplanes and other uses. When pressed against the mold, heated metal passes through the holes and forms nanosized rods of differing length, creating an imprint of the metal’s microstructures. Professor Jan Schroers, who led the project, said the technique “gives us a new tool, like a microscope.”