WTCI Agile Presents: What is Quantum?

Host Jason Michael Perry moderates a special live panel for theWorld Trade Center Institute's AGILE Global Innovation Series, digging into what quantum actually is, why it matters, and how Maryland became a powerhouse in the global quantum race.

The session opens with remarks from Jeremy Rosendale, VP of Membership & Business Development at the World Trade Center Institute, and Kim Mentzell, Director of the Office of Strategic Industries at the Maryland Department of Commerce, where she leads statewide strategy across cybersecurity, aerospace, AI, and quantum.

Jason is joined by three leaders shaping the region’s quantum ecosystem: John Sawyer of the University of Maryland, who helped build the Mid-Atlantic Quantum Alliance; Jessica Ponds, CFO of Strangeworks and a voice in quantum commercialization; and Rick Muller, VP of Quantum Computing at IonQ and former national lab leader.

They break down the fundamentals — qubits, superposition, entanglement — and get into real-world business use cases, talent and ecosystem development, global competition, and the looming concept of “Q Day,” when today’s encryption may no longer be secure. The result is a rare, clear-eyed look at a field that’s equal parts exciting, confusing, and massively important for the future of industry.

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Credits

Special thanks to the team at the World Trade Center Institute. Thanks to the team at WYPR, producer Sam Bermas-Dawes and Shanya Mapson, and Myrna Martinez, Head of Operations and Marketing at PerryLabs.