LabEscape: Science-based escape room for fun and (non-)profit

Based on APS seed money, and NSF support, in 2017 we established what we believe was the world’s first science-based "escape room": LabEscape. By interacting with physics components in the room, the participants uncover clues that allow them to complete their mission. In this latest chapter, they must enable and run a distributed quantum processor to create a vaccine for a terrible memory-erasing virus that has infected LabEscape protagonist Professor Alberta Schrodenberg! Beyond the initial goals – showing that science can be relevant and accessible (no prior background is assumed), aesthetically beautiful and fun – we also provide participants with the opportunity to learn what it’s like to be a scientist, and the importance of curiosity, communication and collaboration. To date LabEscape has had nearly 11,000 ‘agents’, including several thousand STEM high school and junior high students, and received extremely positive feedback. Here we will describe some of the outcomes and our proposed future plans.