Season Three of 'Does Compute' Now Available

September 8, 2026

From creating a plane that breaks the sound barrier to designing machine learning programs inspired by the nervous system, Carnegie Mellon University's top-ranked School of Computer Science uses technology to transform our world every day.

Season three of the SCS "Does Compute" podcast, which launches today, brings listeners into conversations about innovation, safety, accessibility and inspiration. The podcast explores how SCS researchers and alumni use computer science to build useful stuff that works and delves into the latest innovations and their real-world impact.

This season, you'll learn why teaching robots common sense is crucial, what AI can do to transform preventative healthcare, how government and technology can speak the same language, and why accessibility needs to be part of design from the beginning.

This season's episodes include:

• Sept. 8: "Skeptics Don't Create the Future" with Blake Scholl, SCS alumnus and founder/CEO of Boom Supersonic.
• Sept. 8: "Teaching Robots Common Sense" with Andrea Bajcsy, assistant professor in the Robotics Institute (RI).
• Sept. 14: "Convenience, Coolness and Utility" with Chris Harrison, professor in the Human Computer Interaction Institute (HCII).
• Sept. 21: "Very Much Inspired by the Nervous System" with Aran Nayebi, assistant professor in the Machine Learning Department.
• Sept. 28: "A Real Opportunity To Disrupt and Defend" with Cara Jones, co-founder of Marinus Analytics and a former RI staff member.
• Oct. 5: "Agency Is About Having a Voice" with Patrick Carrington, HCII associate professor.
• Oct. 12: "We Need More Nuanced Takes on AI" with Maarten Sap, assistant professor in the Language Technologies Institute (LTI).
• Oct. 19: "I'm Happy for AI To Tell Me I Shouldn't Eat the Cake" with Chenyan Xiong, LTI associate professor.
• Oct. 26: "Developers and Lawyers Speak Two Different Languages" with Travis Breaux, associate professor in the Software and Societal Systems Department.
• Nov. 2: "An Immensely Thrilling Discipline" with Phillip Compeau, teaching professor in the Ray and Stephanie Lane Computational Biology Department.

SCS partnered with GeekWire Studios for another season of bringing stories from the lab to listeners — no homework required.

Find episodes of "Does Compute" on GeekWire's website, YouTube and all popular podcast platforms.
 

Media Inquiries
Aaron Aupperlee, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, School of Computer Science
aaupperlee@cmu.edu
412-268-9068