The Debugged Podcast

Join us for an enlightening conversation on the latest Debugged Podcast episode, where our host, Medha Gupta, sits down with Jason Toff, the Founder & CEO of Things, Inc. With a rich background in Product Management roles at tech giants like Google, Vine, and Meta, Jason brings a wealth of insight into tech products of the future. In this interview, Jason shares what inspired him to take the leap to starting his own company, outlines many of the key differences between the big tech and startup cultures, and his insights on the AR/VR innovations of today. Find out more about his journey in founding his own venture-backed startup focused on creating revolutionary interactive 3D technology and how the Apple Vision Pro is a window into the future—but not the end-all be-all. All this and more in today’s Debugged Podcast!

Welcome back to Debugged, the Congressional App Challenge’s alumni-led podcast that delves into the world of computer science! In this episode, host Medha Gupta sits down with Kelcee Griffis, a journalist at The Morning Brew, to uncover her fascinating career path from covering intellectual property and the judiciary to becoming a tech reporter. Join us as Griffis discusses emerging trends in consumer technology, including AI/VR, generative AI, and new Wi-Fi technologies, and how she navigates the rapidly changing tech landscape. Discover her research process, which keeps her informed about the latest innovations and industry developments.

Whether you're an aspiring journalist or technologist, don't miss Griffis' invaluable advice for young listeners and the lessons she wishes she had known earlier in her career. Tune in to the second episode of Debugged Season 3 for an insightful conversation about journalism and technology!

Kicking off Season 3 of the Debugged Podcast, host Medha Gupta interviews Dr. Natalie Lao, Executive Director of the App Inventor Foundation. Dr. Lao shares her journey from MIT undergrad to her current role, emphasizing her passion for education and mentorship. She discusses her involvement in the MIT App Inventor project and her work with UNESCO to promote computational thinking worldwide, playing a pivotal role in crafting AI frameworks. She expanded computer science education internationally, with notable efforts in Mumbai, India, and Hong Kong. Tune in to hear Dr. Lao's inspiring story and her mission to empower individuals, creating an inclusive environment in technology!

In this episode of the Debugged Podcast, Medha sits down with Dora Palfi,  the co-founder and CEO of imagi, an edtech company helping build the tech workforce of the future through an inclusive and creative approach to learning to code.  As one of three girls in her class and one of very few female developers during her internship, Palfi developed a passion for solving the lack of diversity in tech.  After conducting a research project that invited girls to co-create ideas on ways to make coding fun, she initially conceptualized imagi and kickstarted the company with co-founder of imagi, Beatrice Ionascu.  The duo discuss Palfi’s journey from her initial conceptualization to a functional gender-inclusive product catering to young children who want to get into coding.  Imagi edu serves as the main education service in which children can code in Python to customize a special charm accessory.  Palfi discusses how she turned her fear of failure into passion, joy, and ambition.  Be sure to tune into this episode to learn more about Palfi’s AMAZING journey!

In this episode of the Debugged Podcast, Medha chats with Kellene Parra, Vice President of Digital Experience at OpenText. OpenText provides the most complete and integrated Information Management platform, allowing companies to organize, integrate and protect data and content as it flows through business processes inside and outside the organization.  Parra shares her amazing journey from starting her career in manufacturing in a rotational training program at General Electric to diving into the technology side, in which she currently manages a global team that supports customer-facing applications such as the company’s website, customer support ticketing systems, and other applications.  Parra discusses her job as a leader in digital experience and the importance of setting up her team for success as well as developing personal connections.  

In this episode of the Debugged Podcast, Medha sits down with Hansel Lynn, a multifaceted entrepreneur who has dabbled in various career ventures, from running a rock music school for kids to founding theCoderSchool in 2014 and authoring two children’s coding books.  On top of all of that, Lynn is an endurance athlete and recently opened Cudos Frozen Custard and Mini Donuts with his wife.  Lynn shares how he overcame the initial fear of getting out of his comfort zone to fulfill his passions, including creating his first venture, Fantasy TV and then a rock music school for kids.  The duo also discuss Lynn’s vision for theCoderSchool and the insight Lynn gained from running the impactful organization.  Tune into Lynn’s super rock n’ roll journey!

In this episode of the Debugged Podcast, Medha Gupta sits down with Jay Ahn, the Vice President of Operations in the Emerging Markets Group (EMG) at Akima. She specializes in consultancy and "dot connecting” support to clients' complex requirements with effective data collection, analysis, and semantic matchmaking techniques to create orchestrated solutions unique to each.  Ahn shares her journey of how she came to Akima and resonated with Akima’s mission to create long-lived asset for inupiat people in the NANA region in Alaska.  In addition, Ahn expands further on her journey from changing a career path in recruiting to operations.  The duo discusses the importance of preparation and authenticity when networking with people.  Listen to Ahn’s amazing journey!

In this episode of the Debugged Podcast, Medha Gupta chats with Hadley Sis, a Project Manager working at the medical device company, Stryker. Sis shares her incredible journey from earning her Master of Science focused in Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering to taking on a critical role as a leader in medical technology. Sis expands on her division, in which she works to make surgery more efficient through the creation of medical devices. The process from the conceptualization of medical devices to their commercial release is truly interesting and worth a listen! Tune into Sis’s amazing journey and stay curious!

In this episode of the Debugged Podcast, Medha Gupta chats with Dr. Marian L. McKee, the Vice President Biosafety at Eurofins Biopharma Product Testing labs.  McKee goes in depth about her role, which is working to ensure the safety of pharmaceutical products by testing for viral contaminants.  McKee shares her journey from her interest in zoology to a career in microbiology.  The duo discuss the importance of understanding science, the integration of technology in science, and following your passion.  Tune into McKee’s amazing journey as a leader in biosafety and inspiration to many!

In this episode of the Debugged Podcast, Medha Gupta chats with Kamryn Cutler, computer science graduate of Howard University and participant in Hartman’s Leadership Development Program.  Cutler certainly wears many hats in this program.  She not only is an engineer in data analytics, but she also works as a consultant to communicate with businesses directly to help them understand these technological solutions.  Cutler also shares her amazing journey from bringing all the knowledge she gained through the KPMG Cyber internship to her work at Hartman.  On top of all of this, Cutler is a natural hair ambassador who encourages all people to embrace their natural hair, and she continues to inspire girls to fearlessly pursue careers in tech.  Tune in to learn more about Cutler’s amazing journey as a leader in technology and juggler of many hats!

In this episode of the Debugged Podcast, Medha Gupta sits down with Sam Wiener, the Head of Product Engineering at Saturn where she is a critical leader for driving strategy and execution for their mobile product. Wiener shares her incredible journey from starting out in computer science to managing the engineering team behind Instagram’s Reels product to working on developing a useful scheduling social calendar called Saturn, with a purpose to connect students with the people and information that matters the most.  The duo also discuss Techsetters, a podcast Wiener co-hosts that empowers young women to pursue their dreams in technology by uncovering the secrets of Techsetters everywhere. Wiener talks about the importance of getting out of your comfort zone, learning from great mentors, and staying curious!  Tune into Wiener’s amazing journey as a leader and techsetter!

In this episode of the Debugged Podcast, Medha Gupta chats with Nita Singh Kaushal, founder of Miss CEO, a Lecturer in the School of Engineering at Stanford University, and an Instructor at Stanford Continuing Studies where she teaches undergraduates, graduate students and professional women how to develop leadership skills so they can make meaningful contributions in their careers. Kaushal shares her journey from realizing the importance of empowering women through leadership resources to creating Miss CEO, an international organization working to empower the next generation of women leaders. The duo discuss the importance of leadership and impacting others by sharing knowledge and resources. Tune into Kaushal's inspiring journey as a leader empowering women all over the world to become leaders!

In this episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta chats with Natalia Luzuriaga, a senior undergraduate studying computer science at UCLA and co-founder of the app, Hussle.  Luzuriaga shares her amazing journey from learning how to code on Codecademy to winning her district’s Congressional App Challenge, in which she coded an app called Speech, which aims to help people improve their English pronunciation.  In continuing efforts to solve real problems and inspire change through apps, Luzuriaga used React Native to create a marketplace mobile app for students to monetize their skills by offering freelance services and selling homemade products to peers in college communities.  Be sure to tune in to learn all about Luzuriaga’s inspiring journey as an entrepreneur using technology to create positive impact!

In this episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta sits down with Tory Smithe, Senior Manager, Healthcare & Life Sciences and leader of digital marketing strategy at Adobe.  Smithe shares her inspiring journey from having a passion in healthcare to being at the forefront of translating digital technology for healthcare leaders. Smithe shares what the intersection of digital technology and healthcare means to her, the importance of creating your “personal brand,” and advice for young entrepreneurs excited to start their own initiatives!  Tune in to learn more about this fascinating intersection and Smithe’s amazing insight!

In this episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta chats with Alefiya Master, founder & CEO of award-winning app development program, MAD-learn.  Master shares her incredible journey from being an educator with a vision to an entrepreneur with a mission to enable students to have passion driven career choices.  MAD-learn emphasizes the importance of design thinking and has now impacted over 30,000 students in 30 states and 5 countries.  The pair also discuss the process of creating an ed-tech startup and the importance of building a strong team to make an idea turn into a reality.  Tune into learn how Master is transforming edtech for good and inspiring many as a millennial, woman, minority, and educator turned entrepreneur!

In this episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta sits down with Gabrielle Hibbert, security auditor and researcher at Least Authority, co-founder of Web3 native startup Future Proof Collective, and Fellow at the Decentralized Future Council, to discuss what Web3 is and how both governance and policy play a huge role in this space.  Hibbert shares her unique journey in the technology sector and how she was able to leverage her background in public policy and economics to build an impactful career as a researcher, an educator, and an advocate for Web3 and blockchain.  Be sure to tune in to learn all about Hibbert’s inspiring journey and how you can get involved in Web3!

In this first episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta chats with Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton, state Senator, attorney, and representative of the people of Northern Virginia and Shenandoah Valley for over two decades - AND drumroll please - co-chair of the 2022 Congressional App Challenge!  Rep. Wexton discusses her journey in politics and how her work has improved the lives of Virginia’s children and families. The pair also discuss the meaning of digital citizenship in regards to technology and government and how Rep. Wexton, as founder of the Congressional Task Force on Digital Citizenship, has taken steps toward equipping Americans with tools and resources to use technology responsibly. Tune in to learn about Rep. Wexton’s meaningful work and insight as co-chair of this year’s Congressional App Challenge!

In the second part of the two-part finale of the first season of Debugged, Medha Gupta brings in Aryan Mittal, the first place winner of the 2021 Congressional App Challenge from District CA-45, to pitch his winning app Voluntime to previous guests and investors Rick Lane and David Rosenblatt. In the episode, Mittal discusses his app in-depth with Lane and Rosenblatt and answers a variety of common entrepreneurial questions to test the knowledge of his app. He addresses questions regarding the possible competitors to his product, his inspiration for creating the app, the challenges he has experienced getting schools and nonprofits to adopt Voluntime in their organization. The group talks about the challenges of scaling Mittal’s product for enterprise use via forming a LLC or a sole proprietorship and the importance of following privacy laws and COPPA for apps targeted for children. For anyone interested in taking their idea from an app on the app store to a business used worldwide, this is a must-listen episode.

Thanks for joining us for Season 1 of Debugged. We hope you stay tuned for the beginning of Season 2 in the fall!

In this first part of the two-part finale of the first season of Debugged, Medha Gupta sits down with Rick Lane, a tech policy expert, child safety advocate and CEO of Iggy Ventures and David Rosenblatt, the co-founder of QuickenLoans at Intuit and a managing director at Blackrock to discuss all things investing and entrepreneurship. In the interview, they discuss their path to entering into entrepreneurship and their passion to continue working in the space to this day. They give advice for young students interested in becoming entrepreneurs or venture capitalists as well as critical advice for maintaining and growing an early stage start-up to a big enterprise company. They also discuss the importance of balancing feasibility and profitability of a company with its vision and social good, hinting at future fields like renewable energy that might be hot investing points in the near future.

Stay tuned in 2 weeks for the finale of Debugged where Lane and Rosenblatt give feedback on the pitch of the product of one of our Congressional App Challenge winners this season! This is a two-part episode you definitely don’t want to miss!

In this episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta sits down with Christopher Adams, a drug policy analyst with the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), current professor at Dartmouth College, and former antitrust and competition specialist at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Adams discusses the effects of the capabilities of new technology like machine learning on the CBO’s forecasts regarding key U.S legislative decisions and in fields like economics and data analysis. Adams gives his take on why he joined the CBO and his inspiration for working in econometrics and statistics, and his most memorable moments working thus far in both the CBO and FTC. Furthermore, Adams elaborates on the skills needed for students to join the next generation of econometricians at the CBO and his inspiration for learning programming - an important skill in his field. Finally, Adams notes the most impactful research papers in the field of  econometrics. With an all new Pop Culture Byte with host Michael Batavia, this is a must-listen episode of the Debugged podcast!

In this episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta talks to Christine Rushlow, a professor of biology at New York University and director of the WINS program at NYU, to discuss her unique research in the genetics of embryonic development and how it has influenced her to create a program aimed at advancing the inclusion of women in STEM. In the interview, Rushlow not only discusses her passion for this research and its future importance in curing disease but also the skills that high school students and undergrads need to master in order to become a cutting-edge researcher. She further discusses the pivotal role of computer science in any research interest. She elaborates on how students can obtain these skills in the WINS program and network with others in order to learn and grow together in their education with both hard skills and soft skills. Finally, she gives some parting advice for students interested in research with the best way to contact professors to enter their lab! All this and more with an all-new Pop Culture Byte with host Meryl Matthew in Episode 12 of the Debugged podcast!

In this episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta talks to Ramansh Sharma, an undergraduate researcher at the Approximate Bayesian Inference Team at RIKEN and a member of Conex Research. Sharma discusses his experience developing AI-For-Good research projects and the different use-cases of AI research in STEM. Sharma gives advice on the best courses to learn machine and deep learning as well as organizations that can facilitate people’s interests in AI conferences and events. Furthermore, Sharma discusses his interest in astrodynamics and how his specialization in AI has assisted his work in changing the landscape of space exploration. Look for his soon to be published research! With an all new Pop Culture Byte with host Michael Batavia, you won’t want to miss episode 11 of the Debugged podcast.

In this episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta talks to Trisha Prabhu, an undergraduate student at Harvard University and the 21-year old CEO and founder of ReThink™, to discuss her journey creating the company and its special cyberbullying prevention technology that has led to her success nationwide. In the episode, she describes her motivations for creating the technology and how it has positively bolstered students to stand up against cyberbullies. She then gives advice for how students can address similar problems and elevate the scope of the problem to make it a regional or national issue. Prabhu also notes the uniqueness to each generation’s way of solving such dilemmas and how this generation’s greatest asset is technology. Finally, Prabhu notes her experience at the White House and on Shark Tank as well as the lessons learned while being on those national stages. With all new pop culture with host Meryl Mathew, you won’t want to miss episode 10 of the Debugged podcast!

In this episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta talks to Caeley Looney, a space mission analyst at L3Harris Technologies and the founder of Reinvented Inc., to discuss her journey starting Reinvented and the process of creating the eponymous magazine that empowers young girls to pursue STEM fields. She also discusses her job as a space mission analyst, her favorite part of working in aerospace engineering, and how her work in space has influenced her goals with creating the magazine. Moreover, she explains how Reinvented magazine’s mission differentiates itself from other magazines. Finally, we have a return to the latest tech news at the end of the interview with a new edition of the Tech News Roundup with host Michael Batavia. Be sure to tune into this very special Episode 9 of the Debugged podcast!

PLUS this month, Debugged will be featured in Issue 11 of Reinvented and is being featured each Friday on the company’s social media; be sure to check our article and each of our posts out when they are released!

In this episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta sits down with Yannic Kilcher, the CTO of DeepJudge, a law and technology based startup in Zurich, Switzerland, and a YouTube personality. They discuss his experience founding DeepJudge and his reason for creating easy-to-digest videos on YouTube to help others understand the latest AI research. He also discusses his interests in artificial intelligence and its potential limits as it increases in importance and use through the STEM fields; he follows that up with a small discussion on the legal and ethical implications of AI. Furthermore, Kilcher gives advice about getting started in computer science research and working on making the next big discovery in computer science. Moreover, Kilcher reveals his interest in music through his rendezvous as a street musician and research he’s done at the intersection of music and tech. Finally, we have an update on all of the latest trends in the tech world with an all new Pop Culture Byte with host Meryl Mathew. Make sure to tune into Episode 8 of the Debugged podcast!

In this episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta sits down with Ruthe Farmer, the founder and CEO of the Last Mile Education Fund, to discuss her journey in helping young women and other minorities receive the funding needed to complete their education in STEM fields. In the episode, Farmer describes how her fund has inspired students to create apps that challenge gun violence in their communities, tackle misinformation online, and scan the dark web to identify the potential formations of extremist groups. She also discusses potential sources for reading about these achievements such as in the Reinvented magazine, which aims to change the perception of women in STEM by encouraging them to be ambitious and dream big. Moreover, she elaborates on the work of other organizations like NCWIT (National Center For Women and Information Technology) that continue to further promote diversity in today’s computer science workforce. Finally, we have a special cryptocurrency and Valentine’s Day edition of the Pop Culture Byte with host Michael Batavia in store for you. This is definitely not an episode to miss in Episode 7 of the Debugged podcast!

In this episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta sits down with Dee Nickerson, the managing director of Oracle PeopleSoft of Bart & Associates and the Vice-Chair of Girls in Technology, to discuss the importance of technology in the public sector as well as how HR leverages innovations in tech. She also describes how IT has evolved during her 30 years of experience in the sector and gives advice for those interested in IT. Furthermore, she emphasizes the importance of mentorship for young women interested in STEM and the need for these organizations to expand out of Silicon Valley all across the U.S. Finally, we continue our pop culture segment with the latest trends in the media and tech with host Meryl Matthew! Listen now in episode 6 of the Debugged podcast.

In this episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta sits down with Sayan and Sohil Bhatia, co-founders of the organization Start STEM Early, to discuss the creation of their nonprofit and the inspiration for their interest in computer science. Start STEM Early is an organization that provides free STEM education to middle school students in the context of non-technical subjects. In the episode, the Bhatias give advice to fellow students about the advantages and difficulties of starting in the field and discuss how they have overcome these difficulties while learning about their individual interests in computer science. Finally, the two discuss their favorite events that they have organized and some of the benefits of running their organization in the greater Seattle area. Plus, we debut our all-new pop culture segment with host Michael Batavia! All this and more in episode 5 of the Debugged podcast!

In this episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta sits down with Charlie Liu and Albert Hao, members of the Congressional App Challenge Alumni Advisory Board (AAB), to discuss their individual journeys through computer science. In the episode, the two of them identify their starting points for getting involved in the field and how they continue to maintain the passion for working in computer science by participating in hackathons, learning interesting concepts in the various subfields of computer science such as machine learning and web development, and interning for big tech companies. They also reveal the academic prerequisites of being a CS major and the soft skills they recommend to excel in both academics and job interviews. Finally, Liu and Hao discuss their reasons for joining the AAB of the Congressional App Challenge and why they’re passionate about encouraging middle and high school students to create real world solutions using computer science. All this and more in episode 4 of the Debugged podcast!

In this episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta sits down with Kiera Peltz, the founder of The Coding School and QubitByQubit, to discuss her unique journey with computer science and her aim to train the next generation of students for the jobs of the future today. In the interview, Peltz elaborates on the importance of learning computer science in its slow yet growing influence in other fields such as economics, politics and sociology as well as how her non-profit, The Coding School, prepares primary and secondary school students to learn programming languages and paradigms so they can effectively use these techniques in their future jobs. Peltz also examines the role of quantum computing in our current landscape and its bright future as a possible companion or replacement to our modern-day classical computers and supercomputers as it relates to the founding of QubitByQubit. In one of our widest-ranging interviews yet, this is one to definitely check out in the third episode of the Debugged podcast!

In this episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta sits down with Dhruv Gupta, former YCombinator-backed founder and serial entrepreneur, and Dr. Jinyan Zang, a Fellow at the Harvard Public Interest Tech Lab, to discuss their new podcast How Tech Becomes Law. In the episode, the duo introduce their new podcast to listeners, teasing their current and future guests from all over the political, economic and legal spectrum, and give their rationale for the creation of the podcast. The duo also explain the importance of studying computer science as an aid to understanding domestic and worldwide geopolitical decisions and how students enrolled in research academies can use their innovations to impact how technology affects these decisions and legal systems all throughout the globe. All this and more in the second episode of the Debugged podcast!

In the first episode of Debugged, Medha Gupta sits down with Joe Alessi, the director of the Congressional App Challenge and a career non-profit management professional, to discuss the impact of the Congressional App Challenge - a congressional initiative dedicated to the cultivation of computer science students nationwide - on the United States and its growth over the past decade as well as secret tips and criteria for applying and dominating future challenges. The pair also discusses the importance of coding in our daily lives, how it has become an essential requirement for jobs in the 21st century, and resources for beginners at programming. Tune into the first episode of the Debugged podcast!

In this trailer debut of the Debugged podcast, Medha Gupta gives an in-depth look into the future interviews, news and ideas that will be featured on the podcast every episode while also introducing the analytical and relatable nature that will be featured during each conversation. These conversations, talking points and ideas will all start on the first episode, set to debut in just one week!