This is the first part of a miniseries on this year’s Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages, a.k.a. POPL 2026, hosted by Jessica Foster. In this episode, we talk about: undergrad funding and participation, the behind the scenes of AV, choreographic programming, quantum languages, conference catering, and the joy of theory. And at one point, you’ll even hear us get kicked out the venue mid interview. Enjoy!