Exploring CMU’s Florida Connections: From Space Coast Rovers to New Campus
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Over its storied history, a number of Carnegie Mellon University innovations, including robotics and artistic endeavors, have either touched down in, or launched from, Florida.
The recently announced Carnegie Mellon University Miami will be the institution’s next expedition in the Sunshine State.
“Miami gives us an exciting opportunity to work on many fronts and say, ‘Let’s start from societal problems and then figure out how we can solve it in the most effective way,’” said Jignesh Patel, founding dean and vice president of CMU Miami. “That’s the kind of thing that we want to do in Miami, and that is what society needs too, much more than it’s ever needed in the past”
AI and the Space-age
In 2024, a CMU team composed entirely of students sought to send Iris, the first university-developed, student-led rover, to the moon.
Gathered on Florida’s Space Coast for the launch, the team pivoted when an anomaly in the lander to which Iris was attached would prevent an actual landing on the moon. Iris became a symbol of perseverance to the student team, who worked day and night in Florida to gather as much data as possible. Its story, too, may persevere, encapsulated when Voyager Technologies, formerly Astrobotic, a CMU spinout, will launch from Florida on the Griffin Mission One lander(opens in new window) later this year.
Through research advancements in areas like space, learning science and artificial intelligence, Carnegie Mellon continually forges the path forward.
Take David Touretzky, a research professor in CMU's Computer Science Department and co-principal investigator on AI4MiddleSchools(opens in new window). The NSF-funded effort, founded and chaired by Touretzky, is expanding its work in Florida and other states to help educators teach students not only how to use artificial intelligence, but also how AI works, how it affects society and how students can become informed technology creators.
Prior to this academic year, the program trained 120 teachers and reached more than 1,700 students across Georgia, Texas and Florida. Over the next three years, the project is forecasted to reach approximately 15,000 students, 1,700 educators, 100-145 teacher leaders and 100-150 administrators.
“Building capacity for K-12 AI education is a national priority,” Touretsky said. “Middle school is an important stage in student development where they begin to think about future careers and educational pathways. Our curriculum offers much more than AI literacy: It equips children to think of themselves as technology creators, not just users.”
The art of education
Carnegie Mellon is the exclusive higher education partner with the Tony Awards, creating the Excellence in Theatre Education Award. The award celebrates the teachers who turn passion into performance. Two of the 10 winners in the award’s history have hailed from high schools in Florida.
Along with their recognition, Jason Zembuch Young and Melody Herzfeld received a day of master classes for their students, taught by CMU School of Drama professors.
Interest in theater extends beyond the College of Fine Arts at CMU. Nearly three decades ago, Professor Kenya Dworkin from the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences took a walk in Tampa, Florida, that would set the stage for her research for decades to come.
Dworkin, an associate professor of Hispanic studies and translation, made it her mission to collect and preserve the plays of Cuban immigrant theater. She has collected 55 plays, which otherwise could have been lost to history.
In collaboration with the Gates Foundation, Carnegie Mellon launched Learnvia, a nonprofit learning collaborative dedicated to improving outcomes in high-enrollment college courses with the potential to transform the academic and career trajectories of hundreds of thousands of learners nationwide.
“Economic growth depends on a strong, skilled and adaptable talent pipeline," said Madeline Pumariega, president, Miami Dade College in Miami, Florida. "Learnvia’s integration of learning science and AI-enabled instruction strengthens how students build foundational skills at scale ... We look forward to working with Carnegie Mellon University as its long-standing leadership in learning science is translated into real benefits for broad-access institutions and the students we serve.”
Partnering for health across the nation
Carnegie Mellon’s vision, mission and values guide the future of the university. Through prioritizing partnership, the university aims to positively benefit society.
A partnership between CMU researchers, the University of Pittsburgh/UPMC, the University of California Santa Cruz, the University of Florida, and ETH Zurich, led by CMU’s Burak Ozdoganlar, Ver Planck Professor of Mechanical Engineering, as the principal investigator, secured an award of up to $42 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to accelerate the development of implantable, cell-based bioelectronic devices that deliver patient-specific therapy and monitor disease status for conditions like osteoporosis, diabetes, and thyroid disorders. Velentium Medical is also an integral part of the consortium.
While this technology can be used to treat various diseases and conditions, the collaborative team will specifically focus on its application to osteoporosis, a disease that affects an estimated 500 million people worldwide and causes more than 37 million fragility fractures each year, often leading to chronic pain, loss of independence, and premature death. This research marks the beginning of a new era in medicine, where patients and their physicians have more precise, continuous control over treatment and outcomes.
A collaboration between CMU’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Mayo Clinic in Florida is transforming organ transplantation. Mayo Clinic biomedical researchers and Carnegie Mellon faculty are focused on four core areas — biofabrication, organ repair, organ monitoring using sensor systems, and artificial intelligence to optimize transplant processes.
Carnegie Mellon/Florida partnerships also extend into the realm of public health. CMU’s NSF AI Institute for Societal Decision Making brings together a multidisciplinary group of researchers and educators, including from the University of Florida, who work with practitioners in public health and emergency management agencies.
Their most recent report evaluates coastal population deficits across Florida Panhandle communities and inland influxes during Hurricane Isaias, tracking relocation and recovery trends using data from Meta.
The telescopic view
When it comes to seeing clearly, two Mellon College of Science researchers — Department Head of Physics Rachel Mandelbaum and Professor of Physics Matthew Walker — have spent over a decade looking for a wider view.
The duo was part of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope teams crafting the specific scientific program, helping determine how to maximize the telescope’s capabilities and preparing the tools scientists will use to analyze its data.
Roman has an enormous field of view and exceptionally sharp infrared images. Its camera can capture an area of sky about 100 times larger than Hubble’s in a single image in detail. It launched from Florida on Aug. 30, 2026.
“Roman is exactly the kind of project that benefits from a collaborative approach, not just between institutions but disciplines, and that can provide many long-term research opportunities,” Mandelbaum said.
From the far reaches of space to the heart of the Sunshine State, that big-picture vision helps explain why Miami is a natural choice as Carnegie Mellon's newest hub for lasting impact.
“CMU Miami will show the world that the work we’re doing really does have direct benefit,” said Barabara Shinn-Cunningham, Glen de Vries Dean of the Mellon College of Science. “The value of the research that we’re doing is going to be more directly seen. It will translate more rapidly into the world. I think we’re in a moment in history where that’s really important.”
Aaron Aupperlee, Alexander Johnson, Shannon Musgrave, Heidi Opdyke and Sara Pecchia contributed to this story.
