NOVA School of AI

We’re excited to share that NOVA School of AI is evolving to become NOVA AI Academy, a refreshed community built on the same spirit of curiosity, collaboration, and innovation that first brought this group together.

Over the past few years, AI has transformed from an emerging field into one of the most disruptive technologies in decades. We believe it’s time for our local community to evolve along with it, to not just learn about AI, but to build, create, and experiment together.

What's Changing

• New Name, Same Core Values: We’re keeping the learning-first, inclusive mindset of the original group, but expanding our scope to include hands-on projects, collaborations, and advanced learning opportunities.

• Broader Vision: As part of the goal to expand member benefits and value from the community, NOVA AI Academy will serve as the foundational layer of a larger initiative to foster and support innovation in AI. 

  • NOVA AI Academy - Learn, connect, and explore AI at any experience level. Expect workshops, beginner projects, speaker events, and social meetups to be held regularly.
  • NOVA AI Foundry - Enhanced support, resources and mentorship for more advanced members to develop, prototype and collaborate on their ideas. Meetup events for this subgroup will be scheduled based on future need.

• More Activity: Expect a mix of casual meetups, hands-on workshops, guest speakers, and project showcases. Whether you’re new to AI or a seasoned practitioner, there will be something here for you.

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Original NOVA School of AI Description:
I am your Dean, Michael Ryan.  We are now a single group for both the old Leesburg School of AI and Fairfax School of AI, and will be hosting most meetings in the Reston or Sterling area.
• Our School of AI is open to anyone willing to either learn or teach.
The following was written by the previous Dean of the Leesburg School, but I'll keep it up for now as it is short and summarizes the goals of the School of AI well.
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Mission Statement “Our mission is to offer a world-class AI education to anyone on Earth for free. Our doors are open to all those who wish to learn. We are a learning community that spans almost every country dedicated to teaching our students how to make a positive impact in the world using AI technology, whether that's through employment or entrepreneurship” 
I am part of Siraj Raval's team. Siraj is on a warpath to Inspire and Educate Developers to Build Artificial Intelligence. As part of his vision, I look forward to helping foster a learning environment that is built on the following School of AI Values
1. Embrace the Weird
2. Inspire and Educate
3. Data Driven Optimism
4. Rapid Experimentation
5. Be Frugal
6. Choose Love, not Fear
7. Draw the Owl
School of AI Meetup Code of Conduct: Participants are expected to
• Be Respectful 
• Stay Professional
• Behave Appropriately