Manc Web 23 - Introducing new tech & using AWS DeepRacer to scale ML education

Hello Manc Webbers!

Our last meetup went down a storm, and we’d love to invite you all to the next one!

Our second meetup of 2023 is going to be hosted at Slalom's offices in Manchester - Floor 15, Bloc, 17 Marble St, Manchester M2 3AW!

In the spirit of Manc Web, we’ll have great food, great drinks and great company - not to mention two awesome speakers!

Speakers & talks
How to introduce new technology at work (and why you maybe shouldn't)
with Lucy Mair, Senior Software Engineer at Codat

“Picking up a new language or framework is always a fun side project, but bringing these into production software at work is always a challenge. It may not be compatible with other technologies you use. The project will need to be maintained for possibly years to come. You will have to convince the rest of your team it's a good idea and they should invest the time to learn.

At Codat, we have used React for our front ends for years but earlier this year we successfully did a project using Svelte. In this talk, I will discuss why we decided to use Svelte, how to convince people to use a new language or framework, and why you maybe shouldn’t.”

Lucy Mair is a senior front-end software developer at Codat, where they work primarily in TypeScript and React, with a bit of F# thrown in to keep things interesting. Their main passions on the programming front are functional programming and testing. In their free time, they can be found either at their craft bench sewing a new outfit, tucked under a blanket knitting another bobble hat, or enjoying an art class.

How we used AWS DeepRacer to scale Machine Learning (ML) education across our organisation
with Matt Houghton, Data Architect at CDL Software

“AWS DeepRacer is a service offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that combines machine learning, cloud computing, and robotics to provide a platform for learning and experimenting with reinforcement learning. Between April 2023 and July 2023, I put together a team to organise and run a DeepRacer event at CDL with the aim to scale Machine Learning education across our organisation."

Matt is Data Architect @CDL_Software where he spends his time undertaking R&D and working with customers and CDL teams on their most challenging and complex data problems. Matt is an AWS Ambassador, AWS Community Builder and holds all 13 AWS certifications. Between 2021 and 2023 Qlik have named Matt one of their 50 Global Luminaries for driving measurable impacts from data and sharing with the community. @mattdevdba

Agenda
5:45pm - doors open, food, drinks and networking
6:30pm - How we used AWS DeepRacer to scale Machine Learning (ML) education across our organisation with Matt Houghton
7pm - comfort break
7:20pm - How to introduce new technology at work (and why you maybe shouldn't) with Lucy Mair
7:50pm - networking
8:30pm - event close

Huge thanks to our sponsors, tact for helping us make this happen!

It’s going to be a good one folks! See you there!

Laura, Jack, Jim, Tom & Amy
Manc Web Co-organisers

Read our code of conduct here

Have any dietary requirements, want to speak at the next meetup or have questions? Contact our organisers:

Laura - [laura@manchesterwebmeetup.com](http://mailto:laura@manchesterwebmeetup.com/)
Tom - tom[@manchesterwebmeetup.com](http://mailto:jim@manchesterwebmeetup.com/)
Jack - jack[@manchesterwebmeetup.com](http://mailto:jim@manchesterwebmeetup.com/)
Jim - [jim@manchesterwebmeetup.com](http://mailto:jim@manchesterwebmeetup.com/)