Chemistry

**AWS Cloud Carnival: Cloud Computing + Hands-on Workshop** ☁️🎡🚀 Welcome to **AWS Cloud Carnival**, a power-packed and exciting cloud event where learning meets real-world technology! If you’ve ever been curious about **AWS, Cloud Computing, or DevOps**, this is the perfect chance to start your journey with a fun and interactive experience. Get ready for an engaging session filled with **live demos, hands-on learning, real cloud concepts, and career guidance** — all designed specially for students and beginners. To attend the event **in person**, it is mandatory to claim your **free ticket** from the link below. **Get your free ticket here:** [https://konfhub.com/aws-cloud-carnival](https://konfhub.com/aws-cloud-carnival) **What’s inside the Carnival?** ✨ Introduction to Cloud Computing & AWS ⚡ Explore AWS Core Services (EC2, S3, IAM, VPC) 🛠️ Hands-on demo sessions and practical learning 🚀 Cloud + DevOps basics (deployment & real use cases) 🎓 Career roadmap + certifications guidance 🤝 Networking with cloud enthusiasts & community members **Featured Speakers:** ***Sagar Khangan*** Principal Software Engineer \| Senior Engineering Manager Stealth Startup (India · Remote) Session: "Starting Your Cloud Journey with AWS" ***Dr. Purshottam A*** Enterprise Architect ( ex-Amazon ) Session: Enterprise Cloud Architecture & Career Roadmap **Who should attend?** ✅ Students (Beginner to Intermediate) ✅ Developers & Tech Enthusiasts ✅ Anyone interested in building a career in Cloud & DevOps **Event Details:** 📅 Date: 14 March 2026 (Saturday) ⏰ Time: 12:00 PM – 04:00 PM IST 📍 Venue: Seminar Hall, Ratan Tata Maharashtra State Skills University 🎟️ **Limited seats available!** Don’t miss this chance to learn, build, and experience the cloud world with AWS. 🚀 Register now and be a part of the **AWS Cloud Carnival!**

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“The Secrets of Runes,”** on the origins, development, and interpretation of the runic script, with Lilla Kopár, runologist and a professor of medieval literature and culture at Catholic University. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-rune-secrets](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-rune-secrets) .] The fame of runes outshines that of any other ancient script. They can be found not just on Viking Age rune stones, but on Bilbo’s door and as the Bluetooth logo on your cell phone. Runic script is commonly associated with magic, used by modern practitioners of neopaganism, and in recent decades has captured the imagination of filmmakers and video game designers. Yet most of us know little about the historical origins of runes and have no clue how to read or use them. Come to Crooked Run Fermentation in Sterling, Va., to get schooled on runic script with the help of Lilla Kopár, a veteran scholar of runes who has earned a following among Profs and Pints fans by giving fantastic talks on medieval monsters and Norse mythology. As someone who has carried out extensive field research on runes, published several articles on runic objects, and even appeared on the History Channel commenting on runes in America, she’s exceptionally qualified to introduce you to runology and the fascinating things that runes tell us. Dr Kopár will discuss the development of runic script from its humble origins on the borders of the Roman Empire in the first or second century CE, through its popularity in the Viking world, to its use and misuse in modern times. She’ll discuss how runes are a set of related alphabets that underwent changes over time and she’ll describe what inspired changes in this writing system and where and how runes were used in the medieval period. Her richly illustrated talk will highlight some of the most intriguing objects with runic inscriptions, from humble bone fragments to impressive rune stones, and offer insight into the scholarly methods of deciphering and interpreting runic inscriptions. We’ll also look at the function of the runic script from simple practical notes and memorial inscriptions to cipher-runes and magic. The most fun might be the in-class assignment, which will involve reading a few runic inscriptions and writing your name and other words in runes. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: Part of Codex runicus, a rune manuscript written on animal skin and dating to about 1300 (University of Copenhagen / Wikimedia Commons).

New Date and Time starting in May 2024. Sunday Night Chess is now Saturday Night Chess! Casual Chess: informal skittles games or optionally with Clocks (Blitz, Rapid, Quick, or custom time controls). Meetups of Ashburn Chess Club are held on 2nd floor of the Wegmans supermarket, 45131 Columbia Pl, Sterling, VA 20166, located in the Dulles Centre Shoppes Plaza which is just off the Waxpool Road Exit on Route 28 expressway. To find the chess games, take the elevator or stairs up to the 2nd floor mezzanine level. If there are RSVP the host will usually arrive a few minutes early to set up tables in the center mezzanine section located near the Kids Room with the TV. Guests, walk-ins, kibitzers are all welcome too; we request minor children to be accompanied by an adult, and we request only chess players RSVP, members and guests who are attending to play chess, so we have an accurate count of chessboards needed to set up.

Join us for the fabulous curry, ramen, and more at ***Karé Bar*** in Chantilly! ***From Northern Virginia Magazine:*** Some of the best dishes in the world are fairly recent innovations. The Vietnamese banh mi, for example, appeared only in the 1950s thanks to the introduction of the French baguette in Ho Chi Minh City and the innovative thinking of the Le family. Japanese curry is a bit older, tracing back to the late 19th century, when British sailors enchanted with well-spiced Indian sauces brought those traditions back to another part of Asia. Eventually, Korea also created its own adaptation of the thick, flavorful gravy. Score another one for the global food community. Actually, score two. Kare Bar opened in Chantilly on Metrotech Drive, making it easy to head to Shilla Bakery or Chateau de Chantilly after lunch or dinner. Score three? Of course, I wouldn’t be keeping score at all if the food weren’t excellent. It is, as is the caring service and bright atmosphere. Start with something uniquely Japanese like monkfish liver with ponzu or a grilled hamachi collar, or stick to an old reliable like the juicy chicken or seafood dumplings, united by a crispy lacework of fried skirt. I tried both the Japanese and Korean curries. The latter is labeled as “spicy” on the menu, but didn’t seem to have any more heat than the Japanese curry. I recommend sticking to the Japanese sauce for its more robust flavor. Order it with the meaty, crispy donkatsu (pork cutlet curry) or the hamburger steak curry, essentially a well-seared dish of Salisbury steak. Whichever curry you order, it will come with sticky rice topped with a crisp-edged over-easy egg and a slew of veggies, ready to be drenched in curry. A shredded cabbage salad is bathed in an exceptionally appealing creamy sesame dressing. As winter sets in, there are few more fulfilling meals than a rib-sticking curry. This is the place that will keep you feeling like there’s no need to hibernate. Check out menu [here](https://karebar.com/our-menu/) **WAITLIST:** Meetup does not allow a waitlist for paid events. If this event fills and you are interested in adding your name to the waitlist, please send host a message through the app. To enhance the opportunity for great conversation, we would like to keep the group small. Please feel free to sign-up to meet us along with up to 2 friends. In the future, we will vary the days of the week, geography and the cost of restaurants so that we can attract many different types of diners. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE COMMITTED TO GO WHEN YOU RSVP FOR THIS EVENT. In the event our group incurs a fee for no-shows / late cancellations, your ability to RSVP for future events will be restricted. Thank you in advance for your understanding.Feel free to make suggestions for future meet locations. All diners will have their own tab to avoid any confusion. \*\* The small non-refundable registration fee helps us share the cost associated with Meetup platform ($360/year) and reduces the likelihood of no-shows, allowing us to better plan our events and accommodate attendees. Thank you in advance for your understanding!\*\* If you are unable to join us in March, we hope you'll stay interested and join us for a meal in the future. Looking forward to seeing you at Karé Bar in Chantilly!

**NOTE: most of the regulars no longer RSVP to the Meetup. You'll usually find at least a half dozen of us playing chess, regardless of how many attendees are listed. Come on by!** Fairfax Chess Club meets on Wednesday at Patriot's Pub & Grill in downtown Fairfax City. People start showing up around 6 PM and stay as late as they please. Please bring your own chess set if you've got one, as our extra chess sets live at other venue for the time being. (If you don't have a chess set, however, I'm sure you'll still be able to get in a game with someone who's brought one.) Patriot's is located at: 10560 Main St, Fairfax, VA 22030 See you soon!

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“A Practical Guide to Social Change,”** a research-based look at how communities bring about reform and progress, with Marissa Robinson, founder of Real Health Impact LLC and an adjunct professor at George Washington University who teaches courses focused on public health leadership and social change. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-social-change](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-social-change) .] Systems built on inequality rarely transform without deliberate pressure from the people most committed to justice, because progress takes coordination, conviction and willingness to change what has always been accepted. Real change starts when people choose to move together. Learn what research and experience say about how to make real social progress with Dr. Marissa Robinson, a public health practitioner who previously worked in federal agencies coordinating global and national public health initiatives focused on infectious diseases, HIV, and health equity. Among the key questions she’ll tackle: How do communities overcome barriers to create real change? When should evidence guide decisions and when does context matter more? She’ll discuss established frameworks for moving from intention to measurable progress and talk about the importance of building coalitions that actually work and of making decisions grounded in real data. You’ll learn about the importance of testing ideas on a small scale before going big, as well as how to use rapid feedback loops and continuous improvement cycles to refine approaches and scale what truly works. Dr. Robinson will share stories of ordinary people and communities who refused to accept the status quo and pushed through real barriers to achieve breakthrough results. She’ll talk about practical strategies, usable frameworks, and evidence-based examples that people can apply immediately in their own communities and organizations to support change that lasts. If you have dreamed about bringing about progress in your world, this talk will give you the clarity, direction, and confidence it takes to turn such dreams into reality. ( Door: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image by Canva.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, join us for **From Awkward → Authentic: Women’s Speed Networking**—a guided experience focused on meaningful conversation and genuine connection. Station 202 Restaurant & Bar 5820 Landover Rd, Hyattsville, MD 20784 Friday\, March 27\, 2026 \| 6:30–8:30 PM $10 Members \| $15 Guests This event supports the programs and initiatives of the Prince George’s County Women’s Bureau Toastmasters Club. Limited seating available. Advance registration encouraged by March 13 at [https://tinyurl.com/pgcwbMarchevent](https://tinyurl.com/pgcwbMarchevent).

Regular boba tea meetup for people to meet, make new friends, or enjoy general conversations. Great for those who are new in town or find new activities to do!