Computer Education

Welcome to our new home at the historic Tivoli Theater! Please check our details for access to the space on [our website](https://www.hacdc.org/visit/). Join the discord for questions / help getting in (use channel #let-me-in) [https://discord.gg/dNjuNhNmeT](https://discord.gg/dNjuNhNmeT)

**Inflow 6:00 PM - Talks Start \~6:30 PM** **Reston Community Center - 2310 Colts Neck Rd, Reston, VA 20191** NoVA Hackers is a group located in the Northern Virginia area and is made up of Information Security Professionals from all walks of life, from government and private sector, to students and beginners. The monthly meetings are held much like a mini-conference with 4-8 speakers and only a few basic but strict rules. Participation and Permission Active Participation is required for continued membership and is the only due required. Permission is required to be obtained from anyone providing information to the group from the person providing it to be made public by anyone other than the provider. Historically our talks generally run a bit late and we have a hard stop at 9:30pm for the room. If you want to socialize we recommend you arrive at 6 to meet and greet before the talks. Agendas and remote meeting option available after you join the group.

[Profs and Pints DC](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy,”** on findings, debates and trends in the use of psychedelic substances to treat trauma and other conditions, with Whitney Marris, instructor at the University of Buffalo’s School of Social Work, certified psychedelic-assisted therapy facilitator, and consultant to clinical trials. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/dc-psychedelic-assisted-therapy](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/dc-psychedelic-assisted-therapy) .] Psychedelics are rapidly moving from the margins into the mainstream, and questions abound as the sociocultural and legal landscapes surrounding them shift. President Trump’s recent executive order expanding access to psychedelic drugs for certain conditions and accelerating research on them has both heightened interest and added to confusion. Learn more about the so-called “Psychedelic Renaissance,” and get help separating the hope from the hype surrounding it, with Whitney Marris, a leading trainer and facilitator of psychedelic therapy who has used it to treat trauma survivors, military veterans, and people with cancer. She’ll present foundational information on what we know about how psychedelics work. You’ll learn how psychedelic-assisted therapy differs from “trip sitting” and about what we know about the effects of “microdosing” versus “macrodosing.” We’ll examine what has been demonstrated to be helpful versus harmful before, during, and after a dosing session intended to support significant, sustainable change. Marris also will discuss the historical and cultural context of the use of psychedelic medicines for healing, and she’ll describe the ethical challenges that arise as such practices move from counterculture to clinic. We’ll look at emerging and evolving findings in the field, as well as at the roles being played by various financial interests and ideologies in determining the direction of psychedelic-assisted therapy and research on its outcomes. Attendees will gain an awareness of the need for new professional standards and regulatory guardrails related to such work, and they’ll leave knowing key questions to ask potential providers of psychedelic-assisted therapy. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image by Canva.

Come in and sit down at a table to play casual MtG Commander!

**West Coast Swing with Lara Deni** **Where:** Deni Danzco Studio - 3408 Annandale Rd, Falls Church, VA ​ \*Max 16 people per class **Monday** 7:00pm - Level 2 (Novice) 7:45pm- Drills/Musicality/Technique - Levels 2-4 8:30pm - Level 3 /4 (Intermediate/Advanced) ​ **Thursday** 7:00pm - Level 1 (no experience/beginner) **Cost: *$74/month*** \- Three classes per month in any one level ***$199/monthly subscription*** \- Unlimited Class Monthly Membership of any level \- cancel anytime **Explanation of Levels** * Level 1 (No Experience/Beginner) - 6 count Rhythm, Left and Right Side passes ), Starter Step, Connection, and a few other basics * Level 2 (Novice -Beyond Basics) - See 6 month Syllabus on the website * Level 3 /4 (Intermediate/Advanced) - Turn techniques, Leaders Turns, Hammerlocks, Re-directs, Sling Shots, Whip Variations, and so much more. The moves and information learned in this class is endless. You will not be bored! :o) * Drills/Technique/ Musicality (Levels 2-4) ​- Each month will be concentrating on one of the three mentioned. We will dive deep into that area of dance, so you walk away with a better understanding, more knowledge, and musicality to enhance and make your dance more fun! Definitely a class not to miss! ###### Q&A * Classes are 45min * Refunds offered only 48 hours before class/class series starts * You can make-up a class with a class that is of a lower level and running during your current series class time period ​

Event hosted by Bowie! Please check out our COVID restrictions at: https://wiki.unallocatedspace.org/wiki/index.php?title=COVID-19_Reopening_Plan Monday evenings, we will be open for Project Night - a night to work on, collaborate on, or brainstorm on whatever projects you're currently working on or interested in. Don't have a project? Come see what others are working on and get involved or get ideas. If you have an concept for a group project, bring your ideas and seek out others to join you. Project Night is a great opportunity to make progress on your projects as a regularly scheduled event. Anyone is welcome to work on projects any time the space is open, but a dedicated night--just for this--is really fantastic. Teach, Learn, Build.

# NVTC Event (NVTC Registration Required) A Morning with Cyber Icon Kevin Mandia *** I am attending this event with the Northern Virginia Technology Council and wanted to share in case others are interested, particularly given our group's strong interest in AI. NVTC morning events typically feature a coffee & bagel breakfast with a really good speaker. I know weekday mornings can be a struggle, but if this is of interest to you, you can register on the NVTC website: [A Morning with Cyber Icon Kevin Mandia - Northern Virginia Technology Council](https://www.nvtc.org/event/a-morning-with-cyber-icon-kevin-mandia/) ## Details Date: June 10, 2026 Time: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Cost: Free for NVTC members, $40 for nonmembers ### Venue LMI Headquarters 7940 Jones Branch Drive McLean, VA 22102 From the NVTC website: One of the most consequential figures in cybersecurity history is coming back to where it all began, and you can be in the room. The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) is proud to name Kevin Mandia as our 2026 Cyber Icon. Chances to hear him speak candidly, outside the world’s biggest stages, are extraordinarily rare. This is one of them. **Why this moment is different** In March 2026, Mandia’s new company, Armadin emerged from stealth with a record-breaking $189+ million raise, the largest in cybersecurity history. His message is unambiguous: AI hasn’t just changed cybersecurity; it has rewritten the rules entirely. Today’s attacks are autonomous, adaptive, and relentless driven by intelligent software agents operating at machine speed. Armadin was built for this new reality, and Mandia is at the center of this transformation. On June 10, he’ll share where cybersecurity is headed next—and what leaders must do now to stay ahead. He’ll be joined by longtime collaborator Ronald Bushar, CISO and Managing Director at Google Public Sector, for a candid, insider conversation that goes far beyond the headlines. **What you’ll hear** * **The Mandiant Legacy:** How the exposure of APT1 reshaped the global understanding of cyber threats—and changed the industry forever. * **The AI Inflection Point:** What autonomous, learning-based attacks mean for defense in a world moving at the speed of compute. * **Autonomous Offense as Defense:** Why the future may involve AI defending against AI—with little to no human intervention. * **The Founder’s Journey:** The decisions, risks, and resilience behind building Mandiant into a $5.4B acquisition—and starting again. * **The Future Cyber Workforce:** How roles are evolving, what skills will matter most, and how the next generation must prepare. No recording. No replay. No second chance. Seats are limited. **Register now before this moment passes you by!** ## CPE Credits are available to attendees *We are pleased to offer 2.4 continuing professional education (CPE) credits to those that attend the event. CPE certification at A Morning with Cyber Icon Kevin Mandia is being administered by Carahsoft Technology Corp. Carahsoft is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education of the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. For more information on the CPE credit we are offering, our CPE sponsor (NASBA), and the submission process, please* ***[click here](https://carahevents.carahsoft.com/Event/Details/759939-cpe?auth=65c43597315342f482a6c07402079c85)****.*

A small team of AWS Solutions Architects not traditional software engineers, built AIRE Traffic Control (ATC), a production agentic AI platform now serving thousands of builders. We used AI at every stage: spec-driven development, AI-generated code, automated testing, and agentic workflows. In this talk, we'll share the real story, the architecture, the failures, the breakthroughs, and what we learned about driving adoption from 32% to 92% in 10 weeks. You'll walk away with practical patterns for building multi-agent systems, using AI-DLC methodology, and empowering non-traditional dev teams to ship production-grade applications.

VIRTUAL PRESENTER. NOTE SPECIAL DATE: 2ND TUESDAY IN THE MONTH .NET 10 is here alongside a practically rewritten Visual Studio 2026. Learn about the new C# 14 features, VS2026 niceties, and more!

**The next GeoDC will be held on Wednesday, June 10 from 6-9pm at Sudhouse DC (1340 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009) with the program starting at 7pm.** * Join us early from 6-7pm to grow your network, socialize and grab drinks and appetizers. * Throughout the evening, we'll be sharing job announcements and details of other GIS/Geo upcoming events we're tracking. * We look forward to seeing you on the 10th! **Our Program will feature these presentations:** **The Secret History of the Blue Dot - William H. Tewelow, GISP (GPS World)** This presentation takes the audience from an iconic movie scene they recognize but never understood, through the hidden origins of GPS, and returns them to the blue dot in their own hand, seeing it for the very first time. There is a blue dot on your phone right now. It knows where you are to within a few feet. You have never questioned it. You have never wondered where it came from. You should. Its origins are classified. Its lineage runs through the Cold War, nuclear submarines, and a doctrine built on the promise of mutual annihilation. The technology that tells you where to turn was designed for something else entirely. The technology did not change. Only the purpose did. **GEOINT Symposium's Golden Ticket Program - Katie Weintraub (ESRI)** This is a firsthand account of USGIF's GEOINT Symposium Golden Ticket — a program built for early-career professionals who want to level up their careers. Participants get free admission to GEOINT Symposium, mentorship opportunities, a network of fellow Golden Ticket alumni, and a cohort of peers to grow alongside. This talk breaks it all down fast — what it is and why it's a stellar experience for young professionals breaking into or already working in the geospatial intelligence realm. *->If you’d like to present or sponsor a future GeoDC Meetup, please complete this [form](https://forms.gle/QbAXPfrDnX12GGaS8).*

**The Neural Revolution Is Happening Right Now — Are You Plugged In?** Imagine typing with your thoughts. Steering a robotic limb with a neural signal. Lifting depression by stimulating a single brain circuit. Loading a skill straight into memory. This isn't science fiction. It's happening in labs, clinics, and startups around the world — and the DC region, home to NIH, the BRAIN Initiative, and DARPA's neural-interface programs, is one of the places it's being funded and built. **This Event Is for You If…** * ✅ You're a **technologist** curious about the computing paradigm beyond screens and keyboards * ✅ You work in **healthcare** and want to see how neural interfaces will reshape patient care * ✅ You're an **entrepreneur** hunting the next real opportunity in deep tech * ✅ You're a **researcher** looking to plug into the broader BCI ecosystem * ✅ You're simply **fascinated** by where neuroscience and technology collide * ✅ You **missed our last meetup** and want to reconnect with the community **Why That List Makes Us Unique in DC** Read it again. A technologist, a clinician, a founder, a researcher, and the merely curious — in the same room, on the same afternoon. That mix is the whole point, and it's what no other event in the region offers. Neuroscience conferences are built for neuroscientists. AI meetups are built for engineers. Healthcare summits are built for clinicians. Each one serves a single silo. Brain computing doesn't live in any one of those silos — it lives in the overlap. So we built the one community in DC dedicated to that overlap: a place where the person decoding neural signals can talk to the person who'll commercialize the device, who can talk to the clinician who'll put it in front of a patient. **What You'll Walk Away With** This isn't just another tech meetup. Because of who's in the room, you get: * **Frontline insight** from people actively decoding neural signals * **Direct access** to the scientists, engineers, and founders pushing BCI forward — not a panel behind a rope line * **Hands-on work** with real neural data and BCI systems * **Career connections** in one of the fastest-growing fields in tech * **First looks** at breakthrough research before it reaches mainstream media **The Stakes Are Real** We're at an inflection point. The next decade decides whether brain-computer interfaces *expand* human potential or *deepen* inequality — whether they're built in the open or behind closed doors, whether the benefits are shared or hoarded. Your voice, your expertise, your perspective shapes which future we get. **Join the Minds Shaping Tomorrow** This is your entry point into the neural-interface revolution — your chance to stand alongside the researchers reading neural code, the engineers building the interfaces, the clinicians treating patients, and the founders bringing it all to market. **Saturday, June 13 · 12:00–3:00 PM** isn't just a meetup. It's the one place in DC where all of those people come together around brain computing. **Come curious. Leave connected. Return transformed.** Because the future of human-computer interaction isn't happening *to* you — it's happening *with* you.

RVSP on Luma!: https://luma.com/thq3hut1 ​Join us for an evening of data science side projects and networking! Come hear lightning talks about what people are building, meet other people working on cool stuff, and hang out. ​ Whether you're deep into a side project, just getting started on one, or curious about what other people are working on, this is a good place to be. Side projects are how a lot of us learn new tools, explore ideas, and connect with people—and they're a lot more fun when you have other people to talk to about them. ​The speakers tonight are folks who have been participating in our side project mentorship program since March. They submitted side projects they wanted to work on, got matched with mentors, and spent 12 weeks working on them. They'll be talking to you about some aspect of what they did or learned. **Schedule** * ​6:00 - 6:30PM: Mingling & food & drinks * Lightning Talks! * **Bryan Johns** — "Floodlines: The Geography of Institutional Memory" **Karen Zhu** — "Historic Recipe Explorer: Bringing Historic Cookbooks to Life with AI" **Aaron Schumacher** — "Pave the Planet: A new data visualization technique" * We'll add more as they come in. ​Speakers! TBA, but I'll add them as they come in!

[Book Your Classes by Clicking This Link! ](https://crowndancestudio.com/group-classes/) Friday: Advanced Expression End the work week with high-energy **Advanced Rhythm** from **7:00 PM to 8:30 PM**. This session dives deep into the technicalities of Latin and Ballroom styles like Rumba, Samba, or Mambo, designed for dancers who value precision and artistic expression. For $25, you'll receive intensive instruction that pushes your physical boundaries and refines your competitive or performance edge in a high-vibe atmosphere. **When: Every Friday** **Time: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.** **1 Dances per month:** **\*Please check the flyer on the group class page for the dance of the month. Or contact us to find out.** **Cost:$25 per person for 90 min.**

NFT's are here to stay folks! This is a group for like minded people interested in understanding, leveraging, using, creating for, profiting from, trading too i suppose, NFT's.. everything around them, complexity, fear and exploits, best practices and more. **PLUS** This group will talk AI ART tools, techniques, artists, video, audio, prototypes and more in the AI assisted production space- ART specifically, but we can get into any aspect of some of the cooler things happening in AI in general.

**The Behavior Gap: Where Products Win or Lose** Teams today have more data than ever, and yet many still struggle to understand why customers adopt, engage with, or abandon their products. Teams sprint, ship faster, and chase more signals… all while metrics stall and confidence drops. The missing piece isn’t more data. It’s often the behavioral insight between the metrics, explaining why the numbers move in the first place. Dashboards can tell you what customers did, but understanding why they did it (and how to influence what they do next) requires a deeper blend of insights. This session is about closing that gap. Drawing from real-world experience designing and scaling products as [ZoCo Design](https://zocodesign.com/)’s CEO, [Lacey](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceypicazo/) will share how to cut through the noise and identify the insights that actually change behavior—moving people, and moving metrics. You’ll learn: * Why understanding customer behavior is a quant and qual challenge * How to spot the signals that actually predict behavior change * Where AI accelerates insight, and where it creates distraction * How to get meaningfully closer to customers, without adding more tools This talk reframes how to evaluate performance and identify what levers actually improve it, helping your team to make smarter bets with greater confidence. Every meaningful outcome is driven by behavior change. And when you know how to design for behavior, you stop guessing, and start building things that work. **About Our Speaker** [Lacey Picazo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceypicazo/) is the Founder and CEO of ZoCo, a healthcare product studio that turns complex, high-stakes ideas into products that drive real-world adoption. She partners with healthcare organizations to uncover critical care delivery insights, focus product strategy through behavior design, and build solutions that patients and providers actually use. Thanks to our 2026 sponsors: [Clarivoy](https://www.clarivoy.com), [What Box Consulting Group](https://www.whatboxconsultinggroup.com), [Conductrics](https://www.conductrics.com), and [Piwik PRO](https://piwik.pro) More info at [cbusdaw.com](https://cbusdaw.com)

## 🤝 Host Information A co-hosted event by ProductTank Columbus & Women in Product Columbus 💡 About the Workshop AI adoption is stalling across organizations — not because of a lack of motivation or tools, but because it's fundamentally a behavior design challenge. This hands-on workshop applies proven Behavior Design models and methods to help you move from a vague organizational wish to boost AI adoption to 3-5 concrete, testable interventions you can act on starting tomorrow. Whether you're a product manager, on a product team, or just someone trying to get AI to actually stick at work, you'll leave with a clear picture of what's worth focusing on, what to ignore, and how to drive real, sustained adoption — no guesswork required. 🛠️ What to Bring Laptop: Fully charged and ready to go. AI Assistant: Have your favorite AI assistant pulled up. (Dom will be using Claude, but feel free to use whichever assistant you prefer!) 🍕 Logistics & Perks Food & Drink: Pizza and drinks provided! Parking: Plenty of free spaces available on-site. ###

We are bringing Microsoft Build sessions to Columbus Ohio! The Central Ohio Azure Meetup and Central Ohio .NET Developer's Group (CONDG) are coming together to bring some of the labs and breakouts from Microsoft Build to your backyard. In this free, 1 day event, you are going to Build stuff with us! And yes, there will be free food. So please RSVP for a head count!

We have moved to guild.host. Look us up there. https://guild.host/events/buckeye-cocoaheads-rcavwd

Topic to be announced. **THANK YOU** *Franklin University* for hosting our meetup! To learn more about *Franklin University*, please visit their website: https://www.franklin.edu/ **DIRECTIONS** Franklin University Fisher Hall 300 E. Main St, Columbus, OH 43215 Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jxjBA2hUmS5qrvhq8 Parking is FREE! Please park in Lot C in front of Fisher Hall. See attached map. NOTE: Map the address only. When mapping with Google Maps it may use the Fisher Hall at OSU, which is NOT correct. **Want to sponsor the pizza and/or bar tab?** Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this meetup's pizza and/or bar tab: angelo@mandato.com

QA or the Highway is a one-day, affordable, regional, professional conference featuring real-world experience and thought leadership in the QA and testing industry. This is a ticketed event please register here: https://www.qaorthehwy.com/ Featured Keynote Speakers: **Matthew-Hope Eland** **(Wizard at Leading EDJE)** \- An AI Specialist and Wizard at Leading EDJE who is known to teach software engineering\, AI\, and data science concepts in the most ridiculous ways possible\. Matt has used machine learning to settle debates over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie\, reinforcement learning to drive the behavior of digital squirrels\, data analytics to suggest improvements to his favorite TV show\, and AI agents to play board games and create an AI agent with the personality of a dog\. Matt is the author of "Data Science in \.NET with Polyglot Notebooks" and "Refactoring with C\#" as well as several LinkedIn Learning courses\. Matt helps organize the Central Ohio \.NET Developer Group\, runs several blogs and a YouTube channel\, has a Master’s of Science in Data Analytics\, and is a current Microsoft MVP in AI and \.NET\. **Tatyana Arbouzova** **(CEO at Innovate QA)** \- Tatyana Arbouzova is an engineering and business leader with a strong background in Quality Engineering across multiple industries\, including Big Tech\, Healthcare\, and Entertainment\. She has held leadership roles at world\-class companies such as Microsoft\, VMware\, Disney\, and The Pokémon Company International\, where she focused on building quality\-driven cultures and scaling teams to deliver high\-impact products\. With decades of experience\, Tatyana has helped organizations transform their quality practices so teams can deliver software efficiently\, confidently\, and with measurable business outcomes\. Today\, Tatyana advises software companies on adopting AI to optimize quality practices and improve how software is delivered at scale\. She is also a passionate community builder and the founder of Innovate QA\, a thriving Seattle\-based community and conference for quality professionals\.