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Computer Science Events Today
Join in-person Computer Science events happening right now
Special: IT-Security
**Um was geht es dieses mal?**
Dieses Mal dreht sich alles um aktuelle Herausforderungen, Best Practices und Trends rund um IT-Sicherheit. Freut euch auf praxisnahe Einblicke, spannende Diskussionen und den Austausch mit Security-Expert:innen.
**So leicht können Hacker Ihr Unternehmen über öffentliche Daten angreifen - Mehmet Avci (codecentric)**
Jedes Unternehmen hinterlässt einen digitalen Fußabdruck – oft unbemerkt, aber öffentlich zugänglich. Genau diese frei verfügbaren Informationen machen sich Angreifer im Rahmen von Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) zunutze, um gezielte Angriffe vorzubereiten, ohne dabei technische Schutzmechanismen direkt angreifen zu müssen.
In diesem Talk wird gezeigt, wie einfach es für Angreifer ist, Unternehmen allein auf Basis öffentlich verfügbarer Daten zu analysieren und zu kompromittieren. Nach einer Einführung in die Grundlagen von OSINT und die typischen Phasen eines OSINT‑Prozesses werden verschiedene Techniken vorgestellt und eingeordnet. Dazu gehören unter anderem Subdomain‑Enumeration, Google Dorking, die Auswertung von Unternehmensinformationen, Social‑Media‑Analysen, das Sammeln von E‑Mail‑Adressen sowie die Nutzung von Datenlecks und Breach‑Daten.
Anhand praxisnaher Beispiele aus realen Szenarien wird verdeutlicht, wofür diese Techniken eingesetzt werden und wie Angreifer die gewonnenen Informationen miteinander kombinieren, um detaillierte Profile von Organisationen, Infrastrukturen und Mitarbeitenden zu erstellen. Der Vortrag schärft das Bewusstsein dafür, wie aus scheinbar harmlosen Einzeldaten ein ernstzunehmendes Sicherheitsrisiko entstehen kann – und warum OSINT ein zentraler Bestandteil moderner Angriffe ist.
**This is fine - until it's not - Christian Uhsat (codecentric)**
Was passiert, wenn was passiert? Erfahrungsberichte aus Digitaler Forensik und Incident Response im Kampf gegen Cybercrime, Ransomware und den allgemeinen Wahnsinn.
**Hybrides Setup!**
Wir freuen uns, euch bei uns in den Räumen der codecentric AG in Dortmund willkommen zu heißen. Vor Ort versorgen wir euch mit Snacks und Getränken und freuen uns gleichzeitig über interessante Diskussionen und einen guten Austausch. Für alle, die es nicht zu uns ins Office schaffen, werden wir das Meetup Hybrid durchführen. Der Stream beginnt ca. 10 Minuten später, damit wir vor Ort ausreichend Möglichkeit für persönliches Kennenlernen haben.
Den Live-Stream findet ihr auf dem [YouTube-Channel ](https://www.youtube.com/@codecentricAG)der codecentric AG.
**Wichtig - Absage bitte rechtzeitig:**
Wir bestellen das Essen bereits 3 Tage vor dem Meetup. Falls ihr doch verhindert sein solltet, bitten wir euch um eine rechtzeitige Absage. Das ist wichtig, damit wir nicht unnötig Essen verschwenden müssen. Vielen Dank für euer Verständnis!
**Anreise:**
Per Zug: Vom Dortmunder HBF sind es ca. 10 Minuten zu Fuß.
Mit dem Auto: Rund um das Office gibt es einige Parkflächen, dazu befinden sich in dem Parkhaus der Thier-Galerie weitere Parkplätze.
Meetup Utrecht JUG May 12th: Real-World RAG & JPA Insights
We are excited to announce our next Utrecht JUG meetup, on **May 12th** hosted by **JDriven**. It will be an evening packed with practical insights and real-world lessons from modern software development. Join us for a great mix of knowledge sharing, engaging talks, and of course food, drinks, and good conversations.
We kick off the evening with food and drinks before diving into our first session, where **Susanne Pieterse** explores how Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) can be applied in large-scale, real-world environments. Moving beyond demos, she’ll share hands-on experiences from modernizing legacy systems, covering challenges like document processing, access control, and keeping AI grounded in reliable data.
After the break, **Jos Roseboom** takes the stage with a deep dive into performance pitfalls in JPA and related technologies. With practical examples and a touch of humor, this session uncovers how ORM abstractions can sometimes lead to unexpected slowdowns and how to detect and fix them before they impact your users.
We’ll wrap up the evening with drinks, giving you plenty of time to connect with fellow developers, exchange ideas, and reflect on the sessions. Plus, don’t miss the chance to win a JetBrains license in our giveaway.
Join us for an evening full of learning, inspiration, and great conversations.
Please join us and RSVP!
Because of the limited number of seats, please keep your RSVP up-to-date, so we can welcome someone else if you can't make it.
***
## Timeschedule
17:00 Doors open
17:45 Food & Drinks
18:30 RAG in the Wild: Real-World Lessons from Modernizing Legacy Systems by Susanne Pieterse
19:30 Break
19:45 When ORM Becomes OMG: Performance Pitfalls in JPA and Friends by Jos Roseboom
20:45 Drinks
# Giveaway
1 JetBrains licence
***
# Talks
## RAG in the Wild: Real-World Lessons from Modernizing Legacy Systems
Enterprise and government document systems hold terabytes of valuable unstructured information, yet most still rely on keyword and metadata search with little semantic context. Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) promises a breakthrough, but tutorials rarely prepare you for regulated, large-scale environments.
In this talk, I’ll share lessons from building a RAG stack with Spring Boot, Elasticsearch, LangChain4j, Docker, and ActiveMQ, using both Azure OpenAI and Ollama. Expect concrete insights on document chunking, enforcing access control, and keeping LLMs grounded in facts — practical takeaways for anyone bringing RAG from demo to production.
***
# When ORM Becomes OMG: Performance Pitfalls in JPA and Friends
JPA makes database interaction feel almost magical—until your app grinds to a halt. In this talk, we’ll take a tour through the common (and not-so-common) performance pitfalls that turn object-relational mapping into an object-relational mess. From data loading surprises to connection mismanagement, we’ll explore real-world issues using a sample app: the FunFactStore, where fun facts are sold, but bugs are free.
We’ll dig into how seemingly harmless libraries can sometimes do more harm than good, and how tooling can help you spot trouble before your users do. Whether you’re using Spring Data JPA, navigating tricky transaction boundaries, or just wondering why things suddenly got slow, this session offers practical insights—and maybe a few fun facts.
***
# Speakers
## Susanne Pieterse
As an autodidact full-stack engineer and iSAQB-certified software architect, Susanne thrives on innovation, learning, and knowledge-sharing, with tea and a heavy-bag boxing workout fueling the journey. She helps Java developers, who are eager to explore generative AI, transform their ideas into high-value, real-world creations.
***
## Jos Roseboom
Jos gets a smile on his face when he makes other people happy by letting a computer do what they don’t like to do. He has been trying to do so professionally for the past 16 years. In his spare time, Jos likes to play tennis. He is a trainer/coach for kids playing the typical Dutch sport korfball.
PHPAmersfoort May 2026: Manage private packages with Pricore
We are back with your monthly dose of PHPAmersfoort on the 12th of May. We are invited by the people of the Bitlair Hackerspace in Amersfoort, where Maarten Bode will show us how Pricore can be used as an open-source private package registry for Composer.
19:00 - Doors open
19:30 - **Manage private packages with Pricore** \- Maarten Bode
20:30 - Social
**Manage private packages with Pricore**
Private PHP-packages beheren klinkt simpel. Satis die vastloopt, tokens die rondslingeren, geen zicht op wie toegang heeft. In deze talk laat Maarten zien hoe Pricore als open-source Laravel-app private package management weer overzichtelijk maakt.
SIDN TechTalk - 12 mei 2026
Op dinsdag 12 mei organiseren we weer een SIDN TechTalk! Dit jaar is voor ons een speciaal jaar, SIDN bestaat namelijk 30 jaar en het .nl-domein bestaat zelfs 40 jaar. Een echt jubileumjaar dus!
Al 30 jaar zorgen wij met trots voor het .nl-domein, een van de grootste en veiligste landendomeinen ter wereld! Dit jubileum laten we natuurlijk niet stilletjes voorbijgaan. Daarom staat deze TechTalk in het teken van 30 jaar SIDN en 40 jaar .nl. Ook dit keer hebben we 2 interessante sprekers én een lekkere maaltijd. Laat je inspireren en kom op 12 mei naar de SIDN TechTalk. Meld je snel aan!
**Programma**
**18.00 – 19.00 uur: inloop met (buffet)diner**
Zorg dat je nog niet gegeten hebt, want wij zorgen voor een lekkere gratis maaltijd!
**19.00 – 19.45 uur Talk 1:**
**Een reis door 30 jaar aan SIDN-infrastructuur – Marc Groeneweg**
Marc neemt jullie mee door 30 jaar aan SIDN-infrastructuur: van de tijd waarin .nl draaide op een paar servers en een flinke dosis pioniersmentaliteit, tot de moderne, robuuste en soms bijna eigenwijze systemen van nu.
Het wordt een reis langs hoogtepunten, “creatieve oplossingen” en technische keuzes die ons hebben gebracht waar we staan - en waar we soms achteraf om kunnen lachen.
Laten we beginnen aan deze tijdreis door 3 decennia techniek… zonder rollbackplan.
*Over Marc Groeneweg*
Marc is senior DNS-engineer en product owner met ruim 20 jaar ervaring bij SIDN, met uitgebreide expertise in het ontwerpen, beveiligen en beheren van autoritatieve DNS-diensten en wereldwijde DNS-anycastinfrastructuren. Bedreven in DNSSEC, zonebeheer, DNS-publicatieprocessen en grootschalige netwerkinfrastructuren. Beschikt over een sterke achtergrond in ICT-projectmanagement, securityarchitectuur en procesverbetering.
**19.45 – 20.30 uur Talk 2:**
**Digitale autonomie: gisteren, heden en in de toekomst – Daniel Karrenberg**
Daniel neemt je aan de hand van een reeks persoonlijke verhalen mee langs de ‘geboorte’ van .nl en RIPE in de Amsterdamse Watergraafsmeer, via individuele keuzes voor meer autonomie tot strategieën voor de toekomst. Wat hebben wij geleerd en wat kunnen wij doen nu en in de toekomst op het gebied van digitale autonomie? Discussie gewenst!
*Over Daniel Karrenberg*
Daniel Karrenberg is een van de pioniers van het internet in Europa. In de jaren 1980 hielp hij bij de opbouw van EUnet, de eerste pan-Europese internet service provider. In die tijd deelde hij een kantoor met Piet Beertema, de eerste beheerder van .nl. In 1989 was Daniel een van de oprichters van RIPE (Réseaux IP Européens), het belangrijkste samenwerkingsforum in Europa voor internetcoördinatie. In de jaren 1990 leidde Daniel de oprichting van het eerste regionale internet registry ter wereld, RIPE Network Coördination Centre (RIPE NCC), dat Europa, het Midden-Oosten en eerder ook delen van Afrika en Centraal-Azië bedient.
Daniel was CEO van RIPE NCC van 1992 tot 2000 en chief scientist van 2000 tot 2013. In deze rol heeft hij een groot aantal activiteiten geleid, waaronder de RIPE Routing Information Service (RIS), het wereldwijde meetplatform RIPE Atlas, de DNS Monitoring Service (DNSMON), RIPEstat en, samen met NLnet Labs, de Name Server Daemon (nsd).
In 2001 ontving Daniel de gerenommeerde Jon Postel Internet Service Award "voor twee decennia van buitengewone toewijding aan de ontwikkeling van netwerken in Europa en wereldwijd"; in 2012 werd hij opgenomen in de Internet Hall of Fame.
**20.30 - 21.00 uur: Napraten onder het genot van een borrel.**
**Taal**
De sessies zijn in het Nederlands.
**Meenemen**
Identiteitsbewijs
**Aanmelden/afmelden**
Het bezoeken van TechTalk is gratis. Wij maken natuurlijk wel kosten. Heb je je aangemeld, maar kan je er toch niet bij zijn? Meld je dan snel af, dan kunnen wij jouw plek aan een ander geven.
📣 AI Council 2026
**[AI Council](http://aicouncil.com/) 2026 is coming to San Francisco, May 12-14!**
It's our only IRL conference of the year, and we couldn't be more excited to bring the AI community together at the Marriott Marquis in SOMA.
This is a ticketed event — as a member of our meetups, you can enjoy 20% off Regular and Late-Bird tickets with the code: **DCMEETUP20**
**About Us:** [AI Council](http://aicouncil.com/) is the original community-driven, deeply technical conference at the frontier of AI. We have a No BS Guarantee: we're vendor neutral, and we promise all of our talks are engaging, technical, and presented by top engineers and researchers doing the real work. For years, we've been running the best community-powered AI events around, and we invite you to join us for high quality talks and inspiring conversations with the people actually building the future of AI.
**Why Should I Go:**
* 🎤 **Incredible Speaker Lineup:** 3 days and 60+ insightful talks from leading AI engineers, researchers, and builders from top companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, Meta, Databricks, and many more.
* 🏎 **10 Unique Tracks:** Inference Systems, AI Engineering, AI Security & Safety, Agent Infrastructure, Coding Agents & Autonomous Dev, Model Systems, Data Engineering & Databases, Applied AI, Analytics & Data Science, and Lightning Talks
* 📋 **Workshops (hands-on, peer-led):** Try out the latest tools alongside their creators, get hands-on experience with cutting-edge products, and meet some of the most talented builders in the industry, for free!
* 💬 **Speaker Office Hours:** Following each talk, you get the opportunity to dive deeper 1:1 with the speaker
* 🎈 **Extensive Networking:** Conference happy hours and amazing after-hours events hosted by community partners throughout the week
\*\*\*
*As a member of our meetups, you can enjoy 20% off Regular and Late-Bird tickets with the code **DCMEETUP20***
**NOTE:** This is a ticketed event. Check out our [website](http://aicouncil.com/) to purchase tickets and get complete information on speakers and schedule.
Join the global AI community in San Francisco for the most technical, no-hype AI event of the year — we'll see you there!
3D workshop in Apeldoorn
**3D Workshop**
* **Ontwerpen met Fusion360**
* **Scannen in 3D**
* **Het gebruik van 3D printers**
**Je bent nu welkom in de nieuwe locatie NewTechPark**
Je kunt ook online aan deze fysieke bijeenkomst deelnemen. De bijeenkomst is dan op de locatie te volgen.
Als je [hier](w.j.put@hccnet.nl) vooraf een mailtje stuurt kun je dinsdagavond tussen 19.00 en 20.00 uur inloggen met Jitsi voor vragen, of ter kennismaking met hcc!3D.
Online neem je deel aan de bijeenkomst met [https://wij.hcc.nl/3D](https://wij.hcc.nl/3D)
[(Alleen toegang als je zichtbaar bent met voor- en achternaam. )](https://wij.hcc.nl/3d)
Programming Dojo #1
**Lets go!**
Edition 1 of the Coding Dojo in Utrecht!
Kata will be announced later, but this will be a fun one..
**Please RSVP so we can order enough pizzas 🍕**
**18:00 - 21:00 hours, walk-in from 17:30**
Drift 17, Utrecht (bus stop Janskerkhof)
Computer Science Events This Week
Discover what is happening in the next few days
From strangers to friends - Locals meet expats
I'm excited to host the 22st edition of *Strangers to Friends*! Every event so far has been warm, fun and full of great connections. So we’re doing it again!
Curious about our previous events? Check out our photo albums (only visible on the laptop version of Meetup).
**What to expect**
* A safe, relaxed environment to meet both locals and expats, whether you want to meet new people, experience an international atmosphere or talk about business, it’s all possible.
* Start the evening with a few rounds of conversation cards: pair up with someone you don’t know, answer meaningful questions and rotate every 10 minutes. Within just one hour, you’ll get to know several people really well and enjoy meaningful conversations.
* Everyone comes on their own, so it’s easy to connect.
**Practical details**
* Doors open at 20:00, after 30 minutes we start with conversation cards
* Venue: Boekencafé Libertas, Klarendalseweg 477-1, Arnhem
* 20 min walk from Arnhem Central
* 7 min walk from Arnhem Velperpoort
* You’ll receive 1 drink token for (beer/wine/soft drinks) and snacks all night!
* Find us on the right side of the café at the bar, by the window and garden
Bring a smile and join us for an evening where friendships grow, business ideas spark and real-life connections happen. Back to basics, away from screens, meeting face-to-face.
Warm regards, Julia
Transactional Saga Pattern
**Liebe Gophers,**
am 13.Mai geht es bei uns um eines der wichtigsten Patterns in verteilten Systemen: das **Transactional Saga Pattern**.
Wer mit Microservices arbeitet, kennt das Problem – eine Bestellung aufgeben klingt einfach, aber dahinter stecken Payment Service, Inventory Service, Shipping Service... und jeder hat seine eigene Datenbank. Was passiert, wenn mittendrin etwas schiefläuft?
Klassische ACID-Transaktionen funktionieren hier nicht. Sagas schon.
Unser Speaker Mark Borukhov zeigt, wie das Saga Pattern funktioniert – mit echtem Go-Code, einem E-Commerce-Beispiel und Live-Demo.
**Was euch erwartet:**
* Warum verteilte Transaktionen ein echtes Problem sind
* Saga Pattern: Konzept, Choreography vs. Orchestration
* Implementierung in Go – Schritt für Schritt
* Pitfalls, Lessons Learned & Q&A
Das Event richtet sich an alle – von Go-Einsteigern bis zu erfahrenen Entwicklern. Auch wer Go nicht kennt, aber Microservices baut oder Patterns liebt, ist herzlich willkommen.
**Der Vortrag wird auf Deutsch gehalten.**
Wir treffen uns um 18 Uhr bei [lynqtech](https://www.lynq.tech/). Mit dem Vortrag starten wir um 18:30 Uhr. Danach wollen wir über Technologien und Erfahrungen plaudern, voneinander lernen, Kontakte knüpfen und einfach eine tolle Zeit miteinander verbringen.
Wir freuen uns auf euch! 🚀 *Mark & Anna*
Painting & Drawing Cafe in Amersfoort ( For Expats and English Speakers )
## 🎨**Activity for EXPATS & English Speakers** ☕
Are you an art enthusiast living in or around **Amersfoort, Hilversum, Utrecht, Nieuwegein, IJsseltein, De Bilt and the rest of cities of the Utrecht's province** who love painting or drawing? Maybe you've felt the joy of creating but struggled to find others who share your passion and speak **ENGLISH**? **You're not alone! 😉**
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
## 🖌️**About this event**
You will meet other Art Lovers like you to Draw, Paint and have some drinks Together ! Our events are not just about sketching or creating art—they’re about building connections. Every two weeks, we meet at a café to have a relaxing time drawing a painting.
Please keep on mind that **ENGLISH i**s the official language we will use to integrate everyone in our conversations.
⭕⭕⭕➡️ **IMPORTANT ⬅️** ⭕⭕⭕⭕
### 👩🏻🎨**Book formally your Seat 🪑via [WHATSAPP](https://bit.ly/3BXXE0f)**
**If you want to confirm officially your attendance and separate your seat🪑. Book your seat in meet-up, and contact us via [WHATSAPP HERE](https://bit.ly/3BXXE0f) to receive more information on the address of our activities.**
**Thanks a lot for your understanding!** 💐🥰
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
### 👩🏻🎨**How Does It Work?**
This event is simple, this initiative takes 2 Hours. Most of the participants use pencils, water pencils or watercolours. Main aim is to socialize while we draw. There will be plenty of time to talk and get to know each other. We have to mention that this event is suitable for all levels. Many have started to draw in our event actually.
Also it is very important that you **[JOIN US AT OUR WHATSAPP COMMUNITY](https://bit.ly/3BXXE0f),** to stay up to date on our upcoming events and participate in our Drawing and Painting Contests!
**👉: [https://bit.ly/3BXXE0f](https://bit.ly/3BXXE0f)** 🍀
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
### ☕**Where?**
We will meet in different cafes mainly in the *center of Amersfoort ( and some occasions in other cities around)*. I will inform you of the exact place some days in advance this event. The place will depend on the number of attendees.
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
### **🎟️ What is included?**
🟢 **2 HOURS TO HAVE FUN!**
🟢 **15 mins warming-up creative activity and paper material**🖌️🎨
🟢 New friendships and **conversations in ENGLISH** in a relaxed atmosphere
🟢 **Souvenir picture** with you and the rest of Art Lovers 📷
🟢 Exclusive **access to our Art Lovers Community** on which you will receive:
***\~\~\~ Drawing challenges,***
***\~\~\~ Training content,***
***\~\~\~ FREE Entries only to members***
***\~\~\~ Drawing Competitions***
🟢 Time to **create alongside fellow artists and amateurs**
🟢 The freedom to **work at your own pace** 💃🕺🎈
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
### 🖼️**Art Materials?**
Bring your own practical art materials to be adaptable to sketch on a coffee table. Like your sketchbook, pencils, watercolor, markets, pencils, your Tablet..etc
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
## **See you to Paint, Draw, and drink together!🌟☕🍷🍪🍰**
Improv for Life Weekend workshop 1 Play, Presence & Relationships
Improv for Life Weekend workshop
Improv for your personal development. Playful. Powerful. Transformative.
What if real life could feel more like improv—full of joy, connection, creativity, and flow?
Improv for Life is a one-of-a-kind course that blends the magic of improvisation with personal development. It’s not about being funny or performing on stage (though that might happen too!)—it’s about learning to navigate life with more presence, courage, and flexibility.
In this course, you’ll uncover the hidden wisdom in improv games and exercises, and apply it to real-life challenges in a way that’s light, energizing, and deeply impactful.
You’ll practice life-changing skills like:
Being fully present
Listening deeply
Relating authentically
Acting with courage
Finding meaning in the moment
And explore rich, human themes.
Whether you’re a professional, a creative, or a curious human navigating change, Improv for Life offers a safe, playful space to shift stuck patterns, unlock your creativity, and reconnect with what makes you feel truly alive.
Course Structure:
Four full days, split into **two independent weekend workshops** — join one or both!
**If you are new to improv it is recommended that you do Workshop 1 before you do Workshop 2.**
#### **Workshop 1: Play, Presence & Relationships (16-17 May)**
**Saturday**: We’ll explore the playful side of being human — how we learn and grow through curiosity, experimentation, and even failure. At the heart of this is presence: being fully in the moment, responding to what is actually happening rather than what we think should happen.
**Sunday**: We’ll focus on the relational side of being human — how our identity is shaped and revealed in connection with others.
#### **Workshop 2: Polarities, Stories & Meaning (13-14 June)**
**Saturday**: We’ll explore the inner tensions we all carry — the different pulls, needs, and paradoxes within us. Instead of fixing them, we’ll practice holding them with presence and curiosity, and see what wisdom emerges.
**Sunday**: We’ll explore how we create meaning through stories — how patterns form in our lives, and how shaping or breaking those patterns can lead to more honest and life-giving stories.
**Sign up** by clicking the blue button on [Improv for life - Improv Utrecht](https://www.improvutrecht.nl/improv-for-life/) or go to improv-utrecht.weticket.io
### **Pricing**:
* €279 per workshop
* ***Early bird***\*:\* €209 per workshop (until 1 month in advance)
* **Both workshops**: €379
* all prices are including 21% VAT, ask Marieke for a specific invoice
What previous participants say:
“I feel more resourceful, more playful—and more me.”
“Before, I thought my life was a mess. Now I know—that’s just a story I tell myself.”
“It helped me see that I can choose my story, embrace both the good and the bad, and stay open to possibility.”
“I used to think I had no control over anything—but now I know that with awareness, I can influence a lot of outcomes.”
More about the facilitator:
Burgert Kirsten is an Organizational Psychologist with a passion for unlocking adaptive, innovative, and integrated ways of working in teams and organizations. His Master’s research—focused on using improvisational theatre practices to spark workgroup innovation—was published in the South African Journal of Industrial Psychology.
He holds multiple certifications in individual and team coaching, accredited by the International Coach Federation, and has facilitated leadership, team innovation, and creative collaboration workshops for top South African business schools, leading companies, and international conferences.
Burgert Kirsten trained in improv at the renowned iO Theater in Chicago and performed for many years with Lagnes, South Africa’s longest-running Afrikaans improv group, which toured nationally and even had its own TV series.
Into the Monks’ Borderlands: Abbey Beer & Medieval Trails 🌿🍺 20 km
We’re heading out for a beautiful cross border hike through forest, heathland, open landscapes, and a very special midpoint stop: **De Achelse Kluis**, a historic abbey on the border between the Netherlands and Belgium.
The hike starts in the Netherlands and takes us through the peaceful **Leenderbos**, one of the most atmospheric forest areas in North Brabant. Expect woodland paths, sandy tracks, heath, open views, and that lovely Veluwe style feeling of moving between forest and open landscape.
As we continue south, we make our way toward the Belgian border and our main break location: **De Achelse Kluis**. This unique abbey complex lies between **Hamont Achel** and **Leende**. With roots going back to the 17th century, and later known as a Trappist abbey, it offers a beautiful neogothic setting with a brasserie, abbey shop, and a calm historic atmosphere.
After several kilometers of forest and heathland walking, arriving at the abbey will feel like a real reward. We’ll take our longer break here, with the option to enjoy the brasserie, have a coffee, try Limburgse vlaai, taste an abbey beer, or simply relax around the grounds.
After the break, we cross back into the Dutch side and return through the Leenderbos, completing a full loop through forest, heathland, and quiet countryside.
A hike with forest energy, abbey atmosphere, monks’ history, and a touch of Belgium.
📲 **WhatsApp group**
I’ll open a temporary WhatsApp group for everyone signed up before the hike, so we can coordinate carpooling, final break arrangements, and any last minute updates.
**📍When and where to meet?**
We’ll meet at 11h15 at Busstop "Leende, Valkenswaardseweg/A2"" https://maps.app.goo.gl/Uij4AmfEos2foDbQ8
⏰ **We start walking a few minutes after meeting up**
We don’t wait for latecomers, as we have a long route ahead and want to enjoy the full day properly.
**🚗 Coming by car?**
Please check your parking options beforehand so you arrive on time.
**⏸️ Planned Breaks**
After around **10 km:** 60 minute break at **De Achelse Kluis**
I still need to confirm the practical arrangements with the brasserie, including whether we can just have drinks or whether we need to order food as well. I’ll share the update in the WhatsApp group once confirmed.
**💸 Payment**
Please pay as soon as you sign up: To keep things fair for everyone, if we don’t receive your payment within 48 hours, we will need to remove you from the participant list. If there’s a waiting list, this will happen sooner (in less than 48 hours). If that happens, no worries — you’re always welcome to sign up again if there’s space.
🌟 Early Bird Deal! Join now for just €4 — available for 3 days (72h). After that, the price will be €5.
Please pay here: https://tikkie.me/pay/ute915nnuvqfl74002hh
**👟 Good to know**
* Refund policy: Cancellations are fully refundable up to 1 week before the event (This is Friday 8 May at 23h59). After this period, the fee becomes non-refundable.
* Hike difficulty: Our hikes are moderately challenging. Please only join if you’re confident you can keep up with the group’s pace (5 km/ h)— it’s more fun for everyone when we can walk together without long waits.
* If the pace is too challenging: We may kindly suggest you continue at your own pace. We’ll give you clear directions to the nearest bus or train so you can return comfortably.
* At your own risk: You participate at your own risk, so please make sure you have appropriate insurance coverage for outdoor activities.
* Payment note: With Tikkie we only see initials (e.g., J. Doe instead of John Doe). Please include your Meetup name in the payment note so we can match it easily.
* Friends joining: If you bring a friend, make sure they also register and pay.
* What to bring: Snacks and water.
* Stay connected: Join our WhatsApp group to be the first to hear about future hikes — ask for the QR code during the hike.
* T-shirts: Fairwear-certified organic cotton, eco-friendly inks — €25. Sustainable, odor-resistant, and perfect for hiking. Let us know your size and we’ll bring one for you.
Gran Fondo Rosa 2026
Gran Fondo Rosa is a must ride in the Netherlands, and since years we are riding under the ATAC flag!
3 distances available: 80, 120 and 170km.
It’s a sportive so not a race, you choose your pace and we enjoy the race ride. Roads are closed and there are food and drink stops along the way.
When signing up, select FRIEND TEAM and then type ATAC as the team.
We will have our own table at the pasta party.
Sign up here:
https://www.nltourrides.nl/gran-fondo-rosa/#inschrijving
Cheers !
Computer Science Events Near You
Connect with your local Computer Science community
Learn all things Data Science and Compete on Kaggle
We will be meeting at Starbucks to learn together. Come with an online class you're already going through or an interest and we will try to connect you with a course where you can learn it. Already have a skill you want to contribute to a Kaggle Datascience competition? We will work on these too! Laptop required :)
Ask the CMMC Experts
If **CMMC** is on your radar (or keeping you up at night), this is the conversation you don’t want to miss!
Join us on **Tuesday, May 12, 2026,** at **Honor Brewing Company** at **42604 Trade West Dr, Sterling, VA 20166**!
Want a custom name tag to enhance your networking opportunities? Register here and yours will be ready at the door:
https://share.hsforms.com/1YxovFyF9RzKCcq9EjAN8-wdwxz1
Join us for an “**Ask the CMMC Experts**” session with **Brian Gallagher and Carter Schoenberg of Koniag Cyber.** These two seasoned leaders have been deep in the trenches of cybersecurity, compliance, and national security!
**Brian** brings 20+ years of experience leading cybersecurity services across **highly regulated industries** and a unique perspective as a former **U.S. Secret Service Technical Security Division** professional who has helped secure some of the nation’s most sensitive environments.
**Carter** pairs 30+ years spanning cyber investigations, threat intelligence, and cyber law with hands-on CMMC leadership as a **Lead Certified Asessor**. He’s conducted 35+ independent CMMC assessments, supported 30+ Authorizations to Operate for **DHS and DoD**, and helped shape national conversations through work with **NIST, MITRE, and federal agencies.**
Bring your questions, your challenges, and your curiosity on **May 12**, for this candid, practical conversation with **Brian Gallagher and Carter Schoenberg**, designed to help you move forward with confidence!
**Agenda**
5:30 Social hour and networking begins
6:10 Welcome
6:15 Ask the CMMC Expert - **Brian Gallagher & Carter Schoenberg**
6:50 Q&A
7:00 Open Mic & Networking Continues
7:30 Adjourn
Amplifying Engineering Skills with Claude Code
**Title**: Amplifying Engineering Skills with Claude Code
In this session we will dive into how Claude Code can augment modern engineering practices, from rapid prototyping and refactoring to test generation and documentation. We’ll cover real-world use cases, integration patterns, and tips for getting the most out of AI in your development lifecycle.
6-6:30p.m. - food & drinks
6:30-7:30p.m. - Presentation
7:30-8:00p.m. - Q&A and Possible concept presentation for feedback
Build Intelligent Agents with Work IQ, Foundry IQ, Fabric IQ, and Copilot Studio
**Agenda :**
* 4.45 to 5.00 PM ET: Food and Networking
* 5.00 to 5.50 PM ET: "Build Intelligent Agents with Work IQ, Foundry IQ, Fabric IQ, and Copilot Studio"
Hello Everyone! Please join us for our May 12th edition of the AI-ML MeetUp. **Please note this is an in-person meeting and light refreshments/food will be provided. You will need a government-issued ID to enter the facility.**
**Title:** Build Intelligent Agents with Work IQ, Foundry IQ, Fabric IQ, and Copilot Studio
**Description:** What if your AI agents truly understood how your business works, had instant access to trusted enterprise data, and could take meaningful action from end to end?
In this session, we’ll cover how to build enterprise-ready AI agents that understand business context, use trusted data, and take real action. In this fast-paced session, we’ll bring Work IQ, Foundry IQ, and Fabric IQ together with Copilot Studio through best practices and live demos.
Key Takeaways:
\*Work IQ: Ground agents in real work, roles, and business processes
\*Foundry IQ: Design and orchestrate intelligent agent behavior
\*Fabric IQ: Power agents with secure, enterprise-grade data
\*Copilot Studio: Bring it all together into an end-to-end intelligent agent
**Location:** The meeting will be hosted in the Applied Information Sciences ( AIS ) office in Reston, at 11440 Commerce Park Dr # 600 · Reston, VA. The location is also right off the Silver Line metro's Wiehle-Reston Metro Station.
**Parking:** Parking is paid and can be validated at the AIS office reception.
We will meet in Room Lake Anne.
We hope to see you all there!!!!
Domain-Specific Small Language Models
Join us for a special session of our study group. Instead of continuing our coverage and discussion of the book "Domain-Specific Small Language Models", in this session, members of the group will present AI projects they have been working on, relating to the recent discussions of the group including the utilization of Large and Small Language Models.
Please find the agenda for our upcoming session below:
\- 7:00 \- 7:05: Introductions
\- 7:05 \- 7:20: Project 1: The Model Context Protocol \(MCP\) – Venky will discuss the protocol's functionality and demonstrate an MCP server he developed\.
\- 7:25 \- 7:40: Project 2: Page \- A Virginia Legislative Session Chatbot – Ron will describe a RAG system he developed\, covering various implementation approaches and lessons learned\.
\- 7:45 \- 8:00: Project 3: Menta \- A Small Language Model for Mental Health – Odysseas will present an SLM designed to assess mental health conditions using message text\.
\- 8:05 \- 8:20: Project 4: Open Brain – Richard will discuss an open\-source\, distributed\, personal AI solution based on an idea by Nate B\. Jones\.
\- 8:20 \- 8:30: Closing comments and conversation
Your Evals Are Bad: Evaluation and the Model Development Lifecycle
**REGISTER AT THE LUMA EVENT PAGE!!!**
https://luma.com/27ja5gwl
Join us for an exciting talk by Mary Gibbs, Senior Applied Scientist at Relativity.
**Agenda:**
6:00 - 6:30 PM - Welcome and mingle
6:30- 6:45 PM - Introductions
6:45 - 7:30 PM - Talk
7:30 - 8:00 PM - Wrap up
**Description:**
If you have ever shipped a model, watched your metrics improve, and later learned from your users that something was wrong, the metrics were always wrong. You just didn’t know it yet. An evaluation consists of three components, a benchmark, a scorer, and a claim about what a score represents. Each component has its own weaknesses. Benchmarks can suffer from narrow coverage, contamination, or saturation. Scorers are often chosen for ease of automation or computation rather than for their alignment with user outcomes. And the claim connecting a score to reality is rarely made explicit. These gaps compound across the model development lifecycle. When metrics improve, teams treat that as a signal and optimize directly against it, which is how a measurement problem becomes a model problem. This talk maps where evaluations can go wrong, considers counterarguments, and ends with practical advice for building better ones.
**Speaker Bio:**
Mary is a Senior Applied Scientist at Relativity, tackling data science challenges in the e-discovery and legal tech space. She is also an organizer for Women and Gender eXpansive Coders DC (formerly Women Who Code DC), fostering a community dedicated to empowering women and nonbinary individuals to excel in their careers. Mary's experience spans various domains. She has developed data science solutions related to job search and career progression at Teal, cybersecurity challenges at LiveAction Software, and commercial and government consulting at Mosaic Data Science. Before venturing into the field of data science, Mary conducted and published research pertaining to the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopment at the National Institutes of Health. In other words, she has dissected and imaged a lot of fruit fly brains. She holds a M.S. in Data Science from The George Washington University and a B.A. in Biological Sciences from Cornell University
Build Intelligent Agents with Work IQ, Foundry IQ, Fabric IQ, and Copilot Studio
**Agenda :**
* 4.45 to 5.00 PM ET: Food and Networking
* 5.00 to 5.50 PM ET: "Build Intelligent Agents with Work IQ, Foundry IQ, Fabric IQ, and Copilot Studio"
Hello Everyone! Please join us for our May 12th edition of the AI-ML MeetUp. **Please note this is an in-person meeting and light refreshments/food will be provided. You will need a government-issued ID to enter the facility.**
**Title:** Build Intelligent Agents with Work IQ, Foundry IQ, Fabric IQ, and Copilot Studio
**Description:** What if your AI agents truly understood how your business works, had instant access to trusted enterprise data, and could take meaningful action from end to end?
In this session, we’ll cover how to build enterprise-ready AI agents that understand business context, use trusted data, and take real action. In this fast-paced session, we’ll bring Work IQ, Foundry IQ, and Fabric IQ together with Copilot Studio through best practices and live demos.
Key Takeaways:
\*Work IQ: Ground agents in real work, roles, and business processes
\*Foundry IQ: Design and orchestrate intelligent agent behavior
\*Fabric IQ: Power agents with secure, enterprise-grade data
\*Copilot Studio: Bring it all together into an end-to-end intelligent agent
**Location:** The meeting will be hosted in the Applied Information Sciences ( AIS ) office in Reston, at 11440 Commerce Park Dr # 600 · Reston, VA. The location is also right off the Silver Line metro's Wiehle-Reston Metro Station.
**Parking:** Parking is paid and can be validated at the AIS office reception.
We will meet in Room Lake Anne.
We hope to see you all there!!!!

























