Education & Technology

Visitors and newcomers are very welcome, please see https://hackmelbourne.com/newcomer-faq/ for more details. COVIDSafe restrictions are also in place, please see https://hackmelbourne.com/covid-19-restrictions/ for the latest. Short walk from Glenferrie train station. Car parking at Hawthorn town hall. Bring a laptop and a project you are working on. There is also a number of group projects that you are welcome to join in. We have starter kits for Arduino, a couple of 3D printers, various tools and equipment available for use. Typically our sessions run from 6:45pm till later in the evening (depending on our members' availability to close) but if you're new please come early.

**Accessibility Allies monthly roundtable** 2nd Tuesday of each month Proudly supported by [Builure](https://www.linkedin.com/company/builure/posts/) **Topic for May: May the allies be with you** Bring the ally that helps to keep you motivated. Star Wars T-shirts encouraged but not required. Meet accessibility professionals and advocates. * No presentations * Open discussion * Exchange ideas * Genuine connections **Tuesday 12 May 2026** **5:30 pm - 7:30 pm** Free Light refreshments provided (incl vegetarian and GF) **[Registration via Humanitix](https://events.humanitix.com/a11y-allies-2026-05) is essential** (for building access) **Location: WeWork** **120 Spencer Street, Melbourne** * Quiet exclusive space * Wheelchair access * Accessible toilet Please contact us if you have any accessibility needs or questions about this event. **Building Entry** Enter via the entrance on Spencer or Little Collins Street after 5pm. Meet near the green chairs in the lobby. Post a message in this event if you're running late and need access to the event after 5:45pm.

\*\* Important RSVP [here](https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2026051322) (Due to room capacity and venue security, it's required to pre-register at the link for admission). RSVP on Meetup is turned off. **Description:** Join us for a community-led developer event focused on AI-assisted coding with GitHub Copilot. This event brings together developers to explore practical workflows, real-world use cases, and hands-on experiences using GitHub Copilot. Whether you are new to GitHub Copilot or already using it, this event will help you better understand how to apply AI-assisted coding techniques in everyday development. **Tech Talk: GitHub Copilot in Practice** **Speaker:** Scott Holden (Microsoft) **Tech Talk: LLMs, GitHub, and Copilot: Concepts, Capabilities, and Practical Use** **Speaker:** Shehr Yar (G42) **Speakers/Topics:** Stay tuned as we are updating speakers and schedules. If you have a keen interest in speaking to our community, we invite you to submit topics for consideration: [Submit Topics](https://forms.gle/JkMt91CZRtoJBSFUA) **Sponsors:** We are actively seeking sponsors to support AI developers community. Whether it is by offering venue spaces, providing food, or cash sponsorship. Sponsors will not only speak at the meetups, receive prominent recognition, but also gain exposure to our extensive membership base of 5,000+ AI developers in Melbourne and 500K+ worldwide.

**In-person event!** ## **The Reality Check** 90% of organisations are seeing some value from AI, but there is a massive gap between the “experimenters” and the “performers.” Most are stuck in Pilot Purgatory—burning through budgets while boards demand proof of return. *** ## **The Session** We’ve bought out from the United States, **Laks Srinivasan** (CEO, Return on AI Institute) to share with our market the global research the Institute has undertaken and published in Harvard Business Review along with the great AI Native offering for Enterprises from AI-Native by Scaled Agile. 1. **The Research:** Laks Srinivasan (CEO, Return on AI Institute) breaks down a global study of 1,000+ executives. He’ll share the “Value Gap” data—revealing exactly what distinguishes organizations winning with AI from those just spending money. 2. **The Blueprint:** We’ll dive into the Scaled Agile AI-Native system. This isn’t just about tools; it’s about the [AI-Native Foundations](https://prettyagile.com.au/course/ai-native-foundations) and [Change Agent](https://prettyagile.com.au/course/ai-native-change-agent) and [Leading the AI-Native Organisation](https://prettyagile.com.au/course/ai-native-leader). Frameworks that rewire how teams work, from prompt fluency to enterprise-scale workflows and how Executives lead AI Native Enterprises. *** ## **The Mix** **5:00 pm Welcome drinks + nibbles** **5:30 pm Data & Strategy:** * Laks presents the Harvard Business Review global research featured findings and the AI Money Map. **6:00 pm Group Jam** * A facilitated “unfiltered” discussion. We’ll explore how to move from scattered AI insights to an executable, AI-Native strategy. **6:30 pm Mingle with drinks + nibbles** *** ## **What’s in it for you?** * **Executives:** Get the metrics and “Board-ready” data to justify AI spend. * **Leads/Agilists:** See the AI-Native Change Agent roadmap to scale AI beyond small pilots. * **Engineers/PMs & Teams:** Learn how to redesign workflows to be “AI-First” without losing agility with AI-Native Foundations.

Are you looking for an opportunity to learn more about Buddhism and meditation? Come and join us for our regular Buddhist meditation sessions every Tuesday. Every session will start with a short introductory and will be followed by a guided, 20 - 30 minute meditation. Feel free to join us after the session for some social time and questions and answers. The evening is free of charge, but donations are always welcome. More info can be found here: https://diamondway.org.au/centres/melbourne

## **The Reality Check** 90% of organisations are seeing some value from AI, but there is a massive gap between the “experimenters” and the “performers.” Most are stuck in Pilot Purgatory—burning through budgets while boards demand proof of return. *** ## **The Session** We’ve bought out from the United States, **Laks Srinivasan** (CEO, Return on AI Institute) to share with our market the global research the Institute has undertaken and published in Harvard Business Review along with the great AI Native offering for Enterprises from AI-Native by Scaled Agile. 1. **The Research:** Laks Srinivasan (CEO, Return on AI Institute) breaks down a global study of 1,000+ executives. He’ll share the “Value Gap” data—revealing exactly what distinguishes organizations winning with AI from those just spending money. 2. **The Blueprint:** We’ll dive into the Scaled Agile AI-Native system. This isn’t just about tools; it’s about the [AI-Native Foundations](https://prettyagile.com.au/course/ai-native-foundations) and [Change Agent](https://prettyagile.com.au/course/ai-native-change-agent) and [Leading the AI-Native Organisation](https://prettyagile.com.au/course/ai-native-leader). Frameworks that rewire how teams work, from prompt fluency to enterprise-scale workflows and how Executives lead AI Native Enterprises. *** ## **The Mix** **5:00 pm Welcome drinks + nibbles** **5:30 pm Data & Strategy:** * Laks presents the Harvard Business Review global research featured findings and the AI Money Map. **6:00 pm Group Jam** * A facilitated “unfiltered” discussion. We’ll explore how to move from scattered AI insights to an executable, AI-Native strategy. **6:30 pm Mingle with drinks + nibbles** *** ## **What’s in it for you?** * **Executives:** Get the metrics and “Board-ready” data to justify AI spend. * **Leads/Agilists:** See the AI-Native Change Agent roadmap to scale AI beyond small pilots. * **Engineers/PMs & Teams:** Learn how to redesign workflows to be “AI-First” without losing agility with AI-Native Foundations.

**\*\*\*This is a pre-booking event. Please visit [artmasterclass.com.au](https://www.artmasterclass.com.au/) choose your lamp, use the MEETAMC10 coupon code, and make a reservation.\*\*\*** Join us for a hands-on workshop where families can learn the art of creating beautiful Turkish lamps together. This unique and engaging class will guide parents and kids through crafting intricate and colorful lamps. No prior experience is required, as our expert instructors will provide step-by-step instructions on design, assembly, and decorating techniques. This workshop is perfect for families and friends to bond, unleash their creativity, and take home a stunning handmade craft that can brighten any room. Come discover Turkish lamp-making's magic with your little ones in a fun and supportive environment. In this 2.5-hour workshop, you'll lose track of time and end up with a beautiful lamp to take home!

**Event Confirmation Form (NEW LOCATION)!** ➡️ We kindly request you fill out this **event confirmation form** to confirm your attendance for the event and your dietary requirements - [https://forms.gle/3KHTRMddqW2RXvig9](https://forms.gle/3KHTRMddqW2RXvig9) \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- ## **What's On? 👀** **Speaker:** Paul McCarty **Title:** Rise of the AI Anti-Patterns **Abstract:** AI full-stack “vibe coding” platforms repeatedly converge on the same default stacks and the same failure modes. When your agent encounters an obstacle, it chooses the easiest path to get around it, which often means doing the bad security thing. If you know where to look, these "bad things" coalesce into several standard "AI anti-patterns". This talk will dive into these anti-patterns and underscore why you need consistent security tooling, because the agent can (and will) make insecure choices to satisfy the prompt. ## **Location** 📍(NEW!) Origin Melbourne M01, Ground Floor 321 Exhibition St Melbourne VIC 3000 ## **Agenda ⏰** * 5:30 - Food is served * 6:15 - Session start * 7:30 - Post-event networking \-\-\- Note: Please complete the event confirmation form: [https://forms.gle/3KHTRMddqW2RXvig9](https://forms.gle/3KHTRMddqW2RXvig9)

Hi Architects, Welcome to our next AWS Melbourne Well-Architected User Group Meetup for 2026, including more exceptional speakers and topics! :-D At each meetup we covered off various pillars in detail, best-practices and insights from industry leaders that specialise in the Well-Architected Framework. And giving away drones, of course. Lots of drones. **Please also note that AWS Security now requests a company name and company email where it is available. If you are a student, please list your institution and your student email address at that institution 👍** We’ll be updating throughout the month with more speakers and our speakers so far this month include: * **Zé Mané, Cybersecurity Specialist** **Well-Architecting and Scaling my Life: How AI Helped Me Optimise and Thrive as a Digital Nomad in Oceania** A talk about balancing a demanding tech career, building a startup fully hosted on Amazon Web Services, and living as a digital nomad across New Zealand and Australia. * **Mystery Speaker** **Well-Architected Agents** In this talk we will go into the detail of not only the launch of the first Well-Architected agents from both AWS and other AWS partners (and what they can and can't do) but will also go through best-practice agentic architecture as verified by AWS senior architects. This month's menu will include: * Pizzas * Beer: Nastro Azzurro * Wine: Big and red 🤤 NB: Please check in up the stairs from the ground floor to the Mezzanine Level. So come join us at 5:30 for a 6pm **SHARP** start, followed by beer, wine, pizza and friendly networking after our talks :-)

Too many kids as well as teenagers and adults have problems with study. Today's meetup will inform you about the basics in STUDY TECHNOLOGY that provides an understanding of the basics of learning and supplies exact ways to overcome all the pitfalls one can encounter during study. This is applicable to young children, teenagers (or their parents that are trying to help them) and adults alike. Study Technology shows how one studies in order to comprehend a subject so one can apply it. Laws on which learning is based and workable methods have also been discovered for anyone to apply for themselves or when teaching others. Too many students graduate from school and college unable to put to use what they’ve learned in school. It’s not that they’re stupid or that their teachers didn’t know how to teach. More than likely it traces back to the one thing missing from most educations—learning how to learn in the first place. We all went to school, yet isn’t it odd that no one taught us how to study? The information presented at this meetup can help anyone improve others or his own ability to learn. It is a practical tool that parents and teachers alike can use to enhance a child's study performance. You’ll learn the barriers that lie between your own or a child's education. And you will very quickly learn how to overcome them. This technology will enable you or a child to pursue any subject with skill and confidence. Teachers who have "hard to handle/distributive " or slow learners in class will absolutely love the amazing turn around most often seen in improved behaviour and student performance in class. If you or your child has difficulties at school (or learning new things at work or online) than this meetup is important to you. If you can not make it to our meetup than contact the organizer and arrange it to suit your time. This technology can if one was to live far away be taught online. (extension course) You may offcourse also opt to have this technology taught to your own child by experienced volunteeer staff or learn about this yourself and transfer this knowledge to those you want to have better grades. Yes it is possible to improve anyone's study performance. All it takes is just 5 steps. See you at this meetup. Pam

**With 1000s of spontaneous cases with children** investigated and documented over the past 60+ years, the team at DOPS has accumulated a formidable body of evidence suggestive of reincarnation. The types of evidence include detailed memories of verified past lives, personal traits, skills, interests and phobias, etc. and among these the most compelling aspect is cases of birthmarks and birth defects that align with injuries sustained in the previous life, often at the time of death. **In this session, Russ Townsend** will lead a discussion around spontaneous past-life memories in children, how they are investigated and verified, common objections and refutations, and then a number of detailed case studies related to birthmarks and birth defects. At the conclusion, he will walk through the interpretations and theories about this phenomenon. **About Russ:** * Meetup Organiser * Lifelong enthusiast for science, philosophy, and spirituality * Member of AIPR * Trainer / Facilitator * radio show host * Author **Post-Event Social Lunch Hangout (12.45 - 1.45pm)** NOTE: TRYING OUT NEW LUNCH VENUE... Afterwards, you are invited to lunch with everyone at **Gopal's Restaurant** (5min walk from the venue) **PLEASE NOTE:** * **11AM Start -** Please be considerate and arrive early. * **$10 Cover Charge:** Room hire, facilities, and running costs.

We're thrilled to invite you to our next Microsoft Student Accelerator event on **Thursday, May 14th at 3:00 PM** at the **Microsoft Melbourne Office**! 🎉 Whether you're looking to understand different tech roles, learn how to best prepare for tech interviews, or learn about how to make your LinkedIn stand-out, this meetup is for you. Join us for an engaging afternoon filled with insights, practical guidance, and opportunities to connect with industry professionals and fellow students. ## What’s on the agenda: 📝 **Interview Preparation & Tips** – Learn what kinds of questions to expect in tech interviews and how to best prepare for them. 💬 **Crafting your LinkedIn Profile** – Get some tips about how to make your LinkedIn profile stand out. 🔦 **Role Spotlights** – Discover different tech pathways through short talks from professionals across multiple disciplines. 🤝 **Networking & Food** – Connect with peers and industry professionals to wrap up the afternoon. 📍 Microsoft Melbourne Office - Level 5, 4 Freshwater Place, Southbank VIC 3006 🗓 Thursday, 14th May 🕒 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM (AEST) (Please note: meetup event shows time in AWST, this event is at 3PM Melbourne time) We can't wait to see you there! 🤩 Best regards, The MSA Melbourne Team

**Please sign up using Luma -** https://luma.com/x9tq0e88 A series of lightening talks on the topic on **The Measurement Problem** *"Are You Measuring the Right Things? SLOs, Toil, and the Metrics That Actually Matter.* After these talks we'll open the floor for discussion and Q&A with our presenters. **SCHEDULE** **5.30pm** 🍕Doors open – food and drinks served **6:00pm** ⚡️Three talks and Q&A and discussion with speakers **7:00pm** 🍻 Networking and drinks **7:30pm** 👋 Doors close

Our regular monthly presentation night on the second Thursday of the month from 6:30pm! Thanks to Mantel Group for hosting us again this month. If you're coming in person we're there with food and drinks from 6pm. We will be live streaming the presentations as usual from 6:30pm at [http://www.melbournecocoaheads.com/live](http://www.melbournecocoaheads.com/live) \-\-\- In an unusual turn of events we have two AI-related talks this month — but I think both will be speaking to the state of our industry and offering perspective on where we are and maybe where we're going. **Agenda** \| 6:00pm \| Food \+ Networking \| \| 6:30pm \| Event begins\. Introductions \| \| 6:40pm \| Andrew Murphy — The five stages of losing our craft \| \| 7:15pm \| Rob Amos \(Bok\) — Forging a Sword Spirit: From AI skeptic to autonomy \| \| 7:55pm \| Wrap up \+ social time at a nearby venue \| \* All times are approximate. Presentation order will be confirmed on the night. \-\-\-\- We are always looking for speakers and believe everyone has an interesting talk hiding inside themselves. If you are interested in letting that talk out at a future event you can get in touch on the website [https://www.melbournecocoaheads.com/talks](https://www.melbournecocoaheads.com/talks) or on Slack.

**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

NOVA Code and Coffee is an inclusive, informal, co-working session. People of all skill levels are invited. The concept is simple, bring a laptop and ideas, we'll provide the coffee and donuts! Here's how it works: 1. At 10:15 everyone introduces themselves and briefly describes what brought them to Code & Coffee today (project, homework, networking, etc) 2. For the rest of the day, folks work in the communal space on their projects providing one another help and conversation as needed. Oh and they usually drink coffee and tea too! That's it! Hope to see you there! **Location** Our hosts are the Fairfax City Economic Development Building: [10300 Eaton Pl, Fairfax, VA 22030](https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=d7298231ca2df594df822003f9a93517c788fceefe1fcbb79c8976696e341bc6JmltdHM9MTc1MzIyODgwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=180d0745-3b7f-69a1-23a2-11433a7868e5&u=a1L21hcHM_Jm1lcGk9MTA5fn5Ub3BPZlBhZ2V-QWRkcmVzc19MaW5rJnR5PTE4JnE9RmFpcmZheCUyMENpdHklMjBFY29ub21pYyUyMERldmVsb3BtZW50JnNzPXlwaWQuWU44NzN4ODI4MTk2Mjg0NTk5MDM4MTU0MiZwcG9pcz0zOC44NjE0NDYzODA2MTUyMzRfLTc3LjMwMjE3NzQyOTE5OTIyX0ZhaXJmYXglMjBDaXR5JTIwRWNvbm9taWMlMjBEZXZlbG9wbWVudF9ZTjg3M3g4MjgxOTYyODQ1OTkwMzgxNTQyfiZjcD0zOC44NjE0NDZ-LTc3LjMwMjE3NyZ2PTImc1Y9MSZGT1JNPU1QU1JQTA&ntb=1) Conference Room A- Large, Floor 1 This is a new venue for us, so give us some time to get more details about it. Driving is the best option. There is plenty of free on-site parking. Otherwise, we are a 22 minute bus from the Vienna Metro Station. Bicycling from Vienna is possible but difficult, though once you are here, there's a bike rack in the garage behind the building, and there's also a Capital Bikeshare dock 15 min walk away. **Sponsored by:** Thank you [Fairfax City Economic Development](https://gofairfaxcity.com/) and [Mason Enterprise Center](https://enterprise.gmu.edu/) for making this event possible! **Thank you so much to our wonderful sponsors!** Organized by [DMV Petri Dish](https://www.dmvpetridish.com/) **[Code of Conduct](https://github.com/NoVACodeCoffee/admin/blob/master/code-of-conduct.md):** We value the participation of each member of the community and want all attendees to have an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. To make clear what is expected, all delegates/attendees, organizers, and volunteers at any Nova Code & Coffee events are required to conform to our [Code of Conduct](https://github.com/NoVACodeCoffee/admin/blob/master/code-of-conduct.md).

Most AI meetups end up as just networking. **We’re different.** At **AI Tool Explorers Night \| Connect & Make New Friends**, you’ll: ✨ Walk away with a *real learning nugget* (a tool, workflow, or strategy you can use immediately) ✨ Connect with people who share your curiosity for AI, productivity, and automation ✨ Enjoy a fun, casual setting where new ideas and friendships spark naturally 👉 **Our promise:** every session delivers structure, substance, and takeaways you can use when you get home. ### 📅 Event Flow * **6:00–6:15 PM** → Arrivals & intros * **6:15–6:45 PM** → AI demo / learning nugget * **6:45–7:00 PM** → Q&A and group discussion * **7:00–8:00 PM** → Networking & contact sharing ⚡ Please hold networking until after the presentation so we can all learn together. Plenty of time at the end to connect and exchange cards! **Let's explore AI Tools that actually *work* in our day-to-day life!** *** #ChatGPT #Claude #Grok #Gemini #Perplexity #DeepSeek #NotebookLM #Cursor #GitHubCopilot #Replit #Windsurf #v0dev #Lovable #Zapier #Makecom #n8n #Descript #OpusClip #Synthesia #Runway #Sora #Kling #Veo #PikaLabs #LTXStudio #AdobeFirefly #Vidu #Hailuo #LumaDreamMachine #Wisecut #Elaiio #Capsule #Filmora #Gling #Magisto #AdobePremierePro #ElevenLabs #Suno #Udio #Soundraw #Riffusion #Mubert #BeatovenAI #AIVA #Loudly #SplashPro #Soundful #MagentaStudio #WavTool #MakeBestMusic #BandLabSongStarter #TadAI #EcrettMusic #Midjourney #DALLE3 #CanvaMagicStudio #NotionAI #Gamma #Fathom #FirefliesAI #MLX

Most AI meetups end up as just networking. **We’re different.** At **AI Tool Explorers Night \| Connect & Make New Friends**, you’ll: ✨ Walk away with a *real learning nugget* (a tool, workflow, or strategy you can use immediately) ✨ Connect with people who share your curiosity for AI, productivity, and automation ✨ Enjoy a fun, casual setting where new ideas and friendships spark naturally 👉 **Our promise:** every session delivers structure, substance, and takeaways you can use when you get home. ### 📅 Event Flow * **6:00–6:15 PM** → Arrivals & intros * **6:15–6:45 PM** → AI demo / learning nugget * **6:45–7:00 PM** → Q&A and group discussion * **7:00–8:00 PM** → Networking & contact sharing ⚡ Please hold networking until after the presentation so we can all learn together. Plenty of time at the end to connect and exchange cards! **Let's explore AI Tools that actually *work* in our day-to-day life!** *** #ChatGPT #Claude #Grok #Gemini #Perplexity #DeepSeek #NotebookLM #Cursor #GitHubCopilot #Replit #Windsurf #v0dev #Lovable #Zapier #Makecom #n8n #Descript #OpusClip #Synthesia #Runway #Sora #Kling #Veo #PikaLabs #LTXStudio #AdobeFirefly #Vidu #Hailuo #LumaDreamMachine #Wisecut #Elaiio #Capsule #Filmora #Gling #Magisto #AdobePremierePro #ElevenLabs #Suno #Udio #Soundraw #Riffusion #Mubert #BeatovenAI #AIVA #Loudly #SplashPro #Soundful #MagentaStudio #WavTool #MakeBestMusic #BandLabSongStarter #TadAI #EcrettMusic #Midjourney #DALLE3 #CanvaMagicStudio #NotionAI #Gamma #Fathom #FirefliesAI #MLX

Our first Technoverts meetup had a great turnout, so we're doing it again, this time with an optional conversation theme: **How people are actually using AI in everyday work and life**. This is not a panel or presentation, and I do not have a fixed agenda, it's just a relaxed coffee conversation for people in tech (or tech-adjacent fields) who are curious about practical AI use cases, useful tools, workflow hacks, weird experiments, and what's generally helping people right now. *Topics might include:* * AI tools people actually use at work * Productivity and automation * Prompting successes and failures * Writing, coding, research, analytics and creative use cases * What feels overhyped vs. genuinely useful. No expertise is required. It's completely fine to come mostly curious, skeptical, or just interested in meeting thoughtful people in tech. *What to expect:* * Low pressure conversation * A mix of tech talk and normal conversation Location: (Subject to change as I do more research) High Point Pub Tyson's Whole Foods, 1635 Boro Pl. (This is the cafe space on the second floor of the Whole Foods at the Boro, Tysons. Parking is free in the garage with validation). Time: 11 am (this is when the cafe opens). Everyone covers their own coffee/snacks. I'll arrive early and grab a table and will post details about location in the event discussion. Address: 1635 Boro Pl. Whole Foods 2nd Floor Cafe

Non-programmers are absolutely welcome—you don’t need to know how to code to join. This meetup is for anyone interested in tech. You can share what you’re working on, propose ideas, or just talk about technology. We typically meet once a month at the Centreville Regional Library, with occasional meetups in Chantilly or other nearby libraries depending on availability. We usually start with a totally optional intro circle. You can share as much or as little as you’d like—your name, background, interests, what you’re working on, or simply pass and listen. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to reach out: timothyfilippone@gmail.com

Join us for a casual, discussion-based meetup focused on the science of reading and related education topics. This gathering grew out of conversations at the Virginia Reading League conference, and the goal is to continue those conversations in a relaxed, thoughtful setting. This is a monthly get-together for educators, tutors, parents, and anyone interested in evidence-based literacy and instruction. Look for the 'Ed Talk Café' placard marking our table.