Internet of Things (IOT)

​What if the American small farm could double as a high-tech power plant and farmers could become their own bank? Join us at PubKey DC for an exploration of a new frontier in rural land use. We’re sitting down with Mark Smith, CEO of [Carbon Country](https://www.carboncountry.us/), and Hunter Budd from the Digital Energy Council to break down a scalable model for the modern grower. 👉 [RSVP on LUMA](https://luma.com/fdvf8zd4) You’ll get an inside look at how integrating agrivoltaics (solar + grazing) with on-site Bitcoin mining creates a financial "flywheel" for regenerative agriculture. By monetizing excess energy and sequestering carbon through biochar, this model offers small farms a path toward energy independence and diversified revenue. Come find out how the intersection of Bitcoin and land stewardship is building a more resilient, decentralized grid—one pasture at a time. Read more about [Carbon Country on their website](https://www.carboncountry.us/). 👉 [RSVP on LUMA](https://luma.com/fdvf8zd4) ​**About the Bitcoin District Initiative** This event was organized by The Bitcoin District Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to build a grassroots Bitcoin circular economy in Washington, DC through education, business onboarding, and community outreach programs. If you’d like to get involved or support the Initiative, visit [https://bitcoindistrictinitiative.org](https://bitcoindistrictinitiative.org/).

I'm planning to go to this. You can buy tickets here: https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/dc-making-friends [Profs and Pints DC](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“The Science of Making Friends,”** with Marisa G. Franco, assistant clinical professor of psychology at the University of Maryland’s Honors College and author of the *New York Times* best-seller *Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make—and Keep—Friends.* Friends matter. They’ve been shown to improve mental and physical health, with one study of very happy people finding that their most defining characteristic was being socially connected. Yet friendship networks have been shrinking over the last few decades as people have coped with distraction, burnout, and chaos. It doesn’t help that we live in a society that often prizes romantic love at the expense of other relationships. How do we make and keep friends? What’s the secret to finding “your people” in an ever-more-fragmented world? Learn what science says about making friends in this interactive talk by Dr. Marisa Franco, a psychologist who has extensively researched human connection and systemic loneliness and whose book *Platonic* has been extensively lauded as a source of great practical advice. You’re never too old to make new friendships or deepen longstanding ones. Along with giving you an understanding of the scientific study of friendship, this talk will teach you practical steps you can take to build better connections with others to be happier and more fulfilled. (Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image by Canva.

Come kick back with the Black Code Collective! We'll be on the second floor by the main entrance in the mall! Ample parking in the Ballston Mall garage. Parking available on the street as well.

\-\-\-\-\-\- [REGISTER FOR THE EVENT HERE (ON LU.MA)! ](https://luma.com/fnai8zxh)\-\-\-\-\-\- Join us for an evening of collaborative problem-solving as we work on a variety of civic tech projects together. Project needs vary but often include brainstorming, researching, writing, coding, or analyzing data. Check out [our website](https://www.civictechdc.org/projects) for a list of projects which may make an appearance! Meet other civic tech enthusiasts. Learn new skills. Contribute to a project to improve a local civic issue. **All are welcome and collaboration is encouraged.** Laptops are recommended but not required. **Where do I register?** To better serve our growing community, we’re transitioning our event registrations to Luma! **We still love Meetup** Meetup has been an incredible platform for us to build and connect with our community. We’ll continue sharing upcoming events there so that new people can find us, but Luma will be our primary registration platform moving forward. **Why we're making the switch** Meetup’s registration system has some limitations, and we need more flexibility to manage sign-ups and engagement. \-\-\-\-\-\- [REGISTER FOR THE EVENT HERE (ON LU.MA)!](https://luma.com/fnai8zxh) \-\-\-\-\-\-

**Event overview:** **RSVP/ REGISTER HERE: [Migrate and Modernize: A Blueprint for Virtualization Success](https://reg.experiences.redhat.com/flow/redhat/3259361/redhatfieldeventspreregnoappform/page/landingregistrationpage?sc_cid=RHCTN1260000471156)** The era of static, on-premises infrastructure is over. As organizations accelerate their digital transformation, the strategic migration and modernization of virtual environments has become a critical imperative for achieving long-term agility, security, and cost-efficiency. The **[Migrate and Modernize: A Blueprint for Virtualization Success](https://reg.experiences.redhat.com/flow/redhat/3259361/redhatfieldeventspreregnoappform/page/landingregistrationpage)** event will provide a pragmatic and forward-looking roadmap in navigating this transition. In 2026, the virtualization landscape is defined by the convergence of containers, hybrid/multi-cloud strategies, and the integration of AI-powered automation. We will move beyond the simple "lift-and-shift" to explore the modernization pathways—from replatforming databases to refactoring monolithic applications into cloud-native microservices. The event features **thought leadership talks** on the future of hybrid infrastructure and a tailored, **hands-on lab** that takes a comprehensive look at OpenShift Virtualization. Attendees will gain actionable insights on: * Strategic Planning: Defining a virtualization strategy that aligns with business outcomes and the future of hypervisor alternatives, including leveraging open-source virtualization like KubeVirt/OpenShift Virtualization to avoid vendor lock-in. * Next-Generation Infrastructure: Integrating containers (Kubernetes/OpenShift) and virtual machines (VMs) for a unified hybrid cloud platform. * Operational Excellence: Leveraging AI and automation to streamline migration, ensure day-two operational efficiency, and build real-time resilience. * Security and Compliance: Implementing advanced, built-in security features like micro-segmentation and ensuring compliance across complex, multi-cloud virtual footprints. **Choose your learning path** Participants will select between talking through guided challenges or taking a practical deep dive into OpenShift virtualization in a hands-on lab. **Hands-on lab: OpenShift Virtualization deep dive** The hands-on session will provide practical experience with the core components of OpenShift Virtualization: * Fundamentals and Deployment: Installing and configuring the OpenShift Virtualization operator. * VM Lifecycle Management: Creating, cloning, snapshotting, and managing VMs using both the web console and CLI tools. * Networking and Storage: Configuring complex VM networking (e.g., external VLANs) and provisioning storage using Kubernetes storage classes. * Migration Toolkit: Importing and migrating existing virtual machines from traditional hypervisors (like VMware or RHV) into OpenShift Virtualization. Join us to uncover the essential blueprint for a seamless, low-risk migration, and walk away with the knowledge to future-proof your virtual environment for sustained business success. *We are pleased to offer 4.6 continuing professional education (CPE) credits to those that attend the event. CPE certification at Migrate and Modernize: A Blueprint for Virtualization Success 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 on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. For more information on the CPE credit we are offering, Carahsoft’s CPE sponsor (NASBA), and the submission process, please click the link [here](https://carahevents.carahsoft.com/Event/Details/710136-CPE).*

In an era focused on scalable efficiency, the pursuit of absolute service consistency is often seen as the ultimate goal. But what is gained and what is lost when service offerings are entirely predictable? Does aiming for uniformity stifle necessary adaptation and human connection? Join us for an intimate discussion exploring the often overlooked trade-offs of **service consistency**. We'll dive into when consistency builds “trust and reliability”, and when it becomes “a barrier to designing flexible, empathetic, and truly customer-centric experiences”. **#ServiceDesign #ServiceConsistency #ServiceManagement** **What’s a Service Design DC salon?** Our salons are an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow designers, engage in meaningful conversations, and gain fresh perspectives on the evolving landscape of our field. Space is limited to ensure an intimate atmosphere and encourage deeper conversations. Whether you have been to a past salon or will be a first timer, we’d be happy to have you join this group discussion of service design practitioners and enthusiasts in the Washington D.C. area! **Evening Agenda** * 6:00 P.M. - Doors Open / Socializing \* * 6:30 P.M. - Salon begins * 8:00 P.M. - Salon Wraps up \*We will provide light refreshments, including food and drinks, during the salon. **Note about RSVPs:** * Due to the limited number of available spots, we kindly request that you update your RSVP if you are unable to attend so others may have the opportunity to join. Thank you for your understanding. *** Many thanks to our host and sponsor, **Technical Assent!** *At Technical Assent, we believe that government can be a platform for service innovation where services can be designed to be more relevant to customers, more reliable, and delivered at a lower cost.* *Our company exists to build high-performing government service organizations — government-to-citizens (G2C), government-to-government (G2G), and shared services. Our approach is unique in that we improve service performance from the bottom-up, starting with customer experience. We use that insight to design and modify the talent, tools, and technology that deliver government services to each customer. Technical Assent is a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business appraised at CMMI-SVC Level 3.*

Friday night Greenbelt International Folk Dancing has gone "virtual". As we all practice good social distancing, many in our folk dance community are feeling the absence of our usually scheduled local dances. In response, please join us for the Greenbelt Virtual Folk Dance Session. Let’s keep dancing! • Connect and dance in our own homes • Watch hosts leading familiar dances • See each other; listen and dance to our favorites How: We will be using the ZOOM video conferencing app to share music and live videos of the leaders and each other. This can be used on a desktop, laptop, or smartphone. What to Expect: Your hosts are Linda Mansdorf, Vita Hollander, Ben Hole, and John Robinson. Collectively they will play 25-30 dances, which should approximate the number of dances normally done on a Friday night in-person event. The hosts will do a quick teaching or demonstration of the steps to some of the dances that may be less familiar to you or just as a refresher, but the session is not designed as a workshop, so the majority of the evening will be spent playing dances that many of us already know and love to do. How To Join Us: Each week we will send an email with the Zoom Meeting link ID. Make sure John Robinson knows you would like to receive this email with the link. John's email address for Info: j_srobinson@verizon.net. https://www.facebook.com/GreenbeltInternationalFolkDancing/ Co-sponsored by the Folklore Society of Greater Washington

Want to mess with some electronics? Or perhaps contribute to HacDC's main group project? HacDC's latest event brings hardware projects to the community. We will focus primarily on the main project (Space Blimp!) but please feel free to bring some of your own projects to show off and work on!

Greetings from the capital! Every Saturday at 7:30 PM, people from all walks of life — students, diplomats, travelers, locals — gather to unwind and connect. [[[Click this whatsapp groupchat link to join](https://chat.whatsapp.com/Gf89PPYe3RMAK6Z7SGf5or)]] Our age range is mostly 20s to 30s. If you enjoy discussing culture, politics, travel, or just want to practice a new language, this group is for you. A perfect blend of diversity and dialogue, right in the heart of D.C.

Each week we’ll revisit the core cyberpunk classics — starting with Blade Runner (1982), then Ghost in the Shell (1995), Johnny Mnemonic (1995), Strange Days (1995), The Matrix (1999), eXistenZ (1999), and Blame! (2017).

# 🚀Ready to level up your cybersecurity game? **Join Cloudforce on Thursday, February 26 at 5:00 PM** for **Cybersecurity in the Microsoft Cloud**, a focused session on the core security essentials every organization needs to protect its cloud environment. As threats grow more sophisticated and AI-driven attacks become the norm, understanding the fundamentals of securing Microsoft 365 is critical. This session will walk you through the practical building blocks of a strong security foundation—ensuring your identity, data, and collaboration tools remain protected. **Event Details:** **📅 When:** February 26th\, 2026 \| 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM **📍 Where:** Cloudforce HQ: 120 Waterfront St, Suite 500 · National Harbor, MD 🎤 **Speaker Lineup:** * Corey J\. Lee \| Security CTO at Microsoft * Hasib Munib \| Microsoft Certified Trainer \(MCT\) \- Azure Infrastructure & Security Consultant * Rhoddy McKown \| Cloud Security SME\, Unit Lead at Cloudforce * Husein Sharaf \| CEO & Founder at Cloudforce ✨ Don’t miss this chance to connect with peers, share ideas, and get inspired for the year ahead. **✅ RSVP today to claim your spot!** **Questions?** Reach out at events@gocloudforce.com

Title : Design of a Quantum Photonic Full Adder Gate based on an 8-mode Integrated Optical Circuit Date: Feb 28 2026 Noon - 14:00 EST Abstract: Multiport interferometers designed using the Clements decomposition algorithm can be used to implement compact quantum-photonic full-adder (FA) gates on photonic integrated circuits (PICs). By expressing each element of the FA gate matrix in terms of the permanent of a non-unitary matrix, enabled through Boson sampling, the required number of MZIs in the gate can be further reduced. In this presentation, we will discuss the design of an FA gate modeled as a four-photon scattering process on an eight-mode integrated optical circuit, where the permanents of submatrices determine the output probabilities. Simulation results demonstrate a fidelity of 1 and a success probability of 2.22 × 10⁻⁴ for the FA gate. We will also examine the impact of phase-shifter and attenuator variations on fidelity and success probability using Ansys Q-Interconnect software. Finally, we will compare the performance of the proposed FA gate with a benchmark Toffoli gate designed using the same approach. Speaker: Shafiqul Hai received the B.Sc. degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2007, and the M.Eng. (Thesis) and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, in 2011 and 2016, respectively. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Lakehead University. His research interests include the modeling and characterization of compact nanophotonic devices and components for next-generation optical fiber and RF communication systems, as well as quantum computing on photonic integrated circuits. He is the author or coauthor of more than 12 peer-reviewed journal papers and 15 conference publications. Moderators: Dr. Pawel Gora, CEO of Quantum AI Foundation ([https://www.qaif.org/](https://www.qaif.org/)) , Dr. Sebastian Zajac , member of QPoland ([https://qworld.net/qpoland/](https://qworld.net/qpoland/)) This is an online event. Zoom registration form will be emailed to registrant and posted on the event forum by Feb 28 2026 11:00 am EST.

Bring your Raspberry Pi, Arduino, microcontroller, or any other electronic project and join fellow electronics makers for a night of creativity and collaboration! This session is open forum to share your current projects—whether complete or in progress, it’s all interesting! Whether you’re deep into embedded systems, exploring new ideas, or just getting started, you’ll find a welcoming space to collaborate, share, and get inspired. **New to electronics or curious about tinkering?** You’re absolutely welcome. If you’re a beginner and want to experiment, I’ll have a couple of starter kits available so you can try things out—whether that’s blinking your first LED, putting something on a display, or experimenting with simple sensors. No pressure and no experience required—just an interest in learning and building. While we continue to pursue a more permanent venue for this Meetup, we’ll be using public library facilities based on availability. This session will be at the Worthington Park Library in the Olentangy Meeting Room.

Join other experienced and aspiring agile coaches and professionals to: * develop and practice your coaching skills in a peer-to-peer environment * share current successes and challenges in your work environment and get support from each other * learn from each other, build better relationships and experiment with new ideas

Come check us out! You will have a wonderful time! The music and friendships are life-changing!

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 You will need to scan your ID at the door to get a visitor badge. **Abstract** *Spec-Driven Development with GitHub Spec-Kit: From Intent to Implementation* Spec-driven development flips the traditional workflow on its head: instead of code being the source of truth, the specification becomes the backbone of design, collaboration, and delivery. In this session, we’ll explore how GitHub Spec-Kit enables teams to treat specifications as first-class artifacts—living documents that drive architecture, implementation, and verification. You’ll learn how Spec-Kit helps teams clearly express intent using structured, version-controlled specs that live alongside code. We’ll walk through a practical workflow that starts with defining system behavior and constraints, then progressively refines those specs into testable, automatable outcomes. Along the way, we’ll show how specs can reduce ambiguity, improve cross-functional collaboration, and make design decisions explicit before a single line of production code is written. This talk will cover: --What spec-driven development is (and what it isn’t) --How GitHub Spec-Kit fits into modern developer workflows --Using specs to align product, engineering, and AI-assisted development --Real-world examples of turning specs into implementations with confidence Whether you’re building greenfield systems, integrating AI into your stack, or trying to reduce costly rework, spec-driven development offers a scalable way to move faster without sacrificing clarity. Attendees will leave with concrete patterns and a clear mental model for adopting GitHub Spec-Kit in their own projects. **YouTube Link** TBA

Connected Westerville Night of Networking flips the script on networking, with surprises and connections that'll make you say, "Who knew networking could be this much fun?!"

Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!! https://sessionize.com/cbus-hug-2026/

We will show a variety of methods for building agents that run in Microsoft Foundry. This covers the different types of agents: Prompt, Multi, and Hosted, as well as the development lifecycle using evals and traces.