Machine Learning

**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

If you run an AI startup or you have a project or business idea, join us for first AI entrepreneur gathering of this group. Here is my Steve Kantor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-kantor-594784. You? Feel free to connect. I was in original group started by Marc Pickett a decade ago and I am now a co-organizer. Text me 202-297-2393 if you register or cannot come to this event but want to connect with other startup founders. Help Each Other Anything is Possible

Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, we want YOU to join us! New players are always welcome - all you need is a good attitude and a willingness to learn. Also, bring a water bottle, a mouth guard, and cleats (if you have them - they're not necessary right away). Our experienced coaches will teach you everything you need to know! Bring your energy, your enthusiasm, and most importantly, your love for the game. Let's make this practice a blast and get ready to rock the upcoming season!

**RSVP DOES NOT GUARANTEE YOUR SPOT. You must register via our website:** [https://www.katiereifertvbcamps.com/krvc-adult-volleyball-camps.cfm](https://www.katiereifertvbcamps.com/krvc-adult-volleyball-camps.cfm) **Defensive Skills & Setting Camp** This camp is designed for **adult volleyball players (ages 20 & above)** looking to improve their defensive & setting skills. Ideal for **all skill levels**, this camp offers an opportunity to receive skill instruction from George Washington's coaching staff. Defense & Setting Skills Camp is designed to develop well-rounded back-row defenders and setters by blending high-level defensive training with position-specific setting work. This session allows defenders to sharpen their floor skills while providing setters with focused, individualized technical training. **What to Expect:** Players will work on defensive techniques including platform control, reading hitters, movement patterns, & ball tracking in fast-paced, game-like drills. Back-row defenders will also learn how to set out-of-system to expand their skill set & decision-making. Setters will receive high-level 1v1 technical training while also spending time working on their own defense & blocking, helping them become more complete, well-rounded players on the court. We will spend the first hour & a half on skill instruction & the last 30 minutes playing competitive 6v6. 6v6 play will be recorded & distributed to participants so you can track your progress! **Camp Schedule:** 🗓️ *Tuesday, May 26th* * 6:45 PM – Doors Open, Check-in begins at the Charles E. Smith Center * 7:00 PM – Camp Begins * 9:00 PM – Camp Ends **Important Info:** * **You must register via our website:** [https://www.katiereifertvbcamps.com/krvc-adult-volleyball-camps.cfm](https://www.katiereifertvbcamps.com/krvc-adult-volleyball-camps.cfm) * This camp is for **adults only** – you must be **above the age of 20 or have exhausted your NCAA eligibility.** * You will enter the Charles E. Smith Center at the **Ticket Office Entrance**, located on 22nd St. * **Please do not arrive early; basketball will be finishing up their practice at this time & we cannot accommodate your arrival earlier.** * Payment is due at the time of signup. * If you have questions, please contact us at katiereifertvolleyballcamps@gmail.com * *By registering, you agree that we may use your photo for marketing.* We can’t wait to see you there!

For the first half hour of class, beginners will learn 5 organ & spirit enlivening qigong exercises. After a brief meditative walk, beginners will learn the first of six section of Lao (old) Yang tai chi chuan as taught by Teacher Lu Hung Bin. Remember to wear comfortable loose-fitting clothing & flat comfortable shoes. For more information, call 301-466-5894 or email: info@dancinginsilence.com

If you’ve already learned the basics of volleyball and want to keep improving your skills while having fun, this event is for you! **Skill Level:** Advanced Beginner (click [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PojSi4qdlRsv1msCHhvpQ43iDc4FfzQwpWCc3kafVMY/mobilebasic) for details). **Reminders** 1. Attendance: We’ve noticed that the waitlist is growing, so please make sure your name is on the Going list if you plan to play. Our number of nets is limited so this helps avoid too many rotations. If your name is on the list but you don’t show up, it will count as an absence according to Smiley Social rules. Please update your RSVP at least 12 hours in advance if your plans change. 2. Injuries: Play safely and be mindful of others on the court. Respect positions and avoid risky moves that could lead to injury. If you’re not sure the ball is yours, call it before going for it to avoid collisions. 3. Game Rules: Let’s follow the basic volleyball rules, especially the three-touch rule so we can play properly and improve as a team! 4. Waitlist: The waitlist is not first come first serve. We prioritize regular attendees, and will fill empty spots with new faces closer to the event date. **Smiley Social documents:** 1. [Group Rules ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HrG35p_0M08leRvCp8XWG3CMkr_GL928XFabl5T6Dvg) 2. [Liability Waiver ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W2mq-7m99lmvd7gdWYaSUFtvVg4UGnzV6koafAbHmco) 3. [Volleyball Levels](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PojSi4qdlRsv1msCHhvpQ43iDc4FfzQwpWCc3kafVMY/)

Please join us every week for power networking! Our Chapter Passed $1,666,736 USD in the past 12 months! BNI members, on average, increase their business 20% the first year. Our chapter is a dynamic, committed group of business people who know how to refer business to each other. Come for our meeting -- stay for the referrals!!! We have open categories for individuals who will bring enthusiasm and integrity to our meeting. Just one person per professional specialty is allowed in each chapter. Visit a meeting to find out more and lock out your competition! Register Here: https://bninovanorth.com/va-nova-north-bni-mclean-business-connection--n136/en-US/visitorregistration?chapterId=16988

Learn to manage stress and achieve self-growth through simple relaxation and Meditation. Heartfulness Meditation is a simple, modern, methodical approach to meditation. Rather than homing in on your breath or repeating a mantra, you simply focus inward, on your heart, to cultivate inner strength and serenity. Heartfulness meditation is gaining traction in recent years. It focuses on the heart, allowing individuals to connect with themselves on a deeper level, and ultimately achieve peace, relaxation, and clarity. It is a practice that encourages patience, self-compassion, and acceptance, helping cultivate a deeper appreciation for the present moment. This practice is offered with love and at no cost

Join PSW Science® on May 29 at 8 PM as we welcome Michael Garrett (U. of Manchester) & Adam Thompson (NVIDIA). During the question and answer period, in-person attendees and live stream viewers may ask the speaker questions, and in-person attendees may also engage with the speaker during the post-lecture reception. Refreshments are served. For more information on this meeting, please visit: https://pswscience.org/meeting/2536 The meeting will be held in the John Wesley Powell Auditorium, adjacent to the Cosmos Club. The Powell Auditorium is located at 2170 Florida Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20008. Use of the Cosmos Club is restricted to the Powell Auditorium, the entryway to the auditorium, and the restrooms immediately outside the auditorium. Please note there is no onsite parking available. PSW Science, founded in 1871, is one of the oldest scientific societies in Washington D.C. Now, over 150 years later, we celebrate the Society's rich history and contributions to scientific discovery and cross-disciplinary collaboration. For information on how to become a member of PSW Science and membership benefits, please visit https://pswscience.org/join/

Make a comfy heart-shaped pillow without the need for a needle and thread or a sewing machine. All materials will be provided. First come, first served.

**\*\*You must purchase a ticket [here](https://sommcircle.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=650343&item_id=2926832). \*\*** Ever find yourself nodding along at a wine tasting, wishing you knew what to actually say — or even what to look for? This is the evening that changes that. Speak Fluent Wine is a hands-on tasting experience designed to teach you the exact framework wine professionals use to evaluate what's in the glass. You'll go from "I just know what I like" to understanding \*why\* you like it — and having the words to say so. Here's what we'll cover: ?? Sight — What color and clarity reveal before the first sip ?? Nose — How to train your sense of smell and identify aromas with confidence ?? Palate — Decoding what your taste buds are picking up: sweetness, acidity, tannins, body, and finish ?? Structure — How the elements of a wine interact, including how acidity softens sweetness and tames tannins ??? Language — The vocabulary professionals use, demystified and made practical Once we've broken down the framework, Total Wine's expert staff will lead a short guided tasting — putting everything you've just learned directly into practice. Snacks and water will be provided. Cost is $25 No experience necessary. No judgement. Just great wine, a welcoming atmosphere, and the confidence you've been waiting to find. **\*\*You must purchase a ticket [here](https://sommcircle.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=650343&item_id=2926832). \*\***

Discover the path to stress management, life's tranquility, and self-improvement through Heartfulness Meditation. Embrace relaxation, meditation, and emotional detoxification practices to unlock your best self. Join our free sessions every Sunday at 8 AM and Wednesday at 7 / 7:30 PM at various centers in MD and VA. Experience the profound benefits of these simple yet powerful practices. Commit to a few months of meditation and witness the transformative impact firsthand. We eagerly await your presence at these enlightening sessions.

Let us quench our thirst of singing by a lively Karaoke night out. It would be fun! http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/7/5/6/600_434918742.jpeg We organized this with our other meetups and you will get to network and mingle with insanely wicked socialites. http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/7/1/3/6/600_418768982.jpeg http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/7/9/c/600_434918812.jpeg

Most people use AI like a search box: they type one sentence, hope for the best, and get frustrated when the answer is generic, wrong, or useless. But getting better results from tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and other AI systems is not about memorizing magic prompts. It is about learning how to give the AI better context. In this beginner-friendly session, we’ll break down how to make AI dramatically more useful by improving the way you communicate with it. You’ll learn how to give clearer instructions, provide examples, set constraints, ask for better output formats, and use follow-up questions to turn a mediocre answer into a genuinely useful one. We’ll cover practical techniques you can use immediately for work, learning, writing, coding, planning, research, and everyday problem solving. We’ll also touch on why these same ideas show up in more advanced AI systems, including RAG, agents, evaluations, and AI workflows. No technical background required. Bring your curiosity, your questions, and maybe one real task you wish AI was better at helping you with. **What you’ll learn:** * Why “better prompting” is really about better context * How to structure requests so AI gives more useful answers * How to use examples, constraints, and output formats * How to iterate when the first answer is not good enough * How these skills connect to more advanced AI workflows This meetup is for anyone who wants to move beyond basic ChatGPT usage and start getting more practical value out of AI. LOGISTICS AND PARKING: The talk starts at 7:00 PM. The first half hour is reserved for everyone to get set up and mingle. Free pizza and drinks! The cheapest parking option is to find street parking, which will only cost you a few bucks. Otherwise, park in the nearby veteran's museum lot for $8. It's highly recommended you avoid the nearby $15 garage parking.

**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** Like it or not, AI agents are now capable of turning a quickly written paragraph of requirements into a pull request that is ready to be integrated into real-world production applications and it's now our responsibility to make sure AI doesn't go rogue and take down prod - or corrupt our data by misunderstanding the requirements or our existing schemas. In this session we'll explore strategies to protect our codebases through unit and integration testing, documentation, and code review along with additional ways of providing context and guard rails to our AI agents as they carry out the work we've assigned them to do. By the time we're done, you'll have a firm grasp of the problem and understand some helpful options for protecting your codebase from vibe coding mishaps getting YOLOed into prod. **YouTube Link** TBD

Come out to Improving for our monthly iOS and Mac meetings. This Month's Presentation: Nothing yet. (You should volunteer). What is Cocoaheads (http://cocoaheads.org/)? CocoaHeads is a group devoted to discussion of Apple Computer's Cocoa Framework for programming on MacOS X and iOS (including the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch). During monthly meetings, members present on their projects and offer tutorials on various programming topics. What is BuckeyeCocoa (http://buckeyecocoa.org/)? BuckeyeCocoa is a group of Objective-C/Swift developers/enthusiasts. We host monthly Cocoaheads and near-weekly NSCoder meetings in Columbus, Ohio. The meetings are free to attend. Presentations! Presenters welcome! We are always in need of people willing to present material. Any Swift and/or Objective-C related topic is welcome. Times can be 5 minutes (i.e. lightning talks) to a maximum of 2 hours. Interested? Contact info is on the BuckeyeCocoa website. To volunteer for a presentation contact us at @BuckeyeCocoa on Twitter. Follow us on Twitter! @BuckeyeCocoa (https://twitter.com/#!/Buckeyecocoa/) For more information: http://buckeyecocoa.org/

If you enjoy knitting, crocheting, working with yarn, this is the group for you. Meet new friends, bring your projects, learn from others.
We normally meet a few times a month during the week from 6-8pm. We will occasionally meet on weekends during daytime hours.

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\.

5:45-7:45 in Conference Room B, Library lower level. Bring your yarn projects, meet new friends. If you plan to attend, please RSVP yes. If you can’t attend, please change your RSVP to no. This helps anyone who is waitlisted and it allows me to have an accurate count of attendees as our space is quite limited. Plenty of parking in the lot, in the overflow lot across the street, and on the street. See you there!