Research Triangle Park

We’re excited to continue building AI in Practice with our monthly social! 🎉 Each month, we’ll host an informal happy hour and dinner at Upside on Moore in Rosslyn. Come join fellow AI builders, professionals, and curious minds for a relaxed evening of conversation, connection, and community. Whether you’re working on AI systems, advising on responsible adoption, or just interested in how AI is shaping law, compliance, finance, healthcare, defense, software, mission-driven organizations, or public service — this is a chance to meet like-minded people and help shape what this community becomes. 🍸 Drinks and food are available for purchase at the venue. 🤝 No formal agenda — just introductions, networking, and sharing what excites us about AI in practice. We’re so grateful for the early enthusiasm, and we look forward to seeing you each month as this community grows! **Date, Time & Location** 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM Thursday 23 October 2025 Upside on Moore 1831 Moore Street Arlington, VA 22209

Top Notch Toastmasters is a friendly, supportive public speaking club based in **Takoma Park, MD**. We meet on the **2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month from 7:15 pm to 8:30 pm** at the **Takoma Park Fire Department, 7201 Caroll Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912.** To enter, go down the driveway beside the building, then enter the basement door at the rear corner of the building (beside the parking area designated for Fire Officers). Our mission is to create an enriching environment where members can develop essential communication skills such as **listening, critical thinking, and speaking**. These skills build confidence, strengthen leadership, and deepen understanding between people. At our meetings, you’ll see prepared speeches, constructive evaluations, and fun impromptu speaking (Table Topics). Guests are always welcome, and there is **no pressure to speak** until you feel ready. You can simply come, observe, and get a feel for the club. Whether you want to improve your public speaking for work, school, leadership, or personal growth, Top Notch Toastmasters offers a warm, encouraging space to practice and grow alongside others.

**REGISTER AT THE LUMA EVENT PAGE!!! https://luma.com/msj956oc** Join us for an evening of data science side projects and networking! Come hear lightning talks about what people are building, meet other people working on cool stuff, and hang out. ​ Whether you're deep into a side project, just getting started on one, or curious about what other people are working on, this is a good place to be. Side projects are how a lot of us learn new tools, explore ideas, and connect with people—and they're a lot more fun when you have other people to talk to about them. **Schedule (this might change!!!)** * ​6:00 - 6:30PM: Mingling & food & drinks * ​6:30 - 7:15PM: Lightning talks * ​7:15 - 8:00PM: Networking & social hour Speakers! * **Travis Hoppe** (speaking in personal capacity): "Girls, Interrupted" — using face detection and embedding models to analyze screen time across 175 movies * **Elliott Miller**: "Binding at the Speed of AI: LoRA Training Meets Autonomous Agents" * **William Zhu**: [MoltComics](https://moltcomics.com) — Comics for the Agent Internet * **Mystery speaker** (speaking in personal capacity): Congressional side projects you can do.

DC iOS returns to the Capital One campus for another meetup! Come and meet with fellow Apple developers in the DC Area, enjoy some food, networking, and a great tech talk! PLEASE INDICATE IF YOU WILL BE ATTENDING IN PERSON OR OVER ZOOM. **Agenda:** • 5:40 PM - Doors Open (in-person attendees). **Don't forget your ID!** • 6:10 PM - Welcome (in-person and Zoom attendees) • 6:15 PM - **Talk: *Vibe Coding: A Skeptic's Guide to Finding Your Rhythm in AI-Assisted Development*** • 7:05 PM - Community Announcements & Networking • 8:00 PM - Doors close **Talk Description:** **Vibe Coding: A Skeptic's Guide to Finding Your Rhythm in AI-Assisted Development** Leo Dion I didn't trust AI hype. But building thousands lines of production Swift taught me: AI can get you 70% there but expertise is still required. From skeptic to pragmatic builder, I'll share when AI shines, where it fails, and how to thrive in the AI era. No hype, no doomerism—just reality. Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83088929804?pwd=NinZzqyxxo8Cw1KSU1rMrPey8cxr2M.1 **Location:** Capital One, C2 Building 1680 Capital One Drive, Mclean VA, 22102 100A Visitor parking is either in the garage attached to 1680 Capital One Drive, or the open lot next to 1600 Capital One Drive. After that you will walk over to the main entrance of 1680 Capital One drive, and then walk around the right to the corner to room 100A For the metro, take the Silver Line to the McLean metro stop, then walk into main campus (about a 5 minute walk). From there, walk to the main entrance of 1680 and then go to room 100A **What you need to bring:** ID **When to arrive:** Doors open at 5:50pm ET Event will start at 6:10 pm ET **Will food and drinks be provided?** Yep! **Will there be rapid testing provided?** No **Will masks be required?** No

https://youtu.be/2hV0hjneKUQ We are group of diverse individuals who invest in improving our public speaking and leadership skills within a warm and supportive environment. We will meet at Jack Taylor's Alexandria Toyota, just across the street from the Potomac Yard shopping center in Alexandria. You can park on the side street or behind the facility. Enter through the main entrance and proceed directly across the showroom to the staircase behind the main desk. Proceed to the top of the stairs and turn to your right. The meeting room is at the end of the hallway. Hope to see you there!

Holy Cross-Words Toastmasters Club (http://1341379.toastmastersclubs.org/) is open to all. The club meets 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 5:30pm via Zoom Meeting: Meeting ID: 848 0115 8880 Password: 996403 In addition, on 4th Tuesday of each month for an in-person meeting at the Professional and Community Education Center (PCEC) at Holy Cross Hospital. The PCEC is located on the first floor of Holy Cross Hospital, 1500 Forest Glen Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910

**Greetings, GeoDC Friends!** **We're back this month for a Meetup on Wednesday, March 11th at Sudhouse DC.** **This month, we'll have our usual networking chats, job and event announcements and lightning talks from our community members.** **\>\>Please complete this form if you would like to present next week or any other upcoming MeetUp event\. :** [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10Yj1-BOBXHqtoepJNW2X1WRzmdMjvbBPB8F5fgu5Lhk](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10Yj1-BOBXHqtoepJNW2X1WRzmdMjvbBPB8F5fgu5Lhk) **Speaker Lineup** **David Bleecker: Open Source Mapping of Gravity Anomalies: What They Are and What We Can Learn** * *This talk will be an introduction to bouguer anomalies (aka gravity anomalies) in the field of geophysics, and the application of bouguer anomaly maps to modern GIS tools. The first section will be an overview of what a bouguer anomaly is, how to interpret maps of bouguer anomalies, and how the modern space-based bouguer anomaly mapping satellites work. The second section will focus on the results obtained by analysis of the bouguer anomaly map data taken from the best available public dataset (GGMPlus), with an emphasis on specific locations that are especially prominent anomalies, what geology and geophysics tells us about what the causes of these localized anomalies may be, and (time permitting), a brief foray into some of the unanswered scientific questions that remain regarding the cause of certain localized anomalies.* **Ben Ballerstein: Crash Cartography: Mapping a Year of DC Bicycle Collisions** *\>The presentation is a walkthrough of the design and build of an animated web map visualizing bicycle collisions in Washington\, D\.C\. in 2025\. This independent project used open\-source software and data from Washington D\.C\.'s open data platform\. The presentation walks through the analysis process from concept\, data acquisition and cleaning\, geospatial processing in QGIS\, and presentation in MapLibre with custom data visualizations\.* *\***We're getting a jumpstart to Spring Cleaning this year as well.\**** **On March 11, we will have GeoDC's first-ever Geo-Swag Swap.** * **If you've been to any conferences or trainings lately, you may have found yourself wondering 'how in the WORLD did I accumulate so much stuff?'** * **Bring your unused or lightly used Geo Themed SWAG to Sudhouse DC on the 11th.** * **The Swag Swap table will be by the staircase, right as you enter into the event space on the 3rd floor.** * **Please take what you need/want from the table; all unwanted items will be donated or recycled** ***-You do not need to bring Swag to particpate.*** ***\- Examples of Swag: notebooks\, mousepads\, pint glasses\, tote bags\, pens\, pins\, stress balls\, decals\, lens cleaners\, rulers\, magnets\, laser pointers\, lip balm\, etc\.*** **Looking forward to seeing everyone next week!**

Join the Spooky Beaver Trail Crew maintaining 37 miles of hiking paths in historic Prince William Forest Park (PWFP), Triangle, VA , a unit of the National Park Service (NPS). We will be rebuilding a foot bridge and doing vegetation control activities along the trails in the park. Wear hiking shoes, long pants and dress for the weather; bring day pack, water (at least two quarts but more if hot weather), bug spray, trail lunch, safety glasses, work gloves, and any medications that might be needed (inhaler, epi pen, etc.). All tools and equipment provided. Meet at the Turkey Run Education Center (TREC) parking lot by 9:00 am. We typically work until 2:30 pm, but you can leave as you like. Be sure to check meetup on Friday Aug. 8. If inclement weather is predicted the event may be canceled.

**DC Service Jam is back.** This March, SD:DC is hosting the DC edition of Global Service Jam 2026 week. We are part of a worldwide movement of designers, strategists, and curious minds who come together to build real service concepts from scratch. From **Saturday March 14 to Sunday March 15**, you'll work in a small team around a secret theme revealed at kick-off. No briefs, no client. Just hands-on design, rapid prototyping, and plenty of Post-its. This year we're bringing AI into the mix. Throughout the weekend we'll look at how AI tools can support service design work, as a sensemaking tool, to build artifacts faster, and to push prototypes further. **WHAT TO EXPECT** **Saturday March 14th** * **9 - 10am:** social / breakfast (theme reveal + team formation) * **10am - 6pm:** full day of research, ideation, and prototyping (meals provided) * **6:30pm (optional):** social / happy hour (nearby bar) **Sunday March 15th** * **9 - 10am:** social / breakfast * **10am - 12pm:** finalize prototyping & storytelling * **12pm - 2pm:** present your work and share what DC made with the world **WHO SHOULD COME** You don't need to be a service designer. If you're a UX or product designer, strategist, public servant, researcher, or just someone curious about how services actually work, you're welcome here. **LOGISTICS** * **Dates:** Saturday March 14th & Sunday 15th (ending at 2pm) * **Venue:** SteamPunk, McLean, VA * **Capacity:** 50 spots only (first come, first served) * **Attendee fee:** $60\* (covers meals, materials, and space) *\* If the fee is a barrier for you, we have a limited number of discounted tickets available, just reach out to Sergio Venegas directly for a code.* **WHAT TO BRING** ✔️ An open mind and a willingness to make things ✔️ Laptop and charger ✔️ Curiosity about Service Design (no experience needed) **Follow SD:DC on LinkedIn and @DCServiceJam on Instagram for updates!** \*\*\* Many thanks to our host and sponsor, **SteamPunk** *Design. Disrupt, Repeat. Steampunk is anchored by a startup culture with a customer-centered delivery approach. We put our Federal government clients in the center of everything we design, develop, and deliver to drive high quality mission impacts and user experiences at speed.*

Agricultural Research Center Toastmasters is conducting a 5-session Public Speaking Workshop. The sessions will be held in person on Wednesdays March 4-April 1, 2026 at 5:00-7:00 pm. This workshop will (1) help you overcome nervousness, (2) boost your self-confidence, (3) make you a more organized speaker, and (4) teach you 'secrets' of public speaking. Email contact-3039@toastmastersclubs.org for more information. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- ARE YOU READY FOR A LIFE-CHANGING, CAREER-ENHANCING EXPERIENCE? The Agricultural Research Center Toastmasters in Beltsville, Maryland meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month to practice our communication and leadership skills. We follow the educational program of Toastmasters International. We have great success individually and as a group. Our members are from different cultures and backgrounds. Several of us are scientists for the US Department of Agriculture. Others work at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Our members also are tax preparers, translators, and teachers. Each year in the spring we hold a beginners class. The next class will be in March 2026. Visit our webpage at http://arc.toastmastersclubs.org/ .

**Join us for the APP mid-week training ride at Anacostia Park.** **This is a structured paceline workout designed to build fitness and group riding skills.** **📍 Meet: Anacostia Park – Skating Pavilion** **🕖 Roll Out: Wednesdays at 7:00 AM** **Ride Format** **• Starts around 18 mph** **• Speed increases every 4-mile loop** **• Ride as many laps as you can hold** **Bring lights, good energy, and be ready to roll at 7:00 sharp.** **See you at the park 🚴‍♂️**

ike Turkey Run Park- Pho Lunch, VA Sunday March 8 With winter weather receding, this is a great way to fight cabin fever and head back outside with views of the Potomac. This is a 3 to 4 mile loop hike along the Potomac River just below the American Legion bridge off the GW parkway. The trail is mostly easy and flat, but there are some slightly rocky areas. Be aware that this time of year where segments along the river can be muddy and there are some rocky areas we must maneuver around. Bring a mascot! The park is dog-friendly, but must be on a leash. For more info and maps (see side links): [https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/planyourvisit/turkeyrun.htm](https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/planyourvisit/turkeyrun.htm) What to Bring: Good hiking shoes Water Meet: 9:00 am Where: Parking Lot C-1. (First parking lot when entering park. See map at link below for details) Park Trail Map: [https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/planyourvisit/upload/Corrected-Turkey_Run_Park_Trail_Map_11242023_508c.pdf](https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/planyourvisit/upload/Corrected-Turkey_Run_Park_Trail_Map_11242023_508c.pdf) Departure: 9:10 sharp. We should return to the parking lot no later than 11:15 am. For those interested, we can later head over to nearby Pho 75 (1721 Wilson Blvd) for a great hot pho - one of the best in the area. **Note: Cash Only!** **In the comments section please indicate if you need a ride. If you are coming by car and wouldn’t mind picking someone up at a convenient metro stop, please indicate how many people you can take. Hopefully we’ll have enough room for everyone. I can pick up three at the Braddock Road metro (yellow), located in Alexandria, VA. Or, I can pick up folks at Rosslyn metro (orange/blue). Carpoolers, please chip in generously for gas.** Note: This event is cross-posted with other Meetup groups.

*A series of pop-up arcades of locally-made games!* The Washington, D.C. Chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA DC) has partnered with the D.C. Public Library to host a series of showcases at library branches across the city. **At these showcases you can come play games made by local developers and learn about how those games were made!** Saturday, March 14, 2026 2-5pm Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Neighborhood Library 5401 South Dakota Ave NE, Washington, DC 20011 (Near the Fort Totten Metro Station) Family-friendly and appropriate for all ages (recommended for children ages 7 and up mainly because video game controllers are hard for younger children to use.) Come out and support your local community of game developers!

One of the most valuable parts of this community is the opportunity to think out loud with other product professionals. This session is built for exactly that. As we wrap up the quarter, it’s a great time to pause and reflect. What’s on track? What needs adjustment? Where could a small shift create bigger impact? Join fellow product professionals for a focused, interactive conversation designed to help you recalibrate for the next quarter. You’ll have the opportunity to share where you are, hear how others are thinking through similar challenges, and gain fresh perspective you can bring back to your team and organization. We’ll gather at 8:00AM, with discussion starting promptly at 8:15AM. 📍 First Watch - 7227 N High St Located in: The Shops at Worthington Ample parking is available. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Start your morning with clarity and connection — we hope to see you there! ☀️

This month, we are in-person at GameArena!!! We will also be joined by students and their games from [Shawnee State](https://www.shawnee.edu/game-design-programs)! \-\-\- Join us for our our monthly COGG Prototype and Play event @GameArena! Come to play and showcase your games. We're back in the upper levels of the catwalk mezzanine area. It'll be packed with lots of camaraderie playing your game(s) and other's games on the 2nd floor as well as the 1st floor in the gaming room below the mezzanine. Light snacks and water provided but you can buy food and drinks at the bar (alcoholic drink ID required). [https://www.game-arena.co/menu](https://www.game-arena.co/menu) **Attendees:** Don't have a game to show? Not a problem! All are welcomed and invited from all ages and backgrounds. The more we can have to play test our games the better! **Developers:** Do you have a game that you would like to get critical feedback on? Would you like an excuse to work on a game with other talented artists, programmers, musicians, designers, and writers? Digital, table-top, non-experienced developers, and the like are welcomed! We'll provide signage for your game to help others learn more about your work. Wifi, outlets, tables, and seats (though standing tables also) are available. Come to the Prototype and Play workshop to collaborate and meet local game developers for an evening of epic and raw game play fun! Play works-in-progress, show off your own game, work with others to add polish to a game, or even lend your talents to other fellow developers. Can use South Garage at the Gateway with a $5 voucher on your way out. 75 E 11th Ave, Columbus, OH 43201 [https://maps.app.goo.gl/UwgveUYG37Jy7RtS9](https://maps.app.goo.gl/UwgveUYG37Jy7RtS9) If you have any questions or comments, as always, feel free to reach out to us at [info@thecogg.com!](http://info@thecogg.com!/)

Discover Kiro, AWS’s innovative development environment that adapts to your workflow. Whether you prefer specification-driven development or a more intuitive, vibe-based approach, Kiro empowers you to build applications your way. In this session, speakers will explore Kiro’s core functionality and its evolution through re:Invent 2025, along with demonstrations of prompts used to create APIs, hooks, and steering documents. In the latter part of the session, watch as we build a complete example from scratch, showcasing Kiro’s agentic AI workflow in action for spec-driven development and vibe coding. What You'll Learn - Core Kiro concepts and development philosophy Feature evolution: pre and post re:Invent 2025 Practical examples: API creation, hooks, and steering docs Live coding demonstration with real-time problem solving Who Should Attend - Developers, solutions architects, and technical leaders interested in modern AWS development tools and AI-assisted coding workflows. **Speakers Bio:** Matthew Jorat: Matthew Jorat is a Customer Solutions Manager at AWS with nearly three decades of expertise in AI, cloud transformation, migration, modernization, IT, technology, and business. His career spans infrastructure engineer, solutions architect, security auditor, customer success director, support and services director, and operations officer. He was an early adopter of AWS services as a customer, and his current role at AWS uniquely blends his technical and business skills as he partners with executive teams to translate strategic priorities into measurable business outcomes through cloud adoption, AI implementation, and operational excellence. Matt leads end-to-end AI initiatives for enterprise customers, identifying high-impact use cases and maintaining relentless focus on measurable ROI. He holds eight AWS certifications and serves as Adjunct Professor at Franklin University teaching cloud computing and AWS architecture. His expertise encompasses GenAI, agentic AI systems, migration, modernization, and optimization strategies that drive transformation at scale. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattjorat/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattjorat/) Girish Bhatia: Girish Bhatia is a seasoned technology delivery leader with deep expertise in cross-domain program management. He holds multiple AWS certifications, including AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate, AWS Certified Developer – Associate, and AWS Generative AI Practitioner, and is also an AWS Community Builder. Girish brings over two decades of experience in the information technology industry. Throughout his career, Girish has led major technology-driven business transformation from modernizing on-premises applications to driving large-scale cloud migrations. His work includes API-based integration platforms, data-center and mainframe modernization, and enterprise cloud adoption initiatives. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Girish works at a tech-forward fintech company. He is passionate about AWS serverless architectures, Generative AI and emerging cloud technologies. An avid learner and builder, he continues to explore and apply the latest innovations in AWS to help organizations accelerate their digital transformation. https://www.linkedin.com/in/girishbhatia/[https://www.linkedin.com/in/girishbhatia/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/girishbhatia/) **THANK YOU** *Franklin University* for hosting our meetup! To learn more about *Franklin University*, please visit their website: https://www.franklin.edu/ **DIRECTIONS** Franklin University Fisher Hall 300 E. Main St, Columbus, OH 43215 Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jxjBA2hUmS5qrvhq8 Parking is FREE! Please park in Lot C in front of Fisher Hall. See attached map. NOTE: Map the address only. When mapping with Google Maps it may use the Fisher Hall at OSU, which is NOT correct. **Want to sponsor the pizza and/or bar tab?** Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this meetup's pizza and/or bar tab: angelo@mandato.com

**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 **Abstract** TBD **YouTube Link** TBA