Data Science using R

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 :)

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 :)

Join us for another session of our study group as we continue our coverage of the book Domain-Specific Small Language Models. In this session, we will attempt to cover Chapters 13 on "Creating end-to-end applications", which explores RAG and Agents and Chapter 14, on "Advanced Components for LLM Applications", which explores GraphRAG. This isn't just a lecture! Come ready to ask questions, share insights, and code along. Whether you're a beginner or have some experience, this is the perfect opportunity to continue to learn together. If you plan to work with the code on your own laptop during the session, try and download the code from here https://github.com/virtualramblas/Domain-Specific-Small-Language-Models ahead of time.

**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

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“The Physics of Baseball,”** with Scott Paulson, professor of physics and interdisciplinary liberal studies at James Madison University. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-physics-of-baseball](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-physics-of-baseball) .] Profs and Pints is offering baseball fans an even bigger treat than Cracker Jack, an exploration of the physics underlying their beloved sport. Professor Scott Paulson, who regularly teaches introductory physics classes that make the physics behind real-world phenomena accessible to all, will discuss the forces and phenomena that come into play in baseball during pitching, batting, and fielding. He’ll toss you basic physics concepts that help explain how baseball’s routine plays got to be that way, and he’ll explain what’s going on in some situations where the laws of physics seem to be violated by what’s happening on the field. Ever wondered why curveballs curve or knuckleballs behave so strangely? You’ll learn how Newton’s laws and the Magnus force explain how pitchers get drastically different results from subtle differences in their releases. Curious about what exactly the “sweet spot” of the bat is? Ever wondered how big an advantage batters get from the thin air of Mile High Stadium? We’ll explore the physics of the batted ball, examining the phenomena of waves and analyzing the interaction of ball, bat and batter with the help of high-speed video. During one of the more exciting scenarios in a baseball game—the close play at the plate—fans often see outfielders throw to an infielder rather than directly to home. We’ll look at the pros and cons of this relay play, known as a “cut-off,” in the context of the physics of projectile motion. Finally, we will also look into high-profile cheating scandals involving corked bats and doctored balls. Dr. Paulson will present models to explain how these alterations to the equipment can benefit the batter and pitcher respectively, and he’ll discuss how much these models are backed up by data. These few hours in a brewpub will forever enhance your enjoyment of time at the ballpark. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: Photo by Tage Olsin / Wikimedia Commons

​Join Data Visualization DC for a meetup to learn about generative UI with Prefect's Jeremiah Lowin! Doors 5:30 Presentation starts 6:15 Please RSVP on luma ([https://luma.com/b4qfsjpl](https://luma.com/b4qfsjpl)) for building security. #=#=#=#=#=#=#=# Got Data Viz? Sign up for a viz and tell and share your work for a few minutes. All are welcome! [https://forms.gle/9a3ssbVbwQFjpWdY8](https://forms.gle/9a3ssbVbwQFjpWdY8) Data Viz DC is a member of Data Community DC, a nonprofit dedicated to data education in the nation's capital. Learn more at [www.dc2.org](http://www.dc2.org/)

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