Virtual Reality (VR)

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Can Artificial Intelligence ‘See’?”** A look at how humans and artificial intelligence systems interpret the visual world in fundamentally different ways, with Arryn Robbins, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Richmond and cognitive scientist who researches visual attention, perception, and category learning. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-can-AI-see](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-can-AI-see) .] Artificial intelligence can now identify faces, categorize objects, describe scenes, and outperform humans on certain visual tasks. But does AI actually “see” the world the way that people do? Or does it arrive at correct answers using representations that differ markedly from human perception? Join Arryn Robbins of the University of Richmond for a fascinating exploration of how humans and AI construct meaning from visual information and a look at comparisons between human perception and AI that reveal just how dynamic and context-dependent our own visual systems really are. Dr. Robbins, who previously has given excellent Profs and Pints talks on flaws and biases in human visual perception, will draw from research in cognitive science, visual perception, and AI vision systems. She’ll explain how human perception is not merely a simple recording of the world, but an active process shaped by expectations, context, goals, and recent experience. You’ll learn how humans form flexible mental representations that allow us to recognize objects across changing environments and conditions, and why those representations continuously adapt as we interact with the world. Many AI systems, by contrast, learn visual categories through statistical patterns in data. They can produce impressive results, but sometimes they also produce strange and unexpected failures, and sometimes they classify images in ways that seem strange to us. Dr. Robbins will discuss what these differences reveal about the nature of perception itself, and why the mismatch between human and AI representations matters for technologies like self-driving cars, medical imaging, facial recognition, and automated surveillance. Important for anyone trying to understand the rapidly growing role of AI in daily life, this talk will explore one of the biggest questions in cognitive science and artificial intelligence: What does it actually mean to “see” and understand the world? (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: “Eye Farm” by Nevit Dilmen (Wikimedia Commons).

Network with an average of 60+ business professionals, all attendees get an opportunity to give a 30 second elevator pitch, enjoy a light breakfast, 10 minute educational presentation on topics that change weekly, and enjoy networking before and after the meet up.

A Pathfinder Society adventure for 1st-2nd level characters, playable in 2-3 hours. During the exploration of an ancient Jistkan ruin in Katapesh, the automaton Star goes missing, leaving their archeologist companions worried for their safety. The head archeologist calls upon the Pathfinder Society for assistance, but warns the agents that arrive that the ruin is filled with dangerous creatures and traps and that they should be careful while exploring. A strange frozen automaton meets the Pathfinders on each floor, slowly pointing the way deeper and deeper into the ruin. Will they find Star? Or does the automaton have more malicious motives? Written by Adam Wright **Scenario tags:** Repeatable

Come out to the Reston Community Center and play some games! Party games? Strategy games? Tabletop role-playing games? This massive space can accommodate games for every interest. While the event starts at 5pm, feel free to roll in whenever you are able! If you have games to bring that you'd like to share or run, please do! Food and drink are not provided within the venue, but you are allowed to bring in anything you need from outside locations, just please be considerate of other people's games and the tables when doing so. Park anywhere in the parking lot. The Community Center building is located directly behind Ledo Pizza. Walk straight back to the main room once you enter the building. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to either David Gray or Bill Parker through Meetup, or you can email Bill at william.parker@fairfaxcounty.gov. Hope to see you all there!

**Make sure to RSVP** **[here](https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/reactor/events/27321/)** **at the Microsoft Reactor site** https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/reactor/events/27321/ We're excited to announce the **Microsoft Build 2026 Local Host Conference** happening in **Reston, VA,** on **Friday, June 19, 2026**, from **09.00 AM to 4 PM EDT**! This **free conference** will take place at the **Microsoft offices** at **11955 Freedom Dr, Reston, VA 20190, on the second floor in the rooms MPR RESTON-11955/2.2D, MPR RESTON-11955/2.2E, and MPR RESTON-11955/2.2C.** **Agenda:** * 09:00 AM - 09:30 AM: Registration and Breakfast * 09:30 AM - 10:00 AM: Build 2026 Keynotes Highlights * 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM: **Session:** Build context-aware agents at scale with Microsoft IQ * 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM: **Panel:** Ask Us Anything about AI (with focus on skilling and finding jobs) * 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM: Lunch * 01:00 PM - 2.30 PM: **Hands-On Lab:** From zero to deployed on Azure with AI agents * 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM: **Hands-on Lab:** Observe, optimize, and protect your hosted agents in Microsoft Foundry The venue is **Metro accessible via the Silver Line**, and there’s plenty of **paid parking available** in the Reston Town Center garages. We'll have **breakfast, lunch, and snacks** for all attendees! Make sure to **RSVP** — you’ll receive your **event badge at check-in**, and you’ll need it to attend. This in-person event is built for developers and cloud engineers who want to design, build, and deploy real-world AI solutions on Azure. Expect a hands-on, implementation-focused experience using Microsoft Foundry and GitHub Copilot with live demos, guided labs, and practical developer workflows. **What to expect:** * Key takeaways and announcements from Microsoft Build 2026 * Deep dive into Azure AI and Generative AI use cases * Live demos with Microsoft Foundry and GitHub Copilot * Hands-on labs to build and test AI-powered features end-to-end * Best practices for building AI-powered applications * Networking with the local AI developer community Whether you're shipping your first AI feature or scaling production systems, this event is designed to give you actionable insights to accelerate your AI journey with Microsoft.

Enjoy a vibrant and engaging dance experience that blends global rhythms and diverse styles. This class combines elements of Bollywood, Latin, and other dance forms into a smooth, easy-to-follow flow designed to get you moving and grooving at a comfortable pace. Perfect for all levels, this class focuses on fun, relaxation, and connection with the music while giving you a gentle workout. Join us for a refreshing and enjoyable dance session! (Please wear socks). Friday, April 10th from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Held at the Brahma Kumaris Meditation Museum – Virginia, 14020 Thunderbolt Place, Suite 200, Chantilly, VA. **FREE EVENT - Registration Required at [https://shorturl.at/KJoXv](https://shorturl.at/KJoXv)** *Support the Brahma Kumaris Meditation Museum with your tax-deductible* *contribution.* **[CONTRIBUTE](https://www.meditationmuseum.org/contribute.html "https://www.meditationmuseum.org/contribute.html")**