MeetupOnline

Oct 22 - Advances in AI at Virginia Tech

OCT22
09:00

About this event

Join our virtual meetup to hear talks from AI researchers at Virginia Tech!

Date, Time and Location

Oct 22, 2026
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM PST
Online. Register for the Zoom!

Multi-Agent Communication: A framework, diagnostic and mechanistic perspective

Multi-agent LLM systems are increasingly used for collaborative reasoning, debate, and consensus, yet their communication dynamics remain poorly understood. This talk presents a framework for studying multi-agent communication through diagnostic and mechanistic perspectives.

I will discuss CONSENSAGENT, which improves consensus by mitigating sycophancy, alongside our diagnostic work on communication patterns and failure modes in real-world multi-agent debates. I will then present ongoing work that moves toward a mechanistic understanding of how these interaction patterns arise internally, with the broader goal of making multi-agent systems more interpretable, reliable, and controllable.

About the Speaker

Priya Pitre I am an Ph.D student in the Computer Science Department at Virginia Tech (VT), co-advised by Dr. Xuan Wang and Dr. Naren Ramakrishnan.

Exposing and Improving Fine-Grained Visual Grounding Abilities of Lightweight Multimodal LLMs

Lightweight multimodal LLMs can localize whole objects effectively, yet often struggle when a query targets a small object part or fine-grained visual detail. This talk presents a reasoning-guided framework that teaches compact models to ground parts through an explicit coarse-to-fine process: first locating the parent object, then identifying the requested part.

A part-aware reinforcement-learning objective provides stage-wise rewards for object accuracy, part containment, and the consistency of the model’s self-critique. Using these techniques, a compact 4B-parameter model achieves state-of-the-art zero-shot part grounding while preserving its object-level performance.

These advances can be used to enable lightweight MLLMs to support detail-oriented tasks in biology and robot

More upcoming events in United States

AUG
20

USC Marshall & Leventhal Alumni LA: Monthly Happy Hour in DTLA

Hatch at the Bloc, Los Angeles, United States · USC Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
runs 20 August 2025 – 21 April 2027
In person

Join fellow USC Marshall & Leventhall alumni for happy hour on the third Wednesday of each month in Downtown L.A.at Hatch at the Bloc ! Socialize, share stories, and expand your network in a relaxed and welcoming environment. We can't wait to see you there! Fight on! COST: Early Bird (Up to Sunday before): $40 General Admission & Walk-In: $45 Tickets include admission, appetizers, and two drinks . RSVP early - Space is Limited! PARKING INSTRUCTIONS: There are several entrances to enter the BLOC parking structure. For Self Parking: - The main entrances are on SOUTH HOPE ST or WEST 8TH ST (These entrances will take you up to the 4th Level & Up) 1st Hour- $1.00 2nd Hour- $2.50 3rd Hour- $4.00 For Valet Parking: - The main entrance are on SOUTH FLOWER ST (Please follow the signs to locate the valet area down below)Hatch offers discounted validation for up to 3 hours. 2nd Hour- $8.00 3rd Hour- $12.00 Please be advised after 3 hours, the rate will return to the normal pay structure of $3.50 for every 10 minutes. (The max being $44.00 for the whole day). To validate, simply give your parking ticket to a staff member who will validate your ticket with the validation machine located by the register.

17:30 · USD 40 · MeetupDetails →
SEPT
26

The Harness Engineering & Model Wrangling Hackathon

New York, NY, New York City, United States
In person

Build in a Day. Showcase on a Global Stage. This hackathon isn’t simply a one-day sprint; it’s an accelerator for your idea. Finalists will demo their projects LIVE at MongoDB.local New York City on September 30th. The next chapter of agentic infrastructure is memory, persistence, and self-evolving systems. Join us for a hackathon focused on solving the hardest problem in agentic AI: building harnesses that can adapt, remember, and operate reliably over the long haul. We're looking for impactful projects built with MongoDB Atlas, Vector Search, and Agentic Memory tooling. Whether you're building agents that rewrite their own guardrails, systems that hold context across weeks-long tasks, or entirely new approaches to persistent agent memory, this is your opportunity to build the infrastructure the next generation of agents will run on. 🥇 Prizes $15,000 in cash prizes will be awarded across the three final teams, and more prizes will be announced! 📝 Judges Top judges from MongoDB, our partners, and the NYC ecosystem will be joining us. Stay tuned for the full lineup. ❗️Important Notes This event is fully in-person in NYC. Space is limited. Maximum team size is four. All attendees must submit an application and be approved to attend. If selected as a finalist we require one person from your team to record a demo on-site September 26th which will then be displayed at .local NYC. To be eligible to win, finalists must also be available on September 30th to attend MongoDB.local NYC and present their project.

09:00 · Free · HackathonDetails →
SEPT
26

New York Tech & Beer® Social - Central Park Potluck Picnic!

Sheep Meadow, New York City, United States · New York Tech & Beer®
In person

New York Tech & Beer will host our annual Central Park potluck on Saturday the $26th! We ask that attendees bring shareable food worth $10+, and not plain snacks like chips or pretzels. Think outside of the box! Your favorite homemade or restaurant-bought food, or something cool from a grocery store would be great. And of course, BYOB! Make sure to RSVP if you plan to come so we can get an accurate headcount. See you at Sheep Meadow! Buy me a Beer if you enjoy our events and want to see more of them! :) New York Tech & Beer® is an NYC tech social drinks and networking community. We host tech socials at bars around the city for enthusiasts and the curious from all backgrounds! Join us to meet new friends, have fun, and maybe get a tip for a job! See you there.

12:00 · NetworkingDetails →
SEPT
26

Pasadena Code and Coffee

Savvvys, Pasadena, United States · Learn Teach Code LA
In person

Join us to work on projects, learn and socialize together! This is a casual hangout, so there are no formal lesson plans or teachers, but we're all here to help one another. Beginners are always welcome! What to bring: • Your laptop, pen/paper, or whatever you need to study • Money to purchase a snack or drink, as a gratitude to the coffee shop for letting us use their space and wifi. This ensures we'll be welcomed back again in the future! • Your curiosity and your excitement for learning, teaching, and coding with new friends! Agenda: • 9:00 am - Get coffee, group introductions \- Feel free to drop in and out anytime \- Optional: let us know in the comments below what you're working on\, studying\, or want to learn • 11:00 am - Wrap up Parking / venue info: Street parking is available around the area, meters don’t require payment until 11am. Venue: Savvvys coffee shop Address: 36 W Colorado Blvd Ste 5 Pasadena, CA 91105 https://www.yelp.com/biz/savvvys-pasadena Situated across from Edwin Mills Parking Situation: Public parking available https://www.oldpasadena.org/visit/maps-and-parking/ The De Lacey Parking Garage is usually reliable Join our chat room on Slack: Join us in the #pasadena channel Our Code of Conduct:

09:00 · NetworkingDetails →
SEPT
26

Founders Running Club :: Easy 5-10km Run + Talks

Rideout Fountain, San Francisco Bay Area, United States · Founders Running Club :: San Francisco
In person

Founders Running Club (FRC) brings founders, investors, operators and creators together for weekly easy runs and networking. We like to be comfortable when we run and finish with coffee and more conversations. Choose your pace or follow a pacer—pets, friends, family, are welcome. ​​🗓️ Launched in San Francisco, July 16, 2022 🌍 Now in 60+ cities 📅 Running + Networking events + Community ​​Join the community https://heylo.group/frc-sf ​Follow us: Instagram http://instagram.com/foundersrc/ Podcast https://podcast.foundersrc.com LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/company/foundersrc/ Strava http://strava.com/clubs/foundersRC Website http://foundersrc.com/ Chats http://foundersrc.com/chats

09:30 · NetworkingDetails →
SEPT
26

Stories We Tend: A Garden Party by Kinfolk Tech

Whole Neighborhood Garden, New York City, United States
In person

Stories We Tend: A Garden Party by Kinfolk Tech Like a local community garden, collective memory doesn't survive on its own. It has to be tended, watered, and passed hand to hand or it withers.The stories people plant here today become roots for what the neighborhood imagines tomorrow. Our garden party invites community to share in memories of home and belonging, and to dream and imagine futures in Brooklyn. The event will feature live musical performances, small bites and tea, workshops, art-making, and a real life manifestation of our forthcoming free, consent-centered storytelling platform for community-authored multimedia memory keeping. We hope to see you at Whole Neighborhood Garden to join us in celebrating.

13:00 · Free · WorkshopDetails →
Share this event