---
# System prepended metadata

title: MLC Orga meeting

---

# MLC Orga meeting

June 1, 2021

## Details

https://bbb.hzdr.de/b/ste-zfr-2rk
passcode: 548883

## Agenda

- new faces, why are you here?
    - HH: Helmholtz AI @HZDR, because PS asked for help; want to see if I can provide ideas what to improve
    - CL: scads member, because PS asked for help; like the idea of a community (share workload)
    - NS: MPI CBS, ties to DD, keep connection up -> provide suggestions
    - DQ: PhD in DD -> climate change downscaling; hope to help the community
    - PW: scads member, curious about new ideas, tricky to keep community alive during pandemic
    - PS: Helmholtz AI @ HZDR, been involved in MLC since 2018ish
    
- PS+HH: Mandat der MLC?
    - on the website: 
    > We are a grass-roots movement of Machine Learning practitioners in Dresden, Germany. Exchanging experiences and knowledge, approaching and using machine learning as a community as well as supporting each other beyond institutional boundaries are at the heart of our mission. 
    - during the pandemic, we did "exchanging knowledge" (1/5 items)
    - how to fulfill this mandate that we gave ourselves?
        - HH:
            - guided by the notion of a community
            - getting to know each other? (to find out if we do something similar)
            - projects to work on together?
        - NS: 
            - maybe the situation will improve once we can meet in person
            - hackathons or brainhacks are always nice
            - facilitate the community?
        - HH: 
            - disagree a bit, also remotely we can build a community
        - CL:
            - agree, it is more easy than ever before to meet (even virtually)
            - a lot of people in scads, here often the challenge is to have a reason to meet (many different topics and interests)
        - PW: 
            - original idea of MLC was to find out who is doing what and to find out what businesses are present
            - personal view: larger VCs are demotivating
        - HH: 
            - 1h meeting, 30min presentation, 30min with breakout sessions -> on the long run 
            - on CL, for some people it is easier to get in touch in small groups online
        - NS:
            - attended a workshop where community worked well
            - workshop AI+X (https://tu-dresden.de/mn/math/geometrie/lordick/schnittstelle/veranstaltungen/workshops/artificial-intelligence-exchange-2021/index?set_language=en)
            - something playful would be cool
        - HH:
            - attended a conference based on gather.town
                - organizers designed the place with tables to simply chat
                - great to get to know people; good tools available
        - DQ: agree to most of what has been said
        - NS: (I forgot what you said :-/)
        - PS: proposing a community mixer with a purpose
        - CL: split 2 aspects
            - what is the community?
                - do we have a membership? - we do not have, but that is a characteristical aspect
            - what do we need?
                - What are expecations of the "community"? How to find out? 
        - PS: people will always get in and out -> the carpentries have a concrete product (working on shared teaching curriculum), MLC perhaps doesn't 
        - HH: goal is to be a community without a product or concrete goal 
        - PW: good ideas, but would be cool to have this as a constant community?
        - HH: combining both worlds (presentations and community)
        - PS: in the carpentries, 2 types of events (coordination event and coworking hours)
            - MLC tried hacky hours
            - PW: driver of the event back then was fighting with contract end and submission time
            - PW: hackathon with physical meeting -> hacker space in SLUB is easy to book
            - PW: current rules differ from institute to institute

- PS+HH: June Meeting: Community Building Activity
    - time scale: 3rd or 4th week of june
    - topic:
        - DQ could present something to attract feedback
    - agenda:
        - start with community activity to emphasize
        - PS: many people perhaps have an unfinished project that they need feedback on
            - could structure as a unconference, ask people well in advance to prepare presentations to something they need feedback on
            - HH: challenge to provide low-level explanations by speakers 
            - PW: important to get the invitation right (so people know what to expect)
            - DQ: maybe split the meeting and do the unconference idea another time
        - our ideas and votes:
            - PS: 10 min icebreaker in parallel, 5 min transition to talks, 30 min talks in breakouts, 10-15 min wrap to share thoughts +1 +1
            - HH: 15 minutes get to know each other (break-outs), 20+10 minutes talk+general discussion (by Dannell), 15 minutes break-outs again for further discussion and community building +1 +1 +1
                - PS: introduction to talk should highlight CoC and motivate people to provide constructive/supportive feedback
    - action items:
        - identify date (PW) -> Tuesday June **22nd** or 29rd (check with TUD science calendar)
        - announcement on the webpage (CL), text + MR
        - announcement by mail (HH+PS), text -> fix email issue
        - announcement on twitter (PS)

- PS: next seminars
    - July Meeting: Surrogate Models and Beyond at HZDR - Nico Hoffmann
    - August: Summer Break?
    - September: https://github.com/ISorokos/SafeML by Vock, Silvia <Vock.Silvia@baua.bund.de> ?
    - October: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.tu_chemnitz.mi.kahst.birdnet ? 
- PS: networking with business in Dresden

