​Join us in May!

​Join us for another exciting meetup in May! We've got two fantastic speakers to kick it off as well as some light refreshments 🍕 !

​So, tell us you'll be there! 🗓️

⚠️ Note: This venue doesn't allow stilettos or kitten heels (anything with a heel less than a 10 cent coin wide will need to be removed on entry to protect the floor). 👠

​​​May Talks

​🤖 Playful Learning with Karel

​🎤 Alison Wong, Senior Lecturer, The University of Sydney Business School

Beginner programmers often find it difficult to trace program execution, debug their code, and build confidence as they learn. In this talk, I’ll share my experiences teaching programming with Karel the Robot, a visual 2D grid-world environment where learners can see their code run step by step.

Focusing on the Python implementation of Karel, I’ll discuss teaching approaches I’ve used to make programming more engaging, accessible, and playful for beginners. I’ll also share feedback from students and reflect on how Karel can support confidence-building and early programming skills.

​🌌 Finding the Galactic Underworld: The Hunt for Stellar Corpses

​🎤 David Sweeney, Postdoc Fellow, 
School of Physics - University of Sydney

When massive stars die in fiery supernovae, they leave behind neutron stars and black holes: compact stellar remnants that form a hidden “Galactic Underworld.” Unlike the visible Milky Way, this population is spread into a much thicker, more diffuse structure shaped by the Galaxy’s history.

In this talk, I will share how I used scientifically accurate Python simulations to map the distribution of neutron stars and black holes across the Galaxy. I will also demonstrate interactive microlensing simulations, showing how these invisible objects can be detected through their effects on background starlight.

​​​More Info

​📍 Location: Chippendale, near UTS (in a very cool venue!)

​💙 Please remember our Code of Conduct, and health & wellbeing policies apply to this event. If you're unwell, please stay home.

​Thank you to our sponsors!

​Agile Insights

​Agile Insights is a leading Australian consulting firm, specialising in Data and Al solutions. With a deep commitment to empowering organisations through technology, we proudly serve mid-to-large size businesses and government agencies across Australia.