Other Fun Stuff

Bring an idea. We’ll spec it, plan it, then use AI agents to build it. This is a course on the spec-driven development model, masked as a creative jam workshop. Students are encouraged to come in with ideas for apps or software projects they’d like to create using AI, and we’ll compile 2–3 of the best ideas into the session’s working syllabus (backup ideas provided if needed). Students should ideally come with an AI IDE installed on their machine (Claude Code, Cursor, Antigravity, etc.). If you don’t have one set up yet, we’ll help you get installed and ready. Over the duration of the workshop, we’ll craft execution plans for each idea using the spec-driven development model—and once the specs are solid, we’ll fire up AI agents to execute the plans and manifest the ideas into real creations. You’ll leave understanding why planning before execution matters when working with agents, plus practical techniques for prompting AI agents to increase the probability of successful output.

Machine Learning Monday: Cybersecurity 101, Staying Safe in a Digital World As our lives become increasingly digital, understanding how to protect ourselves online is no longer optional — it’s essential. This edition of Machine Learning Monday shifts focus to the fundamentals of cybersecurity, exploring how everyday users can navigate the digital world with greater awareness and confidence. Join us on Monday, May 18th for a special beginner-friendly session featuring Liz Mejia, educator, strategic partnerships and events specialist, and Key Opinion Leader in crypto, for an interactive workshop on digital safety, cyber awareness, and practical tools for protecting your online presence. Liz will guide attendees through the essentials of cybersecurity, from understanding how hackers think to recognizing common threats like phishing, social engineering, and online manipulation. Drawing from her background as a political scientist turned blockchain investor, educator, and community builder, she brings a real-world perspective to how digital systems impact our everyday lives. This hands-on session will also cover practical skills you can start using immediately, including creating strong passwords, using password managers, identifying suspicious links, securing your devices, and setting up two-factor authentication. Attendees will also gain a clearer understanding of data privacy, why security policies matter, and how to stay compliant both at home and in the workplace. This session reframes cybersecurity not as a technical barrier, but as an empowering tool that helps individuals take control of their digital lives with confidence and clarity.

Join Johnny Lamb Jr., a maintenance mechanic at the University of Miami who earned a Certificate of Apprenticeship in Horticulture and Landscape from the United States Department of Labor, for an insightful presentation on bonsai trees. Discover the art, history, and science behind bonsai tree cultivation, including species selection, pruning, wiring, soil, and watering essentials.

Ray Santamaria has worked as lead technician for Facilities and Operations at the University of Miami for over 10 years. He is also the proud owner of honeybee colonies certified by the Apiary Division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Come share Ray's passion, discover the world of bees, and learn the basics of beekeeping.

Join Nyabi Benjamin and Elida Velado Salazar for an engaging, hands-on workshop that blends creativity, sustainability, and a touch of green inspiration. Open to University students, faculty, and staff, this session invites you to give an old book new life by transforming it into a sustainable planter. Learn the basics of crafting your planter, explore simple design techniques, and discover how to choose and care for the plant you’ll take home. All supplies are provided, and no crafting experience is required.

Explore the world of South Florida’s native species and discover how everyday actions can help protect them. Join Amy Leonard from Pelican Harbor Seabird Station for an engaging, educational session that highlights the wildlife, conservation, and community impact at Miami’s oldest bird rehabilitation facility. Learn about the history of the Seabird Station, explore the diversity of patients in our care, and understand the most common injuries we treat. You’ll also discover simple, meaningful ways the University community can support local wildlife.

Join us for an evening with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Mirta Ojito as she presents her latest book, “Deeper than the Ocean.” Ojito will be in conversation with Chantel Acevedo, acclaimed novelist and University of Miami English professor. In “Deeper than the Ocean,” Ojito delivers a sweeping, multigenerational historical novel that examines the power of a mother’s love, the burden of family secrets, and the resilience of identity across time and place. The story follows Mara Denis, a journalist who, while on assignment in the Canary Islands uncovers a startling truth about her ancestry that upends everything she believed about her family. As she traces her roots from Cuba to Spain and the United States, Mara embarks on a deeply personal journey shaped by loss, love, and the search for belonging. Moving between the early 20th century and the present, and spanning the Canary Islands, Cuba, New York, and Key West, the novel also revisits the tragic legacy of the Valbanera, known as the “poor man’s Titanic.”

DVCAI Back-Chat: What’s in Your Container? Date and Time Thursday, April 23, 2026 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET Location Online via Zoom Zoom Meeting ID: 240 501 7214 You can also join from DVCAI’s website:  www.diasporavibe.org/backchat  Price Free to attend Donations to Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator are encouraged. Event Description Join Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator (DVCAI) for Back-Chat: What’s in Your Container?, a quarterly online conversation exploring the experiences of diasporic cultural producers, scholars, and artists who have benefited from DVCAI’s programs and support since 1996. As DVCAI celebrates 30 years of nurturing and amplifying artists from the Caribbean and Latin American Diaspora, this special session offers space for dialogue, reflection, and connection across community, culture, and contemporary art. This session features artists Breeana Thorne, Jevon Brown, Lance Minto-Strouse and Myah Smith. Back-Chat invites community members, artists, and arts supporters into a thoughtful virtual gathering centered on creative exchange and shared experience. Register for free at linktr.ee/dvcai. Donations to support DVCAI’s work are encouraged. About Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator (DVCAI) is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to promoting, nurturing, and cultivating the vision and diverse creativity of emerging artists from the Caribbean and Latin American Diaspora through experimentation, exhibitions, artists-in-residence programs, international cultural exchanges, Artist Catalyst Awards, and dialogue in contemporary art. DVCAI partners with funding and presenting organizations to enhance residency experiences in the Caribbean, nationally, and internationally. For more information, please visit  https://www.diasporavibe.org . Contact Tanya Desdunes Executive Director  tanya@dvcaiteam.org

Join MOAD and Jennifer Basile for an interactive printmaking workshop. Learn the basics of collagraphy and leave with your own creation. In connection with the exhibition Belkis Ayón and Carlos Alfonzo: Odyssey, participants will engage with learning the basics of collagraphy. A printing technique primarily used by the late artist Belkis Ayón. Jennifer Basile, New York born, currently lives and works in Miami. Visual artist and Miami Dade College studio art professor for over 20 years. She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Painting and Printmaking at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (1999), and her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting & Printmaking at the University of Miami (1996). Basile’s practice draws inspiration from her travels, including landscapes, cityscapes, and South Florida flora and fauna. Her works expands across different materials such as textiles, wood, Japanese rice paper, and mosaics, among others. The artist hast exhibited in solo exhibitions including In the Wake of Reflection (2025), Lasting Impressions: A Cessation of Existence (2022). Her recent public work, Coastal Anchor (2025) for Miami-Dade County Art in Public Places, can be found at the new Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center and Disappearing Treasures (2021) at the Underline at Brickell Metrorail Station. Basile’s works are part of MOAD’s permanent collection. Event attendees may park for free in the MDC’s Kendall parking lot by Building M. The event will be held in Building M, Room M325. The Museum of Art and Design (MOAD) at MDC may document the event, including its attendees. By entering the area, and/or participating in the event, you consent to the recording and its use in any form. MOAD's programs are made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor, and Board of County Commissioners. They are sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture, and with generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Image: Jennifer Basile, Congaree, 2016. Hand-printed relief print on Japanese rice paper. Gift of the private collection of Michael Joseph Netsky.

Join MOAD for a special yoga class in the Knight Skylight Gallery at the Freedom Tower. Romina (Romi) began practicing yoga back in 2017, the physical aspect of yoga served as a launch pad and she quickly fell in love with the practice and aimed to explore many different types of yoga. A practice that was a hobby quickly turned into a passion. Her love of yoga pushed Romina to pursue her 200-hr yoga teacher training in Orlando, FL and she now teaches in many different areas in Miami. Romina enjoys teaching vinyasa flow and gentle flows with creative transitions, focusing on strengths, stability and alignment. Whether you are a beginner or advance practitioner, using movement and breathwork, rest assured you'll leave feeling transformed in all aspects of the mind, body, and spirit. Admission to the Freedom Tower exhibitions and galleries following the class is included with your RSVP. Event attendees may park for free in the MDC garage at 500 NE Second Avenue, between NE Fifth and NE Sixth Streets. Please bring your own yoga mat. Yoga mats will not be available onsite. The Museum of Art and Design (MOAD) at MDC may document the event, including its attendees. By entering the area, and/or participating in the event, you consent to the recording and its use in any form.