Electricity powers life, from the signals in our neurons to the machines driving progress. The microchip fuels innovation, offering limitless potential. Yet, threats loom. Surveillance capitalism shapes our online behavior, while misinformation spreads. Artificial intelligence could evolve into an autonomous species. Join us to explore the forces shaping our world, the challenges we face, and the opportunities that lie ahead. Understanding these dynamics is key to navigating the future. This program is being presented as a seminar with limited enrollment to foster discussion.

 LECTURES:

 1. The Essential Technology: Introduction AC and DC power. Generation, transmission. Electricity at home: talking to your electrician; batteries, toothbrushes, safety, lightning. Body electricity: neurons, electric eels.

 2. Electronics at Home and Away: Audio and video/virtual reality, electric vehicles, robots.

 3. Computers Using and abusing computer technology: wifi, Bluetooth, Ethernet. Staying informed and staying safe on an Internet awash in misinformation and crime.

 4. Artificial Intelligence AI models. Medical applications, smarter robots, prospects for autonomy and sentience.

Stephen T. Kowel, Ph.D., is an electrical engineer who has held faculty and leadership positions at several universities, including serving as dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. A Fellow of both IEEE and OPTICA, he earned his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and has contributed significantly to the fields of electrical engineering and optics.

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