Technology   

This class will focus on recent developments in AI beginning with the release of ChatGPT in November 2022 and ending wherever we find ourselves a year later. ChatGPT thrust AI into the public spotlight as never before. Within five days of release, it had gained a million users and was the fastest-growing app in the history of software. Apocalyptic prophecies rang out in all directions, marked by phrases like "imminent utopia," "post-scarcity economy," and "extinction of humanity." Tom Friedman referred to our situation as a "Promethean moment."

Hundreds of AI researchers signed an open letter calling for a pause in the release of systems more powerful than GPT4, citing "profound risks to society and humanity." A later statement said that "mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority."

Meanwhile, AI research proceeds apace. By the time this class meets, these issues may feel like old news and we may be focused on breakthroughs in medicine or robotics. This course will attempt to follow the changing AI landscape and explore the potential ways AI will affect our lives.

As WWII enters its fourth year, American airpower begins to achieve air supremacy over the Axis powers. Rapid technical advances and superior training overcome German secret weapons and Japanese suicide attacks. This class will describe the airplanes and personalities during this time period.

A scintillating review of current themes in the media will be discussed in each class. Class members present a topic, discuss it, then open the floor for discussion and debate. Poetry, literature, scientific discovery, and educational progress are examples of the issues addressed. Special guests are welcome to present.

You may have heard of CRISPR (a gene-editing technique) being used to treat inherited genetic disorders and to make designer babies. But did you know it's also used to improve both the sustainability of food production and the nutritional value of our fruits and vegetables? The first products have been approved for sale in the US this year. Will you eagerly adopt or shun these modified foods? Through lectures, videos, and discussion, learn about CRISPR technology and alternative ways being used to change our food.

In this course we will look at the future of wellness and health with emphasis on prevention and monitoring for early detection of disorders. Topics covered will include precision medicine, genomics, impact of Artificial Intelligence on health care, organoids, stem cells, transplants, drug development, bionics, biotechnology, and much more.

The class will present a brief history of the disposal of trash through time, regulations affecting the disposal of trash, and the history of the Neal Road Recycling and Waste Facility (landfill). Learn about the recycling and diversion of wastes from the landfill, landfill operations, monitoring, amounts of waste disposed, as well as effects of disasters, electrical power generation, equipment used, and the future of landfill and related topics.