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The course also examines the engineering challenges of edge intelligence, including limited memory, constrained power, real-time performance requirements and the tradeoffs involved in deploying machine learning models on microcontrollers, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and other resource-constrained hardware.

Throughout the seminar, students will connect these technical concepts to broader issues of grid resilience, energy reliability and critical infrastructure security. No prior background in machine learning or power systems is required. The course is designed for intellectually curious students in engineering, computer science and the sciences who want to understand how artificial intelligence is transforming the physical systems that power modern life.

Christopher Farnell is an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Arkansas. He earned his doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Arkansas in 2020 and is an IEEE senior member. His research focuses on cybersecurity for critical infrastructure, embedded systems, FPGA design, advanced control algorithms and power electronics.

Farnell serves as associate director of the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission (NCREPT), a 12,000-square-foot laboratory at the University of Arkansas that tests and evaluates power electronic circuits and systems at industrial and distribution voltage levels up to 6 megavolt-amperes (MVA). He also chairs the IEEE Ozark Section, serves as treasurer of the IEEE Computer Society Chapter, mentors the CyberHogs registered student organization and participates in K-12 STEM outreach initiatives.

The course then turns to the rise of polarization in recent decades, examining contributing factors such as the growth of the internet, social media and the fragmentation of the news media. In the final portion of the semester, students will discuss some of today's most contentious political issues, from recent Supreme Court decisions to debates over the United States' role in global affairs.

Throughout the semester, students will consider questions such as:

• In his Farewell Address, George Washington warned that political parties could undermine national unity by placing partisan interests above the public good. How well has history borne out that concern?
• How has partisanship affected the effectiveness of American political institutions, and what reforms have been proposed to address it?
• Looking at the historical record, is the current era uniquely polarized, or have Americans experienced comparable periods of political division in the past?

Through historical analysis and informed discussion, students will develop a deeper understanding of how partisanship has shaped American politics and continues to influence public life today.

Noah Pittman is associate dean of enrollment for the University of Arkansas Honors College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science, summa cum laude, from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was active in campus organizations and received several honors, including the Yerger Hunt Clifton Scholarship for British Studies at Oxford, the Seidman Award for most outstanding senior political science major, and the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award. As an undergraduate, Pittman interned in the offices of U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen and worked on Harold Ford Jr.’s 2006 U.S. Senate campaign. At the University of Arkansas, Pittman earned a master’s degree in higher education leadership and a doctorate in public policy. His dissertation, which examined the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery and its effects on college participation, received the William Miller Dissertation Award. Recently, he co-led the writing of a chapter on honors college enrollment & admissions in Honors Education at Public Research Universities: Leadership Perspectives and Insights for an Uncertain Age. Pittman serves as president of the Alpha of Arkansas chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and recently completed a term on the College Board’s Southwestern Regional Council. He has taught honors courses on campaigns and elections, the American presidency, political partisanship, and higher education policy.