The Grainger College of Engineering

Course Websites

ME 498 TGO - Mech. Des. Optimization

Last offered Fall 2026

Official Description

Subject offerings of new and developing areas of knowledge in mechanical engineering intended to augment the existing curriculum. See Class Schedule or departmental course information for topics and prerequisites. Course Information: 1 to 4 undergraduate hours. 1 to 4 graduate hours. May be repeated in the same or separate terms if topics vary to a maximum of 9 hours.

Section Description

PREREQUISITES: MATH 257 (or equivalent), TAM 251 (or equivalent) and familiarity with programming (Python/Matlab) . This course is intended to introduce the basic concepts of design optimization with applications from multiple industries. The course begins with a brief summary of numerical optimization and examples using parametric design and sizing optimization. Then the finite element method is introduced for use in topology optimization. These tools are then used to optimize structures and mechanisms to demonstrate a reduction in material usage, improved product performance and shorter design cycles compared to heuristic/iterative design. The course includes assignments in the form of design challenges and a final project in which students will optimize an original design.

Related Faculty

Subject Area

  • Mechanical Science and Engineering

Course Description

This course aims to provide the theory and practical experience in making measurements of thermodynamic parameters by using the spectral distribution of light. We will present the theoretical foundations for spectroscopic measurements of temperature, pressure, and concentration, including structure of matter, nature of light, statistical mechanics, and matter/light interactions. After these foundational topics, basic applications of emission spectroscopy, absorption spectroscopy, and fluorescence will be covered. A basic review of practical optics will be conducted, followed by a more detailed coverage of instrumentation for spectroscopic measurements, with a hands-on component. Scattering theory and non-linear optics will be reviewed, followed by a discussion of Rayleigh scattering and Raman scattering.

Credit Hours

3 or 4 hours

Prerequisites

ME 200, Phys 211, 212, Chem 102/103.

TitleSectionCRNTypeHoursTimesDaysLocationInstructor
Mech. Des. OptimizationTGO55931ONL4 -    Tom Golecki