The Grainger College of Engineering

Course Websites

ME 598 LRO - Applied AI for Eng. & Design

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: May be repeated in the same or separate terms if topics vary.

Section Description

Introduces artificial intelligence and machine learning methods for engineering and design. Topics include design optimization, supervised and unsupervised learning, deep learning, generative models, large language models, and agentic AI. Students explore how these methods can support the design, analysis, optimization, and characterization of mechanisms, structures, systems, processes, and products.

Subject Area

  • Mechanical Science and Engineering

Course Description

Students in this course will learn to use artificial intelligence, machine learning, and optimization to address engineering design problems. The course emphasizes practical applications, including the development, evaluation, and use of computational methods for product development and the design of complex engineered systems. Weekly demos and three short “challenge problems” will give students experience applying these tools across multiple engineering domains, while student-led discussions will examine emerging research and current developments in the field. The course culminates in a term project in which each student identifies a design or engineering problem and develops an AI-enabled approach to address it. Designed for engineering students, the course provides a foundation for incorporating AI and machine learning into engineering analysis and design workflows.

Credit Hours

4 hours

Prerequisites

Undergraduate degree. Also, programming skills are strongly recommended and no prior experience with machine learning is required.

TitleSectionCRNTypeHoursTimesDaysLocationInstructor
Applied AI for Eng. & DesignLRO32264ONL4 -    Lyle Regenwetter