The AI-Ready Engineer: Advancing the Next Frontier of Engineering Education
Monday, November 9 - Tuesday, November 10
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Convened by the UW-Madison College of Engineering and co-created with campus partners, this two-day summit brings together leaders, educators, and industry professionals to explore how engineering education must evolve in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence landscape. This gathering of forward-thinking voices will develop a vision for the future of engineering education while establishing the immediate curricular, pedagogical; and ethical shifts our college must implement in the coming year.
The summit focuses on AI fluency as a component of a future-ready engineering education that prepares every Badger engineer to lead, adapt, and make an impact throughout their careers. It aligns with UW-Madison’s designation of 2026 as the Year of AI Readiness and Competency.
Why Now?
Who Should Attend?
We are convening a forward-thinking cohort across three key sectors:
- Higher education faculty and academic leaders. Engineering educators and campus partners interested in exploring how to teach fundamental engineering principles in the AI era. You will gain concrete tools for integrating AI into your pedagogical practices to support the teaching of fundamental engineering principles.
- K-12 superintendents and STEM educational leaders. Administrators and teachers driving early AI literacy and STEM pathways who want to align on the transition from secondary education into university education pathways. You will co-create strategies for preparing high school students for rigorous engineering degree programs.
- Industry leaders and partners. Supervisors and recruiters who understand how professional engineering roles are changing and want to inform university talent pipelines. You will influence higher-ed curriculum design to ensure graduates have the technical and ethical skill sets your workforce needs while expanding your access to top engineering talent.
Program Committee
Laura Albert | Senior Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs and Development
Courtney Bell | Professor, Educational Psychology
Ed Borbely | Associate Dean, InterPro
Erica Hagen | Director of CEETE
Nathan Jung | Teaching Faculty
John Lee | Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering
Meredith Lowe | Associate Director, Continuing Education Program
Dane Morgan | Professor, Material Sciences and Engineering
Brian Nunez | Project Manager, Professional Development
Steve Nackers | Director, AI Professional Education Programs
Luciana Reichel | Executive Assistant
Amanda Renz | Director, Learning Design
Amanda Smith | Director, Center for Innovation in Engineering Education (CIEE)
Krishnan Suresh | Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Paul Barford | Department Chair, Computer Science
Summit Agenda
Monday, November 9th
Deluca Forum, Discovery Building | 330 N. Orchard St.
7:30am - 8:30am Registration/Breakfast
8:30am-8:45am Welcome | Provost Zumbrunnen
8:45am-9:45am
Keynote Speakers: MIT's Ad Hoc Committee on AI Use in Teaching, Learning, and Research Training
Professor and Director of the Scheller Teacher Education Program
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Professor and Director of the Scheller Teacher Education Program
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
9:45am-10:15am
Engineering Practice in the AI Era: Insights from Industry Leaders
Peter McClone
Plexus
Laura Leonard
Worley
10:30am - 11:15am
Keynote Speaker: Fireside Chat with an Industry Leader
Jeremy Kranz
Founder/Managing Partner
Sentinel Global
11:15am-12:00pm
Lightening Talks: Innovations in AI Pedagogy at UW-Madison
Krishnan Suresh,
Mechanical Engineering
Nate Jung,
Engineering
Dane Morgan,
Materials Science & Engineering
Hannah Silber,
Industrial & Systems Engineering
Louis Oliphant,
CCAI
Laura Grossenbacher,
Engineering
12:00pm-1:00pm | Lunch
1:00pm-2:00pm
Ethics Keynote Speaker
Zach Pirtle
Deputy Director, Consortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes
Arizona State University
2:00pm-2:45pm
Panel: Insights from K-12 Leaders
Cory Kulig
Mike Beighley
Britni Walz, CESA
Adriana Plach
3:00pm-3:45pm
Campus Leaders Panel
Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau
Didier Contis
Devesh Ranjan
Jeffrey Russel
3:45pm-4:00pm | Closing Remarks
4:00pm-6:00pm | Networking Reception & Action Tables
Tuesday, November 10th
Mechanical Engineering | 1513 University Ave.
Morgridge Hall | 1205 University Ave.
7:45am - 9:00am Breakfast and Track Orientation in the Mechanical Engineering
9:00am-11:30am Interactive Working Breakout Tracks
AI in Teaching Perspectives
Location:
Morgridge Hall - WARF Centennial Seminar Hub,
7th Floor
Explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping engineering teaching and learning across the educational continuum, from K-12 through higher education. Through conversations with students, instructors, and educational leaders, participant will identify practical approaches to curriculum integration, assessment, experiential learning, and AI literacy while developing recommendations for the College of Engineering's next steps.
Ethical Challenges and Professional Judgment
Location:
Mechanical Engineering Building - Rm 2188
As AI becomes embedded in engineering practice, how should we prepare future engineers to exercise sound judgment and professional responsibility? This track examines ethics across the curriculum, emerging societal and workforce challenges, and the competencies engineers need to lead responsibility in an AI-enabled world while generating recommendations for ethics education at UW-Madison.
AI for Engineering/
Engineering for AI
Location:
Engineering Hall - Cheney Room
AI is transforming the tools, workflows, and expectations of modern engineering. This track will bring together educators, researchers, and industry leaders to explore how engineers use AI today, what skills employers will need tomorrow, and what investments in curriculum, infrastructure, laboratories, and learning experiences are required to prepare students for the future.
Event Chair
Senior Associate Chair, Faculty Affairs and Development
UW-Madison College of Engineering
Registration
Registration Fees:
- General $150
- Student $50
- K-12 Educator $75
Registration includes:
- Access to sessions on Monday, November 9th and Tuesday, November 10th
- Breakfast on Monday
- Refreshment breaks on Monday
- Lunch on Monday
- Monday evening networking reception
- Breakfast on Tuesday
- Exhibitor and networking opportunities
- Access to Summit materials (if applicable)
Payment Information
Credit Card*: Accepted cards include Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover
*University of Wisconsin-Madison attendees cannot pay for registration with a University Purchase Card - please select 'Worktag' and email conferences@union.wisc.edu to complete payment.
Checks: Please make all checks out to UW Conferences & Events - AI
Mail Check Payments to:
UW Conferences & Events
Conference & Registration Services
702 Langdon St.
Madison, WI 53706
Cancellations
All registrations are final.
Conference Venues
The conference will take place on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in various buildings.
Discovery Building
330 N. Orchard St.
Mechanical Engineering Building
1513 University Ave.
Morgridge Hall
1205 University Ave.
Campus Internet Access
Wireless internet access is available to all conference participants. Locate WiFi networks on your device and select UWNet WiFi. Click "Create a Guest Account" by filling in your name and email address. Select "accept terms of use" and finally click "Create Guest Account".
Lodging
Please use the below direct links and/or access codes to receive the conference rate. Booking accommodations does not register you for the conference.
Room Rate: $160/night plus taxes
Phone: (608) 263-2600
Booking Deadline: October 19th
Room Rate: $130/night plus taxes
Phone: (608) 251-5511
Booking Deadline: October 18th
Uber & Lyft
Uber and Lyft are both available in Madison and will provide rides to and from the Dane County Regional Airport.
By Plane
Madison: The Dane County Regional Airport is located 4 miles northeast of downtown Madison.
Milwaukee: The General Mitchell International Airport is located in Milwaukee, WI, approximately 75 miles east of Madison.
Chicago: Chicago, IL is located 150 miles southeast of Madison and has two international airports: Midway International Airport and O'Hare International Airport.
By Bus
Milwaukee: The Badger Coach Bus runs six trips daily from Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport to the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The drop off location is located at the corner of Lake and Johnson streets. Travel time is approximately two hours.
Chicago: The Van Galder Bus Company runs several times daily from both O'Hare and Midway Airports directly to the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The drop off location is at the corner of Lake and Johnson streets. Travel time is approximately 3.5 hours.
Greyhound bus lines also run to Madison; please call (800) 231-2222 for fare and schedule information, or visit their website.
By Car
Madison lies approximately 150 miles northwest of Chicago (3 hour drive), 75 miles west of Milwaukee (1.5 hour drive) and 270 miles southeast of Minneapolis (4 hour drive).
Parking - Parking in Madison is very limited and if you plan to bring a car to the meeting, we suggest you park it at your hotel.
Contact Us
Conference & Registration Services
UW Conferences & Events
Email: conferences@union.wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 890-1077