New Lectures at the Institute
In April, the new summer semester of 2022 started - and with that, the Insitute for Data Science in Mechanical Engineering, short DSME, is offering two new lectures. The first one is the completely revised bachelor's course Computer Science in Mechanical Engineering I, short CSME I, which transitioned away from Java to the most popular programming language that is Python. The second new lecture is the advanced master course Reinforcement Learning and Learning-based Control. It introduces the fundamentals of reinforcement learning as well as data-driven approaches in control theory.
Computer Science in Mechanical Engineering I
Computer science is increasingly gaining importance in the context of mechanical engineering. Large-scale simulations can reduce the development cycle of new products, AI can be used to develop autonomous systems, and deep learning can improve quality control, just to name a few examples.
To give the students the necessary tools to write code and develop meaningful applications, CSME I teaches the basics of Python and object-oriented programming. Furthermore, it provides insights into core areas of computer science such as algorithms, data structures, AI, and data science. CSME I is awarded 5 CP and is a mandatory course in the Mechanical Engineering B.Sc..
Reinforcement Learning and Learning-based Control
Just as computer science is becoming more and more relevant, interest in machine learning has soared in recent years. In particular, success stories such as AlphaGo have shown the potential of data-driven approaches and reinforcement learning.
The course Reinforcement Learning and Learning-based Control covers state-of-the-art methods for data-driven learning of controls. The first part introduces reinforcement learning, starting from fundamental concepts, such as the Markov decision process, and building to current state-of-the-art algorithms. The second part of the course gives an overview of learning-based model generation and controller tuning methods. Throughout the course, links to recent research, also at the DSME, are made. The course is awarded 6 CP and is optional, for example, for students Automation Engineering M.Sc. or Computer Science M.Sc..
Hybrid Format
Both lectures are held in a hybrid format during the summer semester of 2022. You can attend the lectures in the lecture hall or via Zoom without missing anything. Using the online tool Sli.do, the courses are interactive and questions about different topics are answered on the fly. In addition, to allow for a comprehensive recap of all content and to consider the different learning styles among students, all lectures are uploaded to RWTHmoodle.