March 2, 2026 Why the Badger engineering experience matters in an AI education era Written By: Devesh Ranjan Categories: Ranjan's Reflections These days, discussions about AI dominate the news—with topics ranging from privacy, safety and regulation to data center energy use and AI’s impact on jobs and the workforce. Over the past few months, lively discussions about AI also have become the norm during my family dinners. Even at ages 9 and 10, my kids are using AI tools in and outside of school to create images, transform text to speech, brainstorm and outline ideas, write or troubleshoot computer code, explain complex topics, and much more. And they ask me questions like: “Is AI always right?” “When is it cheating to use AI for homework?” “If AI can do all this, what will I do someday?” Similarly, in conversations I’ve had with prospective students and families over the past year, as well as with our current Badger engineers, a few questions keep rising to the surface: “How will AI impact our education?” “What will my job outlook be in an AI future?” “How will AI transform the way we do engineering?” These are all valid questions! Here’s one way to put AI into perspective in the context of our Badger engineering experience: If we define education by what we can memorize, then yes, AI will always rise to the top. But if we define it by what we become—not just what we know—then the value of a holistic higher education experience has never been greater. When I think about my own journey—from stepping onto this campus as a graduate student 22 years ago, to returning in 2025 in my role as dean—I’m struck by one truth: The heart of a university is not its technology—but rather, its people and the experiences that shape them. Grainger Dean Devesh Ranjan takes a photo with freshman students at 2025 Welcome event. Just as the advent of computers some-60 years ago revolutionized the way engineers (and countless others) work, AI is our latest technology. Certainly AI already is transforming our tools, our industries, and the speed at which ideas move. And certainly, throughout their courses and across their educational journey through our college, our Badger engineers learn why, when and how to use AI—as a companion and a complement to their knowledge, skills and experiences—so that they will be leaders in the technology’s evolution. But machines don’t become tomorrow’s engineering leaders. People do. We collaborate, create culture, solve complex human problems, navigate ethical judgment. We develop these human capabilities through shared experiences. And that is where our College of Engineering—and the University of Wisconsin-Madison—continues to deliver something unique: experiences that shape identity and purpose. Our Badger engineers learn with and from each other—and their education is not confined to a classroom or an open laptop computer. Our students learn not just to think, but to lead, adapt, persist and belong. And that happens in moments like: Late nights in our makerspaces, learning laboratories, and research labs Communication and community in our 60+ student organizations Adventures and discovery during study abroad Meaningful projects on internships and co-ops with some of our country’s top employers Cross-campus friendships and collaborative projects Conversations with mentors, advisors and professors who see our Badger engineers’ potential before they see it in themselves Mechanical engineering senior Lexi Manchester, master of design and innovation student Isabel Stang, and mechanical engineering senior Ethan Dretzka (from left) discuss their work while looking at a toddler mobility trainer. Forged over four years of shared effort, these experiences, friendships, memories and networks endure far beyond graduation. Those connections are part of the human capital no algorithm can replace. And our students become the teams that launch companies, the cohorts that lead industries, the communities that tackle society’s greatest challenges. AI can help you solve a problem. Shared experience helps you redefine it. And that’s why I’m introducing ImagiNEXT: intentional growth through experience. This is our College of Engineering commitment to Badger engineers: That every engineering student will have the resources, mentorship and opportunity to design what comes next—for themselves, and for society. This is our college’s strategic effort to expand and amplify the very experiences that help our students grow into leaders. ImagiNEXT will ensure even more Badger engineers can take advantage of: • High-impact co-curricular experiences • Purposeful leadership opportunities • Global immersion and experiential learning • Project-based collaborations that span disciplines and industries I believe in education as preparation for a lifetime of change. And that’s why ImagiNEXT is rooted in my conviction that high-impact experiences accelerate growth, and that growth—not information—is the true currency of education. One of my nieces is studying computer sciences at Georgia Tech. Another niece, who lives in India, just learned she has been accepted at UW-Madison. I tell them—as I say so often: Technology will evolve. Careers will change. AI will become more powerful—but the ability to learn, lead, collaborate and adapt will always be essential. It is precisely these capacities a Badger engineering education develops best. A UW-Madison engineering degree is more than a credential. It is a launchpad for a lifetime of exploration, impact and reinvention. If you’re interested in learning more about our Badger engineering experience, I invite you to reach out, visit our campus, explore more … so you can see the community of people who form the heart of your educational journey. On, Wisconsin! Top photo caption: Members of the new student robotics club Wisco Humanoids are designing an autonomous humanoid robot. Led by mechanical engineering junior and club co-president Max Schneider, the students aim to have a working robot later in 2026. Photo: Joel Hallberg.