PRAIRIE operates five programs that move people from interest to engagement. They cross the four pillars and serve the four audiences. Each is run by a named lead, anchored in a real institutional partnership, and measured by participation rather than promise.
AI Maker Space
Pillar
CONSTRUCT
Audience
Students + Faculty
Lead
Holland Computing Center
H100 GPU compute at Scott Data Center, accessible to College of Engineering students. Onboarding session required.
Communities of Practice
Pillar
CREATE
Audience
Faculty
Lead
The CoP RFA committee
Faculty-led groups that form around shared interests, cross departmental boundaries, and build the critical mass needed for ambitious research agendas. The seed grant program will open in Fall 2026.
Active CoPs as of Spring 2026: the Teaching and Learning CoP (which co-created the Shared Language framework) was launched in Fall of 2025.
Application information coming soon.
Curriculum
Pillar
CULTIVATE
Audience
Students
Lead
Curricular Advisory Team (CAT)
PRAIRIE weaves AI competency into existing engineering degrees so that every College of Engineering graduate leaves prepared for an AI-transformed workforce, without adding time to degree. Courses fit within current requirements, and graduate credentials stack on top.
Fall 2026 Courses
- ENGR 191: Problem Solving with AI
A 1-credit seminar building practical AI literacy. Open to all undergraduates, no prerequisites. Taught by Seth Polsley. - ENGR 491: Applied AI
A project-based technical elective co-taught with Chad Michel of Don't Panic Labs, featuring a reverse-pitch competition with Invest Nebraska industry partners. - CSCE 155-AI
An AI-integrated section of Computer Science I, offered through the School of Computing. - CIVE 891: AI Applications in CEE
An introduction to artificial intelligence techniques in solving challenges in civil and environmental engineering, Taught by Mubarak Abu Zouriq.
Degree and Credential Tracks
- MS in Artificial Intelligence. A full master's degree through the School of Computing.
- AI Graduate Certificate. A shorter, stackable graduate credential through the School of Computing.
- Undergraduate AI minor or emphasis. AI coursework that complements any major.
PRAIRIE Seminar Series
Pillar
CULTIVATE + CREATE
Audience
Students, Faculty, Staff, Industry, Community
Lead
Mark Stone and Mubarak Abu Zouriq
A regular convening of Nebraska AI researchers and external thought leaders. Six talks delivered in Spring 2026. The series resumes Fall 2026.
Each talk is recorded and archived. Talks anchor the Research CoP's ongoing dialogue across departments.
Husker AI Days
Pillar
CULTIVATE + CONNECT + CREATE
Audience
Students, Faculty, Staff, Industry, Community
Lead
Mark Stone, Mubarak Abu Zouriq, and Amit Vaserman
Ten days of programming each spring. Four industry partner days (Google, MathWorks, OpenAI, Microsoft), the Student Promptathon, the Heartland AI Symposium, the Holland Computing Center AI/ML Workshop, the NU Graduate Workshop, the Senior Design Showcase, and the AI Social. The flagship demonstration of PRAIRIE's flywheel.
Spring 2026 by the numbers
200 registrants across all ten days, four named industry partners, ten distinct events.