RESEARCH IN PROGRESS

Abstract, This article presents a summary of ongoing, funded artificial intelligence research at North Carolina State University. The primary focus of the research is engineering aspects of artificial int,clligence. Knowledge-based expert systems (KBES) USC expert knowledge and expert methods to conceptualize and reason for the purpose of deriving decisions and inferences from which problem solutions are obtained. The range of expert systcm applications in engineering extends from interpret,ive problrms, where reasoning about the problem is required in light of the knowledge available in that problem's domain, to generative problems, where potential solutions are generated and tested against candidate solutions defined by sets of applicable constraints. From an engineering perspective, expert systems can be viewed as new tools that will enable current computcraided engineering (CAE) systems to be enhanced or, in appropriate situations, as replacements for these systems and their human users.