Andrea Ramirez-Salgado, Ph.D., recently won the University of Florida’s Al Educator of the Year 2025 award at the UF’s AI Days.
“This recognition belongs to my amazing students, whose curiosity and creativity make every class meaningful, and to my colleagues and collaborators who inspire me every day to keep innovating in AI for teaching and learning,” she said.
Ramirez-Salgado is an instructional assistant professor with over 15 years of experience teaching in higher education, including courses on artificial Intelligence, data science, algorithms, data structures, software engineering and educational technologies.
“Andrea’s award is a testament to the value evidence-based approaches combined with dedication to engineering education can do for our students. Andrea is a brilliant educator and researcher, and I cannot wait to see how her efforts help shape the future of engineering education, practice and research,” said Idalis Villanueva Alarcón, Ph.D., chair of the Engineering Education Department.
Ramirez-Salgado is part of an NSF-funded grant team developing hands-on, gamified and equity-based Al curricula. She strives to create meaningful and engaging learning experiences for all students, including those with diverse learning needs.
Here is more on Ramirez-Salgado:
What does this award mean to you?
This award means a great deal to me because it recognizes my efforts to expand AI literacy across a wide spectrum of learners, including K–12 students, undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and the general public. I have worked hard to help people see that AI is much more than large language models and that it can serve as a powerful tool for social good. Receiving this recognition strengthens my commitment to continue exploring innovative and trustworthy ways to teach and apply AI so that everyone can understand and use it responsibly and with confidence.
Were you surprised when you won?
I was truly surprised and deeply honored. I know this is a very competitive award, and there are so many talented educators doing remarkable work in AI teaching. I honestly thought multiple faculty members would be recognized, so it was a wonderful surprise at the ceremony to learn that I was the sole recipient.
Will it impact your teaching?
Absolutely. This award motivates me to continue refining my courses and instructional approaches. Teaching AI is both challenging and exciting because it requires creativity to translate complex and abstract ideas into experiences that are practical, engaging and meaningful. I am constantly reinventing my classes to meet that goal. This recognition reinforces the importance of reflective teaching, thoughtful curriculum design and ensuring that AI education remains transparent, ethical, responsible and focused on social good.
Anything else you would like to share?
I want to thank my students and all the participants in my workshops and talks. They bring energy, curiosity and creativity that make every learning experience rewarding. I am also grateful to my colleagues and mentors who have guided and encouraged me throughout my journey. Working with the AI Learning Academy at the AI2 Center has been invaluable, giving me opportunities to collaborate with many passionate AI educators. And, of course, I thank my family for their patience and support, especially when my enthusiasm for AI projects takes some of our family time.