AAHHE Sylvia Hurtado University Faculty Award

The AAHHE Sylvia Hurtado University Faculty Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated excellence in both research and teaching and has provided significant contributions to their respective academic disciplines. The AAHHE University Faculty is now named for Dr. Sylvia Hurtado. You may see Dr. Hurtado's biography and photo here. 

2025 AAHHE Sylvia Hurtado University Faculty Award Recipient

Idalis Villanueva Alarcón, PhD
Associate Professor, Associate Chair
University of Florida 

Idalis Villanueva Alarcón, PhD is associate chair and tenured associate professor in the Department of Engineering Education (EEd) in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering (HWCOE) at the University of Florida (UF). Today, she has attained $3.1 M dollars to research engineering mentoring, preparation, and formation yielding 133 total peer-reviewed publications including 12 book chapters. She is co-editor of Integrando STEAM: A guide for elementary bilingual and dual language programs, which received the 2024 AAHHE Best Edited Book Volume Award. She received the 2017 National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award and the White House Office of Science, Technology, and Policy Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) Award for her work in a pathway hidden curriculum model in engineering. The latter made her the first woman, Latina, and Puerto Rican engineering faculty to receive this recognition in her field. She received the 2024 SHPE STAR Educator Achievement Award (Higher Education category) and the 2025 Leon Kirchmayer Graduate Mentoring Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The National Academies has invited twice to speak and write articles about her research. She has spoken in over 25 public media outlets, 37 national/international invited talks, 7 keynotes, and counting.  

 

List of past recipients of the AAHHE University Faculty Award:

  • 2024 Cristóbal Salinas Jr., Ph.D.
  • 2023 Gina Garcia, PhD and Gilberto Rosas, PhD
  • 2022 Gilberto Conchas, PhD and Kristine Molina, PhD
  • 2021 Veronica Terriquez, PhD
  • 2020 Adriana Briscoe
  • 2019 Antonio A. Garcia
  • 2018 Karen Lozano
  • 2018 Erika Camacho
  • 2017 Armando Martinez-Cruz
  • 2016 Frederick Luis Aldama
  • 2015 Estela Bensimon
  • 2014 Aida Hurtado
  • 2013 Margarita Calderon
  • 2012 Cynthia Feliciano
  • 2011 Sylvia Hurtado
  • 2010 George J. Sanchez
  • 2009 Denise A. Segura
  • 2008 Alberta M. Gloria
  • 2007 John Alderete
  • 2006 Jorge Chapa and Marta Tienda
  • 2005 Patricia Gándara
  • 2004 Raymond V. Padilla
  • 2003 Rogelio Saenz
  • 2002 Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola
  • 2001 Virginia Sánchez-Karroll
  • 2000 Yvonne Enid González Rodriguez
  • 1999 Kris Gutiérrez
  • 1998 Edna Acosta-Belén
  • 1997 Laura Rendón
  • 1996 Gloria Bonilla-Santiago
  • 1995 Rolando Hinojosa Smith
  • 1994 Frank Bonilla
  • 1993 Arturo Madrid
  • 1992 Paul Roldán
  • 1991 Sonia Nieto
  • 1990 Mari-Luci Jaramillo
  • 1989 Frank Talamantes
  • 1988 Piedad Robertson
  • 1987 Flora Mancuso Edwards