{"id":22311,"date":"2024-11-22T15:16:42","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T20:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/education.ufl.edu\/news\/?p=22311"},"modified":"2026-03-06T19:43:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T19:43:04","slug":"remarkable-students-and-faculty-honored-for-promoting-international-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/education.ufl.edu\/news\/2024\/11\/22\/remarkable-students-and-faculty-honored-for-promoting-international-collaboration\/","title":{"rendered":"Remarkable students and faculty honored for promoting international collaboration"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.24.0″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]The UF International Center announces award winners within the EduGator community.<\/em><\/p>\n

Innovations in education are often products of internationally collaborative efforts that have far-reaching impacts across the globe. The UF International Center (UFIC) supports the UF community in fostering international understanding and working to build a brighter future for the world. In celebration of International Education Week, the UFIC has announced several 2024 Global Awardees within the College of Education.<\/span><\/p>\n

With research dedicated to advancing AI and stealth assessment in education, <\/span>Seyedahmad Rahimi, Ph.D.<\/span><\/a>, aims to push the boundaries of knowledge and create practical solutions that can be implemented in educational institutions worldwide. The assistant professor of educational technology was honored with a 2024 International Educator Award after receiving support for his nomination from his program director, Alyson Adams, Ph.D., and his Ph.D. student, Salah Esmaeiligoujar. Rahimi highlights networking as paramount to fostering global educational excellence and collaboration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seyedahmad Rahimi, Ph.D.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a Ph.D. student, I started networking. I often tell my students that you don\u2019t have to wait until your future career begins to start networking \u2013 you can start now, and you don\u2019t have to limit yourself to the people within these walls,\u201d Rahimi said. \u201cIt\u2019s crucial for any academic to expand their network beyond the college, beyond the university, beyond the nation, and expand that reach globally. I\u2019ve focused on building those relationships for several years, and being recognized for it is very special.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In addition to Rahimi, several others from the college were celebrated as part of UFIC\u2019s 2024 Global Awardees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Larisa Olesova, Ph.D.<\/span><\/a>, and David Herman, Ph.D.<\/a>, were honored as Global Learning Institute Awardees in support of course internationalization efforts. The <\/span>Global Learning Institute<\/span><\/a> is a semester-long program where faculty learn about internationalization models, campus resources, and teaching methods to support global learning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Olesova and Herman also received UFIC\u2019s Intercultural Leadership Institute Awards along with Swapna Kumar, Ed.D.<\/a> The <\/span>Intercultural Leadership Institute<\/span><\/a> is a semester-long professional development program that helps faculty and staff develop intercultural competence and learn how to design and facilitate intercultural learning.<\/span><\/p>\n

An assistant professor in the educational technology program<\/a>, Olesova credits both the Global Learning and the Intercultural Leadership Institutes with expanding her research outlook through their emphasis on aligning projects around global perspectives and goals \u2013 a strategy she sees as particularly valuable in rapidly advancing fields like AI and technology development.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPrior to this experience, my focus was narrowed to a local context, but we live in a society where we are interacting in more and more multicultural and multilingual groups,\u201d Olesova explained. \u201cExploring our work through different perspectives provides additional contexts for us to consider that ultimately bolster our global impact.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Olesova is moving forward with putting these new perspectives into practice and was recognized as a member of UFIC\u2019s 2025 Global Fellows. The Global Fellows Program Award helps early-career UF faculty kick-start an international research program. A series of workshops and training sessions, along with a seed grant of $5,000, provides fellows an opportunity to lay the groundwork for an international research project.<\/span><\/p>\n

Among those recognized for UFIC\u2019s <\/span>Designing Virtual Exchange<\/span><\/a> was Tiffany Aaron, Ph.D.<\/a> This online program helps faculty design and incorporate virtual international content and communication activities into existing courses. Through virtual exchange, students can connect with peers abroad to collaborate on assignments, acquire global perspectives on a given discipline, and develop intercultural competence skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

Students from the college were also recognized for distinguishing themselves by their exemplary academic achievements and a wide range of accomplishments and contributions to UF. Recipients of the 2024 <\/span>International Student Achievement Awards<\/span><\/a> were:<\/span><\/p>\n