DR. SHERMEEN YOUSIF RECEIVES THE AIA “EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR” AWARD FOR 2023

In November 2023, Assistant Professor Dr. Shermeen Yousif was honored with the Educator of the Year Award by AIA Fort Lauderdale, a testament to her exceptional contributions in the field of architectural education. Recognizing her outstanding achievements, the award celebrates Dr. Yousif's dedication to innovative teaching methodologies and curriculum development.

Since joining the FAU SOA in the fall of 2019, she has played a pivotal role in reshaping the pedagogical approach by advocating for computational design, artificial intelligence strategies, and the integration of environmental modeling and simulation methods. Nominated by her students, the award underscores her excellence in teaching architecture and fostering a culture of design thinking. Dr. Yousif's impact extends beyond the classroom, as evidenced by her students' publications at renowned international conferences, including CAADRIA 2023 where students like Yagmur Akyuz, Luisa Giffoni, and Matthew Craven have showcased their expertise under her guidance. In addition, Dr. Yousif's students, Cesarina Candelier and Tiffany Taylor, achieved distinction by winning the prestigious Editor’s Choice Award for their outstanding project, Terra Emergence, for the international “New Dencities” competition.

Further solidifying her commitment to advancement, Dr. Yousif recently established the Environmental Design and Natural Materials (EDNM) lab at the school of architecture. The EDNM lab, serving as an interdisciplinary research facility, exemplifies her dedication to cutting-edge technologies. It accommodates Ph.D. students and drives research initiatives for both undergraduate and graduate students. Through the lab's emphasis on advanced computational techniques, machine learning methodologies, and performance-driven design tools, Dr. Yousif empowers her students to explore the empirical aspects of natural materials and contribute to environmentally conscious design prototypes, realized through robotic fabrication. Her holistic approach to education and research makes Dr. Shermeen Yousif a well-deserved recipient of the AIA Fort Lauderdale Educator of the Year Award.