Idalis Villanueva
Idalis Villanueva Alarcón is an American scholar of engineering education, and a professor at the University of Florida, where she chairs the Department of Engineering Education.[1] Her publications have considered the hidden curriculum in engineering,[A] applied critical pedagogy to engineering education,[B] and explored the nomenclature of Latin Americans in engineering.[C]
Education and career
Villanueva is originally from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, and majored in chemical engineering at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. She continued her studies in chemical and biological engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, receiving a master's degree and completing her Ph.D. there.[2]
After postdoctoral research at the National Institutes of Health,[2] she became a lecturer in bioengineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.[1] In 2013, she moved to Utah State University as an assistant professor of engineering education,[2] and in 2020, she moved to the University of Florida as an associate professor.[1]
Recognition
Villanueva was a 2019 recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.[2] She was the 2025 recipient of the IEEE Leon K. Kirchmayer Graduate Teaching Award, given "for international leadership in diversifying graduate engineering education, mentorship, professional development, and impact spanning multiple disciplines".[3]
Selected publications
| A. | Villanueva, Idalis; Gelles, Laura; Di Stefano, Marialuisa; Smith, Buffy; Tull, Renetta; Lord, Susan; Benson, Lisa; Hunt, Anne; Riley, Donna; Ryan, Gery (June 2018), "What Does Hidden Curriculum in Engineering Look Like and How Can It Be Explored?", 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings, doi:10.18260/1-2--31234 |
| B. | Mejia, Joel Alejandro; Revelo, Renata A.; Villanueva, Idalis; Mejia, Janice (September 2018), "Critical Theoretical Frameworks in Engineering Education: An Anti-Deficit and Liberative Approach", Education Sciences, 8 (4): 158, doi:10.3390/educsci8040158 |
| C. | Villanueva Alarcón, Idalis; Mejia, Joel Alejandro; Mejia, Janice; Revelo, Renata (September 2022), "Latiné, Latinx, Latina, Latino, or Hispanic: Problematizing terms often used in engineering education", Journal of Engineering Education, 111 (4): 735–739, doi:10.1002/jee.20486 |
References
- 1 2 3 "Idalis Villanueva Alarcón, PhD, Chair and Professor", Directory, University of Florida Department of Engineering Education, retrieved 2026-05-31
- 1 2 3 4 Jensen, Matt (8 July 2019), "USU Professor Awarded Nation's Highest Science and Engineering Honor", Utah State Today, Utah State University, retrieved 2026-05-31
- ↑ "Idalis Villanueva Alarcón", IEEE award recipients, IEEE, retrieved 2026-05-31
External links
- Idalis Villanueva publications indexed by Google Scholar
- Living people
- People from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
- Engineering educators
- American engineering academics
- American women engineers
- University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez people
- University of Puerto Rico alumni
- University of Colorado Boulder alumni
- University of Maryland, College Park faculty
- Utah State University faculty
- University of Florida faculty
- Recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers