10 UF Professors You Can’t Pass Up

You’ve finally figured out the perfect classes to take coming into your first semester at the University of Florida. You go to ISIS to sign up and amazingly there are even a few different available sections of the classes you wanted. Then you hit a problem—how do you choose? You open the tab to see which professors will be teaching each section, but that’s no help. You’ve never seen or heard of any of them before. Don’t blindly guess—we looked around and got some recommendations from your fellow UF students on professors they truly loved.

1. Joslyn Ahlgren, Applied Physiology and Kinesiology

“She is passionate about the information she teaches. She’s a hard teacher because she wants us to show we actually tried in class. She’s seriously really small but could easily out-bench me any day. And she always makes time for her students to ask questions.” —Sami Mays, junior

2. Kwai-Lee Chui, Mathematics

“I really like Chui, a Calc II professor. She’s an adorable little teacher who seems really excited when she teaches math. She always has these little analogies that slightly tie into calc but are usually random life lessons. She really seems interested in what she teaches and pushes us to ask questions if we are confused. She is what all teachers should strive for.” —Alex Gonzalez, sophomore

3. Jodi Schorb, English

“That woman will go through your essay and tell you exactly what you are doing well and what you’re missing. She will go out of her way to find you sources or someone to talk to in order to find what you are looking for, and I’ve never seen anybody so passionate about prison literature. She’s about the literature and also the advocacy.” —Sol Canal, senior

4. Dan Dickrell, Engineering

“I’ve had him for a few classes and he has the ability of explaining the material in ways one can find really easy to understand, instead of just regurgitating hundreds of equations. He’s also very understanding and cracks a good story now and then. He’s good at keeping people interested and engaged in the material.” —Roberto Finale, senior

5. Laurie Mintz, Psychology

“Her psychology of human sexuality class is one of the most engaging classes I’ve taken. In her own words, she’s a ‘Barbara Streisand look-alike who is excited about sex.’ You can tell she loves her research and teaching students about the vast diversity of human sexuality. She makes talking about sex as easy and comfortable as talking about the weather.” —Alexa Martinez, junior

6. David Derrico, Nursing

“Despite being one of the hardest instructors and giving more work than any other instructor we had in the nursing program, all the students were OK with it. He was relatable and passionate. He tied in his personal ‘back in the day’ nursing stories with the material he shows us now. While he was teaching pathophysiology, and any class in general, he would be on campus almost every day at 5 a.m. to get work done. He would stay in his office for half the day just twiddling his thumbs and waiting for students to come in.” —Genevieve Banaag, third-year graduate

7. Michael Miyamoto, Zoology

“Dr. Miyamoto is by far the best professor I’ve ever had. He is a very engaging lecturer, and he’s very good at explaining even complex concepts in an interesting and entertaining way. He’s very serious about trying to get students to think independently and pursue our own ideas and really learn about the field of science.” —Angie Green, senior

8. Mary Ann Eaverly, Classics Art and Archaeology

“I love how bubbly and excited she is to teach us about Greek myth. But the last two tests do rip you a new one. The enthusiasm for teaching that Eaverly expresses through her constant animation is refreshing. The fact that she has such passion for her subject really lets me focus and remember the material she teaches. Her quirkiness was a nice change from usual monotone, droning professors.” —Alexis Cronin, sophomore

9. Jason Portmess, Chemistry

“He loves to tell us stories of how organic chemistry applies to life in different ways. In fact, he told us about a prank he pulled as a graduate student. Using what he knew about butyric acid and how it smells like feet, he warded away a rude group of fans from an RV’s parking spot. Afterward he used a weak base to return the spot to normal. That sticks out in my mind as the one of the few times a professor showed how truly fun their subject can be.” —Francisco Ferrer, junior

10. Yong-Kyu Yoon, Electrical and Computer Engineering

“He is very passionate about what he teaches and is always willing to help you if you need it. He was my faculty advisor and he helped me get involved in the University Scholars Program. He got me involved with super capacitor research, so I was able to learn about a new and upcoming industry.” —Anthonoy Machado, senior