Yolanda Gil facts for kids

Yolanda Gil is a computer scientist from Spain who now lives in America. She is an expert in Artificial Intelligence (AI). This means she helps computers learn and think like humans. She also works on smart computer programs that are easy for people to use.

Yolanda Gil works at the University of Southern California (USC). She has led important groups in the world of AI. These include the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) and the Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence (SIGAI). In 2024, she was chosen to be part of the National Science Board. This board helps guide science and technology in the United States.

Learning and School Life

Yolanda Gil grew up in Madrid, Spain. She studied Computer Science at the Technical University of Madrid. She earned her first degree there in 1985.

Later, she moved to the United States for more studies. She went to Carnegie Mellon University. In 1992, she earned her Ph.D. Her special project was about how computers can plan and learn new things. Her professor, Jaime Carbonell, helped her with this work.

Career and Research Work

After finishing her Ph.D., Yolanda Gil joined the Information Sciences Institute (ISI) at USC. This was in 1992. She is now a research professor there. She teaches about Computer Science and Spatial Sciences.

She also leads important AI and Data Science projects. She is the director of a special center at USC. This center focuses on using AI for health research.

Awards and Special Honors

Yolanda Gil has received many awards for her work in AI. She was chosen to lead the Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence (SIGAI) for the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). She served two terms, from 2010 to 2016.

She also served as the president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). This was from 2018 to 2020.

She has been recognized as a "Fellow" by several important organizations:

• In 2012, she became a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.
• In 2016, she became a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). This was for her leadership in using AI to help science.
• In 2020, she became a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This was for her great work in using AI for scientific discoveries.
• In 2021, she became a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). This was for her work in using smart systems for science, especially in earth science.
• In 2024, she became a Fellow of the Cognitive Science Society (CSS). This was for her ideas on how people think about science and work together.

In 2022, Yolanda Gil made history. She was the first computer scientist to win the M. Lee Allison Award. This award is from the Geological Society of America. It honors people who make great contributions to Geoinformatics and Data Science. These fields use computer science to study the Earth.

See also

In Spanish: Yolanda Gil para niños