UF’s Juan Gilbert Honored With National Medal of Technology and Innovation

President Joe Biden honored University of Florida computer science professor Dr. Juan Gilbert at the White House with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation for pioneering a universal voting system that makes voting more reliable and accessible for everyone and for increasing diversity in the computer science workforce.     

The National Medal of Technology and Innovation, or NMTI, is the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement, bestowed by the president of the United States on leading innovators for their outstanding contributions to America’s economic, environmental, and social well-being.    

As a computer scientist, educator, and researcher, Gilbert, the Andrew Banks Family Preeminence Endowed Professor and chair of UF’s Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering, has dedicated much of his career to finding ways to improve election technology, with the ultimate goal of protecting democracy. 

To that end, he invented Prime III, an open-source voting system that accommodates individuals with physical disabilities as well as ensures the reliability and security of every vote. Prime III was the first open-source voting system to be used in federal, state, and local elections in the United States. 

“The mission of the research enterprise at the University of Florida is to make a positive difference in the lives of people in the state, the nation, and the world, both in the present and in the future,” said UF President Ben Sasse. “Dr. Juan Gilbert is doing just that. We could not be more pleased.”

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