Soohyoun (Soo) Ahn

Instructional Assistant Professor, Food Science and Human Nutrition

Dr. Soohyoun (Soo) Ahn is an Instructional Assistant Professor in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department at the University of Florida (UF). She received her Ph.D. in Food Science from Cornell University and has been a UF faculty member since 2012. Dr. Ahn specializes in food safety, food regulation, and food entrepreneurship. She was a recipient of the NACTA Educator Award (2024) and the UF CALS Undergraduate Teacher of the Year Award (2023) and served as a UF Teaching Excellence Faculty Fellow (2022–2024). Dr. Ahn is currently serving as a member of the IFT Higher Education Review Board.

Her Proposal: AI-Powered Personalization: Enhancing Food Entrepreneurship Learning with Generative AI

This project explores the integration of generative AI to enhance personalized learning in FOS4064: Principles of Food Entrepreneurship, an asynchronous online course. The course includes two major projects: developing a business plan for a food product idea and creating a short sales pitch video. In addition to instructor feedback, students will receive AI-generated feedback on their business plans. AI will analyze key components such as clarity, feasibility, market strategy, and innovation, providing suggestions for improvement. Before students create their sales pitch videos, they will participate in an AI-driven mock interview designed to simulate real-world interactions with potential buyers, investors, or business partners. This AI-enhanced model is adaptable to other courses and disciplines, including marketing, engineering, and business communication.