Karen Scrivener honored at SUPSI
Karen Scrivener receives her award from Christian Paglia, director of SUPSI's Institute of Materials and Constructions © SUPSI 2025
On March 25th, Karen Scrivener, head of the Laboratory of Construction Materials in the School of Engineering, received a special award for her scientific contribution to the development of sustainable cementitious materials from SUPSI, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland.
The SUPSI Institute of Materials and Constructions Award was given at the RILEM Spring Convention & Conference on durability of infrastructure in Mendrisio, Switzerland. According to a SUPSI press release, Scrivener was selected for the honor "for her pioneering research on cementitious materials and the development of innovative solutions—such as LC3 (Limestone Calcined Clay Cement) technology—which have substantially advanced sustainable construction practices and significantly reduced the environmental footprint of the construction industry, while improving the quality and longevity of structures."
The award ceremony included a special video dedication from Martina Hirayama, Switzerland's Secretary of State for Research, Education and Innovation. Hirayama thanked Scrivener for her work at EPFL, where she has been a professor since 2001, and for her role as editor of the journal Cement and Concrete Research over the past 15 years.
The Swiss secretary of state also drew attention to Scrivener’s role as the founder of Nanocem, a collaborative organization of academics and industry leaders in cement technologies, and to her new role as member of a group of advisors to the UN Secretary General on the Sustainable Development Goals from 2024 to 2026. Hirayama closed by thanking the professor for inspiring the next generation of engineers in sustainable construction.