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Michaela Immacolata Laurito and Maria Aragona won ex aequo the third edition of the Award for the best master’s or doctoral thesis on sustainable development. The ceremony, promoted by the Friends of Calabaia association, took place on Thursday 20 August in the small square of the Calabaia district, in Belvedere Marittimo.
The meeting was opened by the president of the association, Armando Filomia, who recalled the importance of the award in a phase characterized by profound climate changes.
Also speaking were the director of Arsac Fulvia Caligiuri, on the relationship between environmental sustainability and agriculture; the deputy mayor of Belvedere Marittimo Francesca Impieri, who reiterated the Municipality’s commitment to sustainable tourism; and the director of the Department of Environmental Engineering of the University of Calabria, Salvatore Straface, who highlighted the need to promote interdisciplinary cultural initiatives at a local level in support of scientific research.
Seven applications accepted
The judging commission, chaired by Davide Infante and also composed of Armando Filomia and the professor of the University of Calabria Concetta Castiglione, examined the applications received from five universities from as many regions: Piedmont, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Emilia-Romagna and Calabria.
There were eight applications that met the requirements, but one was not evaluated because it arrived after the deadline of August 3. Of the seven candidates admitted, five had obtained a master’s degree with 110 cum laude and two were research doctors.
The commission assessed the relevance of the topics addressed, the methodology adopted, the results achieved, the clarity of presentation and the curricula, recognizing the suitability of all the works presented. The prize was therefore awarded ex aequo to Michaela Immacolata Laurito and Maria Aragona.
Award-winning research
Michaela Immacolata Laurito, master’s degree in Environmental and Safety Engineering at the University of Calabria, presented her thesis “Nanofiltration of civil effluents as an advanced treatment for the detection and removal of micro and nanoplastics”. In receiving the recognition, he explained the need to experiment with new technologies to purify wastewater from microplastics and nanoplastics dispersed in the environment. The plaque was given to her by Francesca Impieri.
Maria Aragona, a master’s graduate in Finance and Insurance at the University of Calabria, carried out her research at the “Vilfredo Pareto” Doctoral School in Economics of the University of Turin and the Carlo Alberto College. His thesis, entitled “Three Essays on Longevity Risk”is inspired by goal 10.4 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and delves into mortality rates and inequalities in pension systems. The plaque was delivered by Fulvia Caligiuri.
During the ceremony, Davide Infante also presented a plaque to Salvatore Straface for the value of scientific research conducted in defense of water and environmental sustainability. Armando Filomia finally set an appointment for 2027 for the fourth edition of the award.