The 2024 Marcello Sgarlata Award Ceremony took place on Monday, November 4th, in the Protomoteca Hall at the Capitoline Hill in Rome.

The award celebrates distinguished figures from the fields of science, culture, arts, sports, entertainment, politics, economics, and environmental advocacy, recognizing those who have demonstrated social and civic dedication, excellence in content, ethical methods, clear intentions, respect for human values, and a spirit of friendship, solidarity, and brotherhood. Inspired by the legacy of the late politician and lawyer from Syracuse, known for his exceptional intellectual and human qualities, the award emphasizes the virtue of “courage.”

As with each year, one award is presented for scientific research, selected by the National Research Council (CNR). This year, it went to Eva Pogna, a researcher from our institute (CNR-IFN), who leads the ERC Starting Grant project “TREAT” (Taming Radiative Heat Emission with Anisotropic and Time-varying media).

Her project aims to develop an innovative approach to control heat transport through radiation, targeting the properties of materials’ thermal emission—a fundamental energy exchange process that influences the temperature of objects and underlies ubiquitous thermal light sources, from the sun to incandescent bulbs.

In her acceptance remarks, Pogna expressed her gratitude, saying, “I thank the President of CNR Maria Chiara Carrozza for the nomination. I am here representing CNR researchers and, more broadly, all public researchers who devote themselves to advancing knowledge and innovation, to the benefit of the community.”

The institute and all her colleagues warmly congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition, celebrating her dedication and the remarkable impact of her work.