Presentation

Federico Pederson co-presented with Dr. Susannah Dickinson at the Arcs of Impact Relationality in Complexity conference in the Regenerative Design & Flourishing Transitions section. The presentation covered a collaboration between Dr. Kim's and Dr. Dickinson's classes to explore the use of sustainable construction materials, additive manufacturing, and parametric design in civil engineering and architecture. The presentation and corresponding conference paper discusses the collaboration and how sustainable design can be applied in an interdisciplinary manner. 

Keynote Speech

Dr. Kim delivered a keynote speech at CIGAIM2025, the 2nd International Congress on Environmental and Industrial Management of Mining, hosted by the University of La Guajira in Colombia. The event brought together global experts to discuss sustainable practices and innovative approaches in the mining sector.

Seminar

Junil Pae and Jihoon Lee, Ph.D. candidates at Seoul National University and visiting scholars at UC Berkeley, delivered a seminar to the M2D Lab at the University of Arizona

Young Faculty Awards

Dr. Kim selected as a Young Faculty of the Year award from the Korean-American Society of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineers (KSCEA)

QODED Summer Program Culminates in Student Concrete Research Presentations

The 2025 QODED Summer Program concluded with a successful Closing Ceremony on July 21, 2025, celebrating the achievements of participating mentees. Over the course of the summer, undergraduate students conducted hands-on concrete materials research under the guidance of mentors from the M2D Lab, including Ph.D. students, postdoctoral researchers, and Dr. Kim. 

The program culminated in final presentations where mentees showcased their research findings, demonstrating remarkable growth in technical knowledge, scientific communication, and academic confidence. The QODED program continues to foster early research experiences and build a supportive mentoring in civil and materials engineering. 

3D Concrete Printing Workshop and Travel Grant

Eka and Shruti were each awarded a $2,750 travel grant to attend the ASU–Swinburne Workshop on Advances in Concrete 3D Printing, held at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia from June 11–13, 2025. They presented their research posters during the event, which focused on recent advancements in structural integrity and featured leading researchers in the field of 3D concrete printing (3DCP).

• Eka’s poster title: “Can a Hydroxyethyl Cellulose-Based Admixture Improve the Printability of Limestone Calcined Clay Cement?”

• Shruti’s poster title: “3D Printing with Adobe-Inspired Cementitious Composites Reinforced with Natural Fibers”

Seminar- Innovations in 3D Printing at Seoul National University

Dr. Kim presented an invited seminar titled "Innovations in 3D Printing for Construction Materials: Toward Smarter, Sustainable Building" at Seoul National University on May 14, 2025, highlighting cutting-edge research in sustainable construction materials.

Farewell to Fah

M2D Lab members gathered to bid farewell to our visiting PhD student, Fah. During the exchange program, Fah and the M2D Lab members shared valuable knowledge, research ideas, and memorable moments. A big thanks to Dr. Kim for organizing such a warm and thoughtful farewell gathering. We wish Fah a bright and successful future ahead!

New Publication - Eka

Eka published her work on enhancing the printability of Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3) for 3D printing, which explores the role of hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and silica fume (SF) in improving open time, extrudability, and buildability of sustainable concrete mixtures.

New Publication - Federico and Liam

Federico Pederson and Liam Ellersick published a comprehensive review on regolith-based materials for lunar construction, exploring the advancements and potential of geopolymers for lunar construction. It also highlights the current challenges and research gaps in developing materials suitable for the lunar environment.

Grad Slam 2025 - University of Arizona

Congratulations! Eka has been selected as a finalist for Grad Slam 2025 at the University of Arizona after advancing through the preliminary and semifinal rounds, and winning a total prize of $800.

Grad Slam is a three-minute thesis competition hosted by the University of Arizona. Eka delivered a three-minute talk titled “Reusing Copper Tailings for Sustainable Concrete Materials.”

Link: https://gradcenter.arizona.edu/news/congratulations-grad-slam-2025-finalists

Women of Impact Awards

Dr. Kim selected as a Women of Impact 2024

ACI Concrete Convention - Philadelphia, PA, USA

Tawiah-Baah, T.,Zeng,H.,Latypov.M, Kim, H.J.* (2024) “Bayesian Optimization and Machine Learning for​ Accelerated Sustainable Mortar Design​”. American Concrete Institute conference, Philadelphia, PA, November. 3-6, 2024

Summer Engineering Academy: Women in Engineering

M2D Lab participated in the Summer Engineering Academy: Women in Engineering, an annual event for high schoolers in Summer 2024. We created sustainable concrete samples, conducted compressive strength and non-destructive testing, and explored 3D concrete printing.

ACI Concrete Convention - New Orleans, LA, USA

Prof. Kim, Dr. Hang, and Ryo attended the ACI Concrete Convention.

Farewell - Ryo

M2D Lab had a farewell breakfast for Ryo Sakamoto's last day in the lab. Wishing him all the best in his next chapter!

GRS/GRC Conference - Ventura, CA, USA

Prof. Kim attended the GRS/GRC conference, leading discussions at GRS and contributing to organizing the GRC power hour.

Transporation Research Board 2024

Prof. Kim attended the KOTAA annual meetings, the American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA), and other receptions, and joined discussions in the Polymer Concrete Committee and the Advanced Concrete Material and Characterization Committee. 

Seminar- Addressing climate change at UNIST

Dr. Kim delivered an invited seminar, "Confronting Climate Change: Rethinking the Cement Industry’s Role in Global Boiling", at UNIST on November 9, 2023, emphasizing the cement industry's critical role in climate change mitigation.

Welcome, Ryo!

Ryo Sakamoto joined M2D Lab as a visiting scholar from the Tokyo Institute of Technology. He has been awarded funding from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science to work on a shrinkage reduction method for alkali-activated materials at the University of Arizona.

New Publication - Eka and Federico

Congratulations! Eka and Federico have published a paper entitled "Application of steel slags, ferronickel slags, and copper mining waste as construction materials: A review" in the Resources, Conservation and Recycling journal.

Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2023.107175

QNDE Conference - Austin, TX, USA

Eka attended the Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation (QNDE) 2023 conference and presented a poster entitled "Comparison of finite element and peri-ultrasound based modeling to study the nonlinear response of cracked plates".

ACI Conference - San Francisco, CA, USA

Lab members went to the ACI conference in San Francisco to listen to the many intersting presentations over the 4 days. Federico also presented in the Bio-inspired 3D printing section with a short review on the current status of sustainable concrete 3D printing.

Welcome!

Welcome on board!

Earth Day 2022

Prof. Kim and Federico volunteered at the Children's Museum in Tucson, AZ to talk to children about the importance of environmentally conscience design in civil engineering and material science.