Karen A. Roberto of Blacksburg, Va., director of the Center for Gerontology and professor in human development in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, has been selected by the Southern Gerontological Society as the 2004 recipient of the Gordon Streib Academic Gerontologist Award.

The Gordon Streib Academic Gerontologist Award recognizes outstanding career contributions to the advancement of gerontology through excellence in research that has contributed to the quality of life of older people, teaching of students and professionals, and service to professional organizations.

In addition, Roberto was recently awarded Fellow status by the National Council for Family Relations (NCFR) in recognition of her research contributions to the field of family studies as well as her consistent record of superior contributions to NCFR over time. Roberto is best known for her contributions to the empirical literature on the family relationships and lives of older women, with a focus on health-related issues.

Since 1986, Roberto has served on the editorial board of Family Relations. Her work has been presented at several NCFR conferences and she actively participates in regional councils and sections. Several honors and awards have been presented to Roberto over the years, including the Excellence in Research and Creative Scholarship Award, Sigma Xi from the Scientific Research Society, and the Outstanding Educator Award from the Virginia Association on Aging. She received the 1995 Distinguished Alumna Award from Texas Tech's College of Human Sciences, the 1996 Distinguished Career Achievement in Sponsored Programs Award from the University of Northern Colorado.

Roberto has been director of the Center for Gerontology, a university research center, since 1996. The center, with more than 60 faculty affiliates across campus, has completed two successful university reviews under Roberto's leadership and continues to expand its portfolio of funded research projects.

Roberto received her bachelor's degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and her master's degree and Ph.D. from Texas Tech University.

Founded in 1872 as a land-grant college, Virginia Tech has grown to become the largest university in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Today, Virginia Tech's eight colleges are dedicated to putting knowledge to work through teaching, research, and outreach activities and to fulfilling its vision to be among the top 30 research universities in the nation. At its 2,600-acre main campus located in Blacksburg and other campus centers in Northern Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Roanoke, Virginia Tech enrolls more than 28,000 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries in 180 academic degree programs.

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