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Karen Roberto celebrates a career of scholarship, mentorship, and impact

As founding executive director of the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment, Karen Roberto spent 20 years building the institute into a supportive place for social science faculty to pursue research, collaborate, and connect across Virginia Tech. Under her leadership, the institute supported hundreds of faculty research projects and expanded its reach through new centers, programs, and initiatives across the university. A nationally recognized gerontologist and accomplished scholar, Roberto has also dedicated her career to advancing research on aging and mentoring generations of faculty and students. Now retiring after 30 years at Virginia Tech, Roberto leaves a lasting legacy of leadership, scholarship, mentorship, and commitment to the people and ideas that have shaped our institute.

Karen Roberto smiles while wearing a black jacket and a black dotted shirt, indoors

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Webinar: Warm Hearth and Virginia Tech Take on Scam Calls , redirect
Join the Whole Health Consortium from noon to 1 p.m. Sept. 21 for a webinar highlighting ANCHOR, a seed-grant project focused on helping older adults recognize and respond to scam calls as they happen. Researchers from sociology, computer science, and electrical and computer engineering will join partners from Warm Hearth Village to discuss how the collaboration began, what it takes to work across a university and retirement community, and what Warm Hearth considers before participating in a research partnership.
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Closing the Broadband Blind Spot for Rural Communities , redirect
Shaddi Hasan, an assistant professor of computer science, has received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program award to advance his research on reliable internet access in rural and Indigenous communities. Hasan’s broader research on digital equity was previously supported by ISCE through the 2023-24 Preparing Your Research for Extramural Proposals program, where his project focused on improving broadband data collection and integrity. His latest work aims to improve broadband data and give rural and Indigenous communities better tools to advocate for expanded access and investment.
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Research Links Industrial Pollution to Health Risks in Louisiana , redirect
A new study analyzing statewide Louisiana Medicaid data found elevated health risks among children and adults living near petrochemical plants and refineries. The findings provide new evidence supporting concerns about the health effects of industrial pollution that communities have voiced for decades. The study was co-led by Virginia Tech professor Barbara Allen, who has previously received research support from ISCE.