Carol Burger honored with emerita status
Carol Burger, associate professor of sociology in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences and coordinator of the Gender and Science Equity Program at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the “associate professor emerita” title by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
The title of emeritus may be conferred on retired professors and associate professors, administrative officers, librarians, and exceptional staff members who are specially recommended to the board of visitors by Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board of visitors receive an emeritus certificate from the university.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1984, Burger dedicated her research and teaching to gender equity issues in science. She is the founder and editor of the Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, and she served as the senior program director of the National Science Foundation’s Program for Women and Girls in 1996. At Virginia Tech, she taught Introduction to Women’s Studies, Biology of Women, and Women and Science classes.
She received several prestigious National Science Foundation grants, including the Women in Information Technology: Pivotal Transitions from School to Career grant.
Burger received the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Outreach Excellence Award for significant contributions to the dissemination of knowledge related to why girls do or do not choose to pursue careers in information technology. She also was honored with Sporn Award for Excellence in Teaching and was a member of the university's Academy of Teaching Excellence.
Burger has written more than 50 peer-reviewed papers about tumor immunology research and women and science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, as well as several book chapters and encyclopedia entries. She is the co-editor of the book, Reconfiguring the Firewall: Recruiting Women to Information Technology across Cultures and Continents.
She received her bachelor’s degree from Dominican University and a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech.
