Cultivating Rurality: Building Community around Rural Research

Spring 2026 Obermann Symposium

Directed by Daria Fisher Page, Brian R. Farrell, and Ryan T. Sakoda (UI College of Law), Cultivating Rurality: Building Community around Rural Research will connect regional researchers and professionals who work with rural populations. Participants will collaborate to share their work and develop solutions that address the unique issues faced by rural communities, such as resource extraction, limited investment and digital infrastructure, low quality water and food, and rural-to-urban migration.

The symposium will take place during March 2026 and include several events open to the public. During the symposium, attendees will be invited to collaborate in theorizing rurality, sharing how it impacts their work, and problem-solving challenges faced by rural communities, both in Iowa and elsewhere. They will leave the symposium with new scholarly tools and professional connections to more effectively address interdisciplinary issues of rurality in the future.