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.

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.

The symposium will take place on March 26 and 27, 2026, and include several events open to the public.