Shoemaker Part of the Rural Futures Conference

21 Oct 2015    

Professor Jessica Shoemaker

Professor Jessica Shoemaker will be taking part in the international Rural Futures Conference at Nebraska Innovation Campus, October 21-23, 2015. Shoemaker will present a short TED-style talk (called an Envision Rural talk) on the plenary stage for the roughly 700 participants. She was chosen to given this presentation through a competitive selection process. On the final day of the conference, Shoemaker will speak at a breakout session she helped to organize on rural research agenda issues and specifically how international work is relevant. Shoemaker herself, spent time internationally as part of her grant work on land use planning participation.

Envision Rural talk, Thursday, October 22:

The Public Parts of Private Property: Community Engagement and Rural Design

Rural communities are built upon a series of discrete, individual land use decisions, and public engagement, which can be facilitated by a simulation game called “Plainsopoly,” is a key strategy to inform and connect this decision-making.

Breakout session, Friday, October 23:

Discovering the Future:  Charting the Rural Research Path

One key to understanding and advancing rural issues is pursuing a robust research agenda.   Panelists will discuss their experiences in working with rural issues, projects and communities in a variety of cultures and countries.  An open question and answer session will follow their presentations.   This session was developed based on feedback from a thought-leader survey launched by the RFI in 2015 and is designed to serve as a next step in advancing the future of rural through an informed, translational research agenda that embraces diversity and includes an international intent.

In addition to speaking, Shoemaker was also part of the Steering Committee for the conference planning.