For millions of Americans, high-speed internet is unavailable or unaffordable − a telecommunications expert explains how to bring broadband to the places that need it the most

Affordable access to high-speed internet brings educational opportunities, economic development and better access to health professionals.

Christopher Ali, Pioneers Chair in Telecommunications & Professor of Telecommunications, Penn State • conversation
yesterday ~7 min

‘I might as well stop and diversify into holiday lets’ – new research reveals the reality of farming after Brexit

Some farmers are bewildered and anxious about changes to the way they work.

Deema Refai, Associate Professor in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, University of Leeds • conversation
April 23, 2024 ~7 min


Rural counties increasingly rely on prisons to provide firefighters and EMTs who work for free, but the inmates have little protection or future job prospects

Georgia’s inmate fire crews respond to hundreds of calls in surrounding counties every year. Without them, there might not be a responder, but they aren’t universally loved – and they don’t get paid.

J. Carlee Purdum, Research Assistant Professor, Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center, Texas A&M University • conversation
April 15, 2024 ~9 min

How meth became an epidemic in America, and what’s happening now that it’s faded from the headlines

An anthropologist who wrote a book exploring meth’s impact on rural communities explains what drove the epidemic and how it’s changed.

Bryan Keogh, Managing Editor • conversation
March 15, 2024 ~8 min

Why are farmers up in arms? The view from Wales

Green reforms are piling additional pressure on farmers struggling to make ends meet.

Alex Heffron, PhD Candidate in Geography, Lancaster University • conversation
March 8, 2024 ~7 min

E-bikes are freewheeling through rain and over hills, with huge promise for sustainable transport in rural tourist areas

Research shows that rain and hilly terrain doesn’t put people off e-bikes.

Ian Philips, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds • conversation
Feb. 6, 2024 ~7 min

Rural communities are being left behind because of poor digital infrastructure, research shows

New research reveals the digital divide that was exposed by the COVID pandemic.

Sarah Lindop, Senior Lecturer in Finance, Aberystwyth University • conversation
Dec. 6, 2023 ~6 min

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in the weedkiller Roundup, is showing up in pregnant women living near farm fields – that raises health concerns

New research provides evidence for the first time that the primary chemical in Roundup is reaching people in nearby homes, and it isn’t just from the food they eat.

Carly Hyland, Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension, University of California, Berkeley • conversation
Dec. 6, 2023 ~6 min


Every state is about to dole out federal funding for broadband internet – not every state is ready for the task

Every state is poised to receive a large amount of federal money to expand broadband access, but they have a lot of work to do to meet the government’s requirements for distributing it.

Brian Whitacre, Professor and Neustadt Chair, Department of Agricultural Economics, Oklahoma State University • conversation
Nov. 20, 2023 ~8 min

Youth in rural US who drink are more likely to carry a handgun

In the rural US, youth who drink heavily are 43% more likely to carry a handgun in the following year, research finds.

Angela Sams-Washington State • futurity
Oct. 12, 2023 ~6 min

/

10