TechTHRIVE: A Technological Vision for Thriving Rural Communities in an Innovation Economy
TechTHRIVE will establish Iowa State University (ISU) as a national leader in promoting and enabling a rural innovation economy through research on cutting-edge technologies for rural application, STEM educational initiatives designed to meet the needs of rural learners, and workforce development. These efforts in technology and education will catalyze transformational change in rural Iowa, and the United States, by bringing new industries and high-skilled, high-paying jobs that will encourage more young people and professionals to stay in, or return to, rural places.
With expertise in technology, education, design, economics, statistics, and outreach to youth and families, the TechTHRIVE team imagines a future where cutting-edge rural technologies and place-based STEM educational initiatives catalyze transformational changes in rural Iowa and the United States. These changes will be powered by data-driven decision-making and will result in a high-skilled, highly paid workforce who want to live and work in rural America.
The team will use a co-design approach (designing with as opposed to designing for) in developing its activities so that partners on and off campus become valued collaborators rather than only subjects or receivers of expert knowledge and technology. Through this process, the goals for TechTHRIVE will reflect the specific social, economic, and governmental context of rural communities and the perspectives of a diverse group of internal and external stakeholders.
The TechTHRIVE initiative has short-term (0-3 years), medium-term (3-7 years), and long-term (7-15 years) goals established, including technology development, educational program research, workforce development, and entrepreneurship activities. The initiative is led by faculty affiliated with the Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC) with well-established interdisciplinary research profiles and a track record of attracting external funding. As the work continues, the leadership structure for TechTHRIVE will expand to include external stakeholders.
The TechTHRIVE vision is to reimagine the future of rural communities and ensure the long-term prosperity of rural regions across the country. With Iowa State as the lead institution, this initiative has the potential to quickly achieve national prominence, and the team is already working with partners to access significant funds for research, education, and outreach. The topic of rural community vitality and rural quality of life is broad of interest to students and faculty at Iowa State and the public. The emphasis on the innovation economy is intended by the TechTHRIVE leadership team to bring new constituencies to research in and with rural communities, with significant potential to positively affect many people on and off campus.