Applied social science research for Illinois.
Rural sociologists have historically struggled to understand community dynamics nationally due to limited data availability and insufficiently granular spatial definitions that obscure place-based variation. The Empirical Analyses of Rural Terrain and Health (EARTH) Lab, located within the College of Applied Health Sciences, is motivated by a broad interest in how administrative microdata can be repurposed for applied social and health research that supports program and service delivery. We have a particular interest in how the agricultural economics and social sciences can advance evidence-based solutions delivered through the Cooperative Extension System. Dr. Michael Lotspeich-Yadao coordinates the EARTH Lab.
We hold the view that the key to health equity for everyone lies in providing communities with the research tools and evidence-based programming to create and implement their own solutions.
We use machine learning, frequentist inference, and restricted government data to better understand the complex ecological dynamics that shape social change and health outcomes across rural and urban communities. These efforts recognize the role of complex social factors and entrenched systemic barriers that contribute to disparities in health outcomes among different social groups.
To inform this research, we integrate perspectives from qualitative interviews to advise modeling and contextualize findings. We augment and present findings through spatial and temporal analysis that enhances our capacity to understand and address the geographic dimension of these complex quality-of-life challenges.
Our portfolio is structured around the agricultural knowledge system to benefit the State of Illinois at large, by:
- broadening access to the agricultural, classical, and mechanical arts through quality instruction,
- generating new technology and knowledge through applied research for community-informed needs, and
- delivering resiliency-building programming and services through established channels, including Illinois Extension.