Shivika Aggrawal, a Ph.D. student in the Center for Community & Environmental Design – Dr. Aaron Thompson’s lab, has been sharing the lab’s research on social-ecological memory in agriculture at several forums.
In August 2025, she presented the research at the Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting in Baltimore, engaging ecologists from across disciplines. In October, she continued these conversations at three different conferences: the Communicating Agriculture Beyond Academia Conference in South Dakota (Oct 16–17), where she presented to the national policymakers and member of the South Dakota Senate; the Midwest Climate Resilience Conference (Oct 20–22), which brought together resilience consultants, media professionals, and academics; and the 5th Annual Indian Network for Memory Studies (INMS) Conference (Oct 27–29), where she presented to memory scholars exploring narrative designs and strategies of preservation.
As Shivika begins the second phase of interviews for her project, she invites HLA community to help spread the word.
Do You Know Farmers in Indiana, Illinois, or Iowa?
We are currently conducting interviews as part of the IMPACT²: Social-Ecological Memory in Midwest Agriculture project. This research explores how past extreme weather events shape present-day farming decisions and adaptation strategies.
We are looking to connect with farmers in Indiana, Illinois, or Iowa for interviews to learn about their stories and practices related to weather challenges and adaptation.
• Interviews are in-person, last about 45–60 minutes, and
• Participants will receive a $100 honorarium.
If you know someone who might be interested, please reach out to Shivika Aggrawal at saggraw@purdue.edu.
Thank you for helping us amplify the voices and knowledge of Midwest farming communities!