Great Plains Futures conference

For five decades, the Center for Great Plains Studies has elevated the region as a place worthy of study, appreciation, and conservation. For our 50th anniversary, the annual Great Plains conference will celebrate our past and look to the next 50 years and beyond. This conference invites us to dream big about the future of people and land in our region. Join us for an interdisciplinary conference featuring keynotes, panels, workshops, and special events in Lincoln, Neb. As we look to explore the future of the region, keynotes and panels will focus on four interconnected themes: environmental futures, re-imagining the rural, Indigenous futures, and demographic change and migration.

This conference is meant for a wide audience and welcomes the general public, scholars, students, business owners, community leaders, and lifelong learners.

Partners and supporters:

E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues, UNL Department of Sociology, UNL Office of Research and Innovation, UNL School of Global Integrative Studies, UNL Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts, UNL Department of Biological Systems Engineering, UNL Dean of Engineering, UNL School of Natural Resources, Humanities Nebraska, Editor World LLC

Presented in partnership with the Consulate General of Canada in Minneapolis.

Locations:

• March 31: E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues, Lied Center for Performing Arts, 301 N 12th St, Lincoln, NE 68508
• April 1: Nebraska Innovation Campus and the Sheldon Museum of Art
• April 2: Nebraska Innovation Campus and The Ross theater

Contact us at [email protected] with questions.

UNL students use code GPstudent at checkout for $25 conference ticket.

See the add-ons page to grab a 50th Anniversary T-shirt.

50 years of the Chicano Movement

From Parallel to Interwoven: Building Interdisciplinary Art and Science Collaborations

Imagining Futures Together through Games and Scenarios

The Future of Indigenous Entrepreneurship on the Great Plains

Asian American Histories of Nebraska: Pasts and Presents in Conversation

Futures in Rural Health: Digital Apps + Multicultural Humans = Tomorrow's Route to Access

The Future of Great Plains Regional Studies

Joining Forces: Working across organizations to benefit Nebraska’s Conservation Mentorship Network

Indigenous Language Futures on the Great Plains

Great Plains Energy Futures

Beyond the Company Town: Reimagining Rural

Governance and Politics in Nebraska and the Great Plains

Creative Conservation for the Future

Growing Farmers, Growing Community

Envisioning the Future of Indigenous Reconnections to Ancestral Lands: The Walking in the Footsteps Project

Futuring Methods Workshop

Stories from the Rural Past for a Resilient Great Plains Future

Info: The Center is teaming up with the E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues for the opening keynote. Romney Garrett is a social entrepreneur and coauthor of "The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again." Separate free tickets required. https://enthompson.unl.edu/shaylyn-romney-garrett/

Info: Check in on the second floor of the Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center.

Info: "Demography as an Analytic Lens: Latino Population Growth and the Demographic Transformation of the Midwest." This talk explores how Latino population growth is reshaping the social, economic, and political landscape of the Midwest. By examining historical settlement patterns, contemporary demographic shifts, and projected trends, it highlights how Latindad has become an essential force driving regional transformation.

Info: "From Bytes to Bright Futures: Meet the SkoBots." Join Anishinaabe (Sault Tribe) youth robotics inventor Danielle Boyer as she explores how culturally grounded technology can reshape education, empower communities, and revitalize languages. Growing up under the poverty line and witnessing firsthand the barriers to technical education, Danielle created the SkoBots, wearable, personal language-learning robots to teach Anishinaabemowin. Built with affordability, sustainability, and cultural relevance in mind, her robots cost less than $100 to produce and are distributed free to Indigenous youth.

Info: Check in on the second floor of the Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center.

Info: "Community Usability: Designing Communities for People (and not the other way around)." What makes a community truly work for the people who live there? Across the Midwest and beyond, communities are moving past simply collecting data about newcomers, residents, and entrepreneurs. They're using that information to fundamentally redesign how their towns and cities function. This talk examines what's working, what's not, and what we can learn from communities that are getting it right.

Info: "Success in Conservation; Partnering with Producers and Private Landowners." Manitoba Habitat Conservancy (MHC) has been delivering conservation programs on private lands across southern Manitoba for 40 years. Enhancing habitat for species at risk and managing wetlands for waterfowl has required partnerships with producers, landowners, and industry. An emphasis on a collaborative approach has resulted in successful securement, enhancement, and mitigation of wildlife habitats in Manitoba.

Info: "Oyate Woyaka" tells the story of the Lakota language history, loss and revitalization. The film touches on the deep history and spirituality of the language, the shocking history that caused Lakota to be on the verge of extinction and the modern efforts being made to bring language back to life and the immense challenges this effort faces.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Nebraska Innovation Campus (NIC), 2021 Transformation Drive, Lincoln, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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