AURPI

10/19/2026

🔐 October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month!

At AURPI, our Cyber Security Team is working to identify cybersecurity risks in the technologies used across rural industries, including forestry, poultry and rural water systems.

Through vulnerability assessments, open-source intelligence, training and practical guidance, the team helps industry partners better understand potential threats and build resilience against cyberattacks. Cybersecurity isn't just about protecting computers. It's also about helping protect the technology and critical infrastructure that rural communities depend on every day!

Learn more about our Cyber Security Team and its work to support a safer, more resilient rural Alabama: https://bit.ly/4dxUU9T

10/12/2026

Happy National Farmer's Day from AURPI! We deeply appreciate all you do for our beautiful state. Be sure to thank a farmer today! 🚜🍅🌿🐥

10/08/2026

Ever wonder where you can read all of our Social Science Team’s thought-provoking research and publications? Well, look no further - they’re now all in one place!

Click here to explore what the team has found about the social landscape of rural Alabama, from population trends to how Alabamians are navigating health and caregiving responsibilities:

Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

09/29/2026

Happy Homecoming from AURPI! 🧡💙
To many of our staff and subteams, rural Alabama is home, which means our mission of supporting communities all across the state is never in vain. Through research and outreach, we are dedicated to boosting Alabama's two biggest economies - poultry and forestry. If you are as passionate about these industries as we are, connect with us!

09/18/2026

🌲 Are today’s trees heavier than they were 50 years ago?

While surveying Alabama loggers, AURPI’s Forestry Team noticed something interesting: loggers were getting tickets at weigh-ins, even though their trailers and the amount of timber they were hauling hadn’t changed since the 1970s.
So, our team set out to answer a simple question: What changed? Using decades of forest inventory data, our researchers found that trees today are, in fact, getting heavier (and taller!) within the same diameter classes.

What does that mean for loggers, transportation costs and the future of one of rural Alabama's top industries? Read the full article to find out: https://bit.ly/4iXweeg

09/10/2026

Did you know: 58 of the Alabama's 67 counties are classified as rural, and is home to over 2.1 million residents. That means roughly 42% of the state's total population live in rural communities!
That's why AURPI is dedicated to making sure our mission touches every single Alabama county. Through our different teams' research, we are strengthening industries in rural communities and keeping Alabama beautiful.

09/01/2026

Did you know AURPI is involved in every single county in Alabama?
From Dekalb to Baldwin, AURPI's subteams are at work across the state, all on a mission to improve rural communities through innovative advancements in Alabama's agricultural industries.
Visit our website to learn more: https://bit.ly/4gBZPaw

08/27/2026

In case you missed it...
Thank you again, Southern Union, for all your help in planning such an awesome workshop!

08/27/2026

Congratulations to the newest round of projects chosen to be internally funded through AURPI! With research revolving around improvements in agriculture, poultry, sustainability, forestry (and more!), we cannot wait to see how these projects change the future of rural Alabama for the better.

08/13/2026

At the 2026 Rural Partnership Institute Consortium, various members of our team were able to offer insight to our partner schools about how we work to improve rural Alabama.

Jonathan Sterk from our Cyber Security team shared how AURPI predicts and prevents cyber-physical vulnerabilities in agriculture and forestry.

Mykel Taylor from our Social Science team provided insights to our Farm Poll and what farmers are saying about the state of rural Alabama.

Our director, Oladiran Fasina, explained the work the Rural Studio Front Porch Initiative does to resourcefully use mass timber in single-family housing.

Thank you to those who presented on behalf of AURPI! We hope that these insights inspired conversation throughout the Consortium, just as we were inspired by the presentations by Wisconsin and Vermont.