Aoife Ní Fhlatharta, PhD Geography candidate and recipient of the Dr Patrick Commins Rural Research Award was recently awarded the Rural Policy Studies Scholarship Fund to attend the 13th International Comparative Rural Policy Studies (ICRPS) Summer Institute, which is being hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks from the 14-26th July 2016. The funding which is supported by The Rural Policy Learning Commons project will cover the institute fee of $2000. The ICRPS Summer Institute provides a unique opportunity for students from a range of OECD countries to meet and work together on comparative rural policy issues. Participants of the Summer Institute will be exposed to the challenges of the rural North, and will have the opportunity to experience Alaska’s diverse interior.