Recent graduate Karin Ulery (Master of Science in Public Affairs, 2026) has been selected to present her emerging research at the 2026 IPUMS Data‑Intensive Research Conference this July in the Twin Cities. The national conference, co-sponsored by IPUMS (Integrated Public Use Microdata Series) and the Network for Data-Intensive Research on Aging (NDIRA), highlights innovative work using large‑scale population data to understand life‑course processes in the United States and around the world.

Karin’s presentation, “Disability as a Spatial Determinant of Internal Migration: Full Count Linked Census, 1850–1950,” outlines a new methodological framework for studying how disability shaped Americans’ movement across regions during a century of profound demographic and social change. The project draws on linked full‑count census microdata, allowing individuals to be traced across multiple decennial censuses, an approach made possible through the IPUMS Multigenerational Longitudinal Panel (MLP).

While most historical research on disability and migration has relied on qualitative accounts or small samples, Karin’s work brings together geoinformatics, large language model–based classification, and game‑theoretic modeling to build a quantitative foundation for understanding how disabled people navigated the constraints and opportunities of their environments.

At the conference, Karin will present the methodology behind this developing project, including:

• Analytical logic: conceptualizing disability as a spatial determinant of migration.
• Data strategy: using linked full‑count census microdata to reconstruct individual life trajectories.
• Measurement innovation: applying large language models to standardize historical disability categories, which varied widely across time.
• Theoretical framework: using game theory to model how “nature”—institutional landscapes, transportation networks, family support, and economic conditions—shaped the choices available to disabled individuals.

Karin traces the origins of this research direction to her experience in the Master of Public Affairs program at the University of Iowa, which she credits with giving her the tools to pursue this work. “The public affairs program really inspired this project,” she explains. “Many of the skills I’m applying—GIS mapping, analytic methods, game theory, and even working with IPUMS data—were developed during my time in the program. It shaped how I think about policy, population data, and the structural forces that influence people’s lives.”

Karin was invited to submit an abstract after attending the conference virtually in 2025. Her accepted submission is a prospective research abstract, outlining the methodological direction she will pursue in her graduate work.

Beginning in fall 2026, Karin will continue this line of inquiry as she enters the Master of Science in Geoinformatics program at the University of Iowa, with plans to continue on to a PhD. Her selection for the conference reflects the university’s commitment to preparing students to contribute meaningfully to public scholarship through rigorous research, innovative data use, and clear communication.