Wednesday, October 14, 4pm, Kansas Union, Big 12 Room Join the Department of Sociology for their 2026 Clark Lecture. Held by Dalton Conley, a Henry Putnam University Professor in Sociology at Princeton University. Genomics is coming for the social sciences, and the important part isn't CRISPR gene editing — it's geneti...
Wednesday, October 14, 4pm, Kansas Union, Big 12 Room Join the Department of Sociology for their 2026 Clark Lecture. Held by Dalton Conley, a Henry Putnam University Professor in Sociology at Princeton University. Genomics is coming for the social sciences, and the important part isn't CRISPR gene editing — it's genetic prediction. The polygenic index (PGI), a single number summing thousands of small genetic differences, is now a standard research instrument. It is fixed at conception and shuffled at random from parent to child — the ultimate natural experiment, running inside every family. That gives social scientists leverage on questions they have struggled with for decades: how much peers actually influence each other, how children shape the parenting they receive, how strongly we sort by genotype in marriage and neighborhood. Drawing on The Social Genome, Dalton will cover what these scores can and can't do, and their policy and pragmatic applications — embryo screening, insurance, schools — already being deployed without much public discussion.
The Kansas Union is a historic and beloved student union on the University of Kansas campus offering large event spaces, study areas, dining options, and student-run programs including a top-rated college radio station. It hosts over 28 reservable spaces across three buildings, making it a central hub for meetings, con...
The Kansas Union is a historic and beloved student union on the University of Kansas campus offering large event spaces, study areas, dining options, and student-run programs including a top-rated college radio station. It hosts over 28 reservable spaces across three buildings, making it a central hub for meetings, conferences, and community events. The venue fosters a strong sense of community and belonging through its welcoming spaces and diverse programming.
