Funded by the Russell Sage Foundation

From the evening of Sunday, August 8, to the morning of Friday, August 20, 2021, the Russell Sage Foundation (RSF) sponsored the 4th Summer Institute in Social-Science Genomics, held at the Stoweflake Mountain Hotel in Stowe.

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The purpose of the two-week workshop was to introduce graduate students and beginning faculty in economics, sociology, psychology, statistics, genetics, and other disciplines to the methods of social-science genomics—the analysis of genomic data in social science research. The program included interpretation and estimation of different concepts of heritability; the biology of genetic inheritance, gene expression, and epigenetics; design and analysis of genetic-association studies; analysis of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions; estimation and use of polygenic scores; as well as applications of genomic data in the social sciences.

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The co-organizers and principal faculty of the Summer Institute were Daniel Benjamin (UCLA), David Cesarini (NYU), and Patrick Turley (Harvard-MIT Broad Institute) who were in attendance for the full program. Visiting faculty included Paige Harden (UT Austin), Dalton Conley (NYU), James Lee (University of Minnesota), Michelle Meyer (Geisinger Health System), Daphne Martschenko (Stanford University), Lauren Schmitz (University of Wisconsin–Madison), Alexander Young (UCLA), Elliot Tucker-Drob (University of Texas at Austin), Raymond Walters (Broad Insitute of MIT and Harvard), Andrea Byrnes (Broad Insitute of MIT and Harvard), and Elizabeth Atkinson (Broad Insitute of MIT and Harvard).

 

The instructional program was highly quantitative. Participants were expected to learn relevant software packages and solve problem sets throughout the workshop. The schedule was designed to provide opportunities for students to discuss their ideas and research with the organizers, visiting faculty, and other participants. For problem sets, reading materials, and lecture video see http://www.rsfgenomicsschool.com/materials.

 

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Eligibility

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Participation was restricted to Ph.D. students, postdoctoral researchers, and untenured faculty within 10 years of the Ph.D. Most participant costs during the workshop, including housing, most meals, and economy-class travel expenses were covered by the Russell Sage Foundation. Participants were required to complete one problem set in advance, and to fully attend and participate in all sessions of the program.

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The Summer Institute in Social-Science Genomics is an initiative of the Russell Sage Foundation.