Human Genetics and Society

Presented by Amy Stark

As far as scientific subjects go, genetics is one of the most accessible ones. Even those with limited scientific interest are often confronted with genetics as it relates to ancestry, disease risk, or family medical decisions. This session is designed to provide you with information to help navigate this information as a teacher as well as community member. The topics will be especially selected to highlight the relevance of genetics to non-scientists of all ages. As part of this session, each participant will extract their own DNA and prepare a partial ancestry sequencing reaction and analysis. No scientific background is necessary.

About Amy Stark

Dr. Amy Stark is the Dr. John and Heidi Passarelli Director of the DNA Learning Center at the University of Notre Dame. She received her Ph.D. in Human Genetics from the University of Chicago where she had continued to work in biomedical research in the Department of Medicine. Her research has focused on the area of pharmacogenomics, the study of using genetics to predict a patient's drug response. Specifically, she has worked in the area of chemotherapy predictors and has incorporated genetics with protein levels, microRNA levels, methylation levels, and mRNA expression levels. She is also a leader within the professional society for human genetics, the American Society for Human Genetics and was scientific partner for a startup app called Generis. Beyond her scientific credentials, she has a deep passion for outreach and volunteering and has been engaged in science outreach through a variety of organizations including as the Executive Director of the Northern Indiana Regional Science and Engineering Fair since 2019. She was awarded the 2022-2023 Faculty Senate Exemplary Service Award at Notre Dame.