Laci Burton, a University Scholar at Stony Brook, has been named the URECA researcher of the month for March. She is pursuing an English major with minors in Writing and Rhetoric and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. Burton is part of the English Department’s Honors Program and has completed a senior capstone thesis under Susan Scheckel's guidance. Her research examines Shirley Jackson’s "The Haunting of Hill House" through the lens of Dr. Nandor Fodor's psychoanalytic theory.
In addition to her thesis, Burton is engaged in other capstone projects with Sara Santos from the Program in Writing and Rhetoric and Liz Montegary from the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. Last summer, she received support from URECA for travel and archival research at the Library of Congress, where she explored Shirley Jackson’s unpublished materials. Her findings are being prepared for publication, following presentations at various conferences including the SBU Graduate Conference in February 2024.
Burton will present her work later this month at both the national Sigma Tau Delta convention in Pittsburgh, PA, and Purdue University's symposium on Literary, Interdisciplinary Theory, and Culture Organization in West Lafayette, IN. Looking ahead, she intends to pursue graduate studies focusing on gender and sexuality within English literature.
She advises students to actively seek opportunities: “It’s important to make a connection with the faculty around you — other people within the department... But there are opportunities out there. So really seek them out.”
Burton was also selected as Stony Brook's first undergraduate representative on the National Humanities Leadership Council (NHLC) hosted by the National Humanities Center between November 2022 and June 2023. Her project included interviewing artist Hannah Laycock about disability advocacy research. During this period, she contributed personal narratives to Herstory Writers Network based on her experiences as a disabled person.
On campus, Burton has participated in various roles such as serving on the Dean’s Advisory Council and organizing Humanities Research Day last spring. She is involved with multiple councils including acting as president of Alpha Nu Zeta English Honor Society while working as a senior tutor at the Writing Center.
Read more insights from URECA Director Karen Kernan regarding Laci Burton's journey.