SUNY Poly Professor of Anthropology and Coordinator of the Information Design & Technology Master's program, Dr. Kathryn Stam, has accepted an invitation to participate in the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute, "Place, Race, and Gender in New England Gothic Literature" in Standish, Maine for three weeks in June/July 2024.

She and the other summer scholars will examine the abiding cultural influence of the Puritans in New England Gothic Literature, with a focus on horror. They will explore this topic by accounting for how socio-cultural factors can enrich the learning experiences of their students and provide ways to link early American history to contemporary discourses about American identity. The group will visit libraries and heritage sites including Salem Witch Trial locations and the Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft archives, among other locations.