Aaron Stupple

Aaron Stupple flew with Tim Conner to Deering, a village in western Alaska, to help excavate remains of an extinct culture. The remains of the mysterious Ipiutak people were discovered while the city began digging trenches to install a sewer system. Anthropologists hope to unravel the lifestyle of these people and perhaps discover why they disappeared from the region entirely.

During Aaron's long affiliation with the Boy Scouts of America, he earned the prominent distinction of Eagle Scout, along with 27 merit badges, including one for environmental science. That experience, along with extensive backpacking and winter camping experience prepared him for the hard work, different cultures, and un-modern facilities that he encountered while in rural Alaska. Aaron grew up in the small town of Stamford, New York, in the Adirondacks, graduating salutatorian of the Stamford High School's 1998 graduating class, concentrating his coursework in math and science. Aaron pitched for the baseball team and participated in soccer, skiing, yearbook, Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) and was secretary of the National Honor Society. He acted, sang and even juggled in several school theatrical productions, including Fiddler on the Roof, Music Man, Once up on a Mattress, and Into the Woods. Another artistic interest of Aaron's is sculpting in clay, wood and metal. For the last two years Aaron has been a Volunteer Youth Role Model, spending time weekly with one local boy. The Cornell Environmental Sciences Interns Program (Young Scholars Program) selected Aaron to participate in a summer research project on the effects of earthworm invasion on soil properties in the temperate forest. Aaron earned several competitive scholarships that he is taking to Cornell University in the fall of 1998 to continue his education at in biology and pre-medicine.

Follow-up Visit:

Aaron and Tim returned to Barrow 2-8 April 1999 to continue their work with Dr. Sheehan and his associates.