A Senior Seeks Answers on Aging
George ’27 asks a lot of questions. He attributes this quality to a tireless pursuit of knowledge and thanks to a Cullman Scholarship, he found new avenues in his pursuit.
The Kimball Union Academy senior spent eight weeks this summer working at the Academy for Cell and Life Health, a research and academic affiliate of the Kunming University of Science and Technology in southwestern China. There, he attended seminars and shadowed graduate students as they conducted research into how and why people age.
“Seeing a high schooler is not a very common scene in a graduate lab,” George said. “Nevertheless, I got along with my lab mates very well. They were all really nice, and they were excited to teach me things because I was excited to ask. But they were also really busy, so I did have to be mindful of their time. I couldn’t be sticking around all the time asking for guidance.”
Considered among KUA’s highest honors, the Cullman Scholarship Program was established in 1983 with a gift from Hugh Cullman ’42 and supports students in off-campus study opportunities. In 2026, George and eight other students received scholarships to pursue an area of study of their choosing that develops leadership skills, global and environmental awareness, and service to others.
George said his time in Kunming allowed him to experience life as a graduate student and to master essential lab techniques, such as culturing cells on his own. He said he also enjoyed living in a college town surrounded by young people, great food, and world-renowned museums.
In addition to his work with the Academy for Cell and Life Health, George took part in an online research mentorship program hosted by the Cambridge Center for International Research. With the guidance of a mentor, he dug deeper into the theme of aging and researched the role telomeres — protective caps on the ends of chromosomes — play in aging.
“We basically were allowed to choose our own topics, anything under the umbrella of cell biology was acceptable,” George explained. “Naturally, I chose to study aging. We did a preliminary literature review, and I found telomeres a very interesting mechanism and topic.”
Back at KUA, George chose to incorporate his Cullman experience into his Giles Family STEM Scholar capstone project, which examines the evolution of aging mechanisms in both human and nonhuman mammals. He said it’s a work in progress, but one he’s been excited to continue to tackle.
A prominent member of KUA’s theater department, George said he’s excited to continue quenching his thirst for knowledge in college, though he’s not exactly counting down the days to graduation just yet. He said there’s plenty to look forward to in the meantime, such as this spring’s musical as well as thought-provoking discussions with teachers.