Students from West Virginia University recently completed a trip to Nice, France, as part of the School of Medicine’s Exercise Physiology Class: French Endurance Performance and Nutrition.
Miriam Leary, Ph.D., associate professor and assistant chairperson of the Exercise Physiology program, along with Assistant Professor Brian Leary, Ph.D., oversaw the 10-day trip. The purpose was to explore French culture while introducing students to elite endurance performance and the Mediterranean diet’s role in health and performance.
“I cannot overstate how much we enjoyed the trip, all thanks to the incredible students that joined us,” Miriam Leary said. “They showed up with positive attitudes and willingness to try new things and engage.”
During the trip, students participated in Mediterranean diet cooking classes, visited the National Sport Museum in Nice, hiked along the Côte d’Azur, toured a winery and organic farm, took a boat tour and observed the Tour de France, including the finishing stage.
Exercise physiology majors Sydney Lemley and Katelin Zapolnik chose this study abroad course because of the emphasis on nutrition and their interest in experiencing different cultures.
“I loved learning about the science behind cycling,” Zapolnik said. She aims to pursue a career in orthopedic surgery working with athletes. “This made watching the Tour de France really exciting. I’ve always wanted to go to Europe, and this trip combined some of my top interests – learning about sports and nutrition.”
“My major takeaway from the trip was that the world is so much bigger than the United States,” Lemley said. “This course opened my eyes to how different every culture is. It truly was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me.”
The study abroad course was inspired by a class co-taught by Brian Leary and Miriam Leary at the School of Medicine, where students learn about the Mediterranean diet and sports nutrition. They aimed to provide a hands-on learning experience.
“Experience is the most powerful teacher, transforming information into lasting learning,” Miriam Leary said. “By interacting with these outstanding students, we were able to see this come to life far beyond what we can do in labs and classrooms.”
For more information on education abroad opportunities at WVU, visit educationabroad.wvu.edu. For more information on exercise physiology, visit medicine.wvu.edu/ep.
