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, oversaw the trip along with Assistant Professor Brian Leary, Ph.D. The purpose of the 10-day trip was to explore French culture, while introducing students to elite endurance performance and exploring the role of the Mediterranean diet in health and performance.

“I cannot overstate how much we enjoyed the trip, all thanks to the incredible students that joined us,” said Miriam Leary. “They showed up with positive attitudes and willingness to try new things and engage.”

During the trip, students participated in cooking classes related to the Mediterranean diet, visited the National Sport Museum in Nice, hiked along the Côte d’Azur (also known as the French Riviera), 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 both chose this study abroad course because of the emphasis on nutrition. They also wanted to learn about and experience a different culture.

“I loved learning about the science behind cycling,” said Zapolnik, who has a career goal to go into orthopedic surgery and work 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,” added Lemley. “This course opened my eyes to how different every culture is. It truly was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me.”

The inspiration for the study abroad course came from a class that Brian Leary and Miriam Leary co-teach at the School of Medicine where students learn about the Mediterranean diet and sports nutrition. They wanted to give students a hands-on learning experience.

“Experience is the most powerful teacher, transforming information into lasting learning,” said Miriam Leary. “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.