2008 Woodie Awards
Life at altitude: Miami's Nepal experience
Summer study takes students and professors across the world and up a mountain
Megan Brooks
Issue date: 4/24/07 Section: Features
Not many people can say that they've climbed a part of Mount Everest.
But this summer, after 14 Miami students climb 5,400 feet to the mountain's base camp, they will be able to say just that.
The opportunity is part of a summer program that two Miami University professors decided to restart for the summer 2007.
"It's an excellent opportunity for Miami, it's not a trip you can do by yourself," said Janardan Subedi, Miami sociology and gerontology professor. "You have to have an organized group along with experts in order to make it happen."
Subedi and Mark Walsh; assistant professor of physical education, health and sports studies; planned a trip with 14 students that will take place from May 15 to June 13. The group is a mix of both undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of disciplines.
The six credit hours students receive for learning about Nepali culture include the 5,400-meter climb up Mount Everest and a five-week course involving readings before the students depart. The course concludes with a final project comparing each student's own culture with a version of Nepali culture, Walsh said.
Cheryl Young, director of the Office of Continuing Education, said this program is one of 172 summer programs that will occur through Miami this summer.
"It is a great opportunity because students are able to travel with Miami professors to a location that really is different, it's not your Florence program and it is something that is focused on different aspects, such as culture, health and sports studies - it is a very physical program," Young said.
This is not the first time that there's been a summer program at Miami that takes students to Nepal. Subedi, a native of Nepal, took Miami students every summer from 1992 to 2002. Political unrest made it unsafe to travel after 2002 - however Subedi said it is now considered safe to return.
"Things are much better now than they have been and so it's finally time to do this again," Subedi said.
But this summer, after 14 Miami students climb 5,400 feet to the mountain's base camp, they will be able to say just that.
The opportunity is part of a summer program that two Miami University professors decided to restart for the summer 2007.
"It's an excellent opportunity for Miami, it's not a trip you can do by yourself," said Janardan Subedi, Miami sociology and gerontology professor. "You have to have an organized group along with experts in order to make it happen."
Subedi and Mark Walsh; assistant professor of physical education, health and sports studies; planned a trip with 14 students that will take place from May 15 to June 13. The group is a mix of both undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of disciplines.
The six credit hours students receive for learning about Nepali culture include the 5,400-meter climb up Mount Everest and a five-week course involving readings before the students depart. The course concludes with a final project comparing each student's own culture with a version of Nepali culture, Walsh said.
Cheryl Young, director of the Office of Continuing Education, said this program is one of 172 summer programs that will occur through Miami this summer.
"It is a great opportunity because students are able to travel with Miami professors to a location that really is different, it's not your Florence program and it is something that is focused on different aspects, such as culture, health and sports studies - it is a very physical program," Young said.
This is not the first time that there's been a summer program at Miami that takes students to Nepal. Subedi, a native of Nepal, took Miami students every summer from 1992 to 2002. Political unrest made it unsafe to travel after 2002 - however Subedi said it is now considered safe to return.
"Things are much better now than they have been and so it's finally time to do this again," Subedi said.
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