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WFU/Paris: Cell Signaling on the Seine: Biochemistry in Motion, Paris in Light (Summer) (Outgoing Program) Featured: Print  Share
  • Locations: Paris, France
  • Program Terms: Summer
Dates / Deadlines:
Dates / Deadlines:
Term Year App Deadline Decision Date Start Date End Date
Summer 2026 03/01/2026 03/01/2026 07/06/2026 08/01/2026
Fact Sheet:
Fact Sheet:
Click here for a definition of this term GPA Requirement: 2.50 Click here for a definition of this term Class Status: 2 semesters completed
Click here for a definition of this term Language of Instruction: English Click here for a definition of this term Open to non-WFU Students: Yes
Click here for a definition of this term Academic Areas Offered: Chemistry Program Term: Summer
Program Sponsor: WFU
Program Description:

Discover Paris: Cell Signaling on the Seine: Biochemistry in Motion, Paris in Light

July 6th - August 1st, 2026  
 
Overview Discover Paris: Cell Signaling on the Seine: Biochemistry in Motion, Paris in Light, CHM 280.
The major goal of this course is to communicate the incredible ability of the cell to self-organize into a cooperative, self-sustaining system. To better understand this ability, we must gain a healthy appreciation for and interest in cellular “happenings” or events. Every biological event can ultimately be reduced to a chemical event, highlighting the importance of the chemical principles that control the events of cells and organisms. This class aims to teach you those chemical principles through a series of biochemical vignettes. These vignettes talk about events ranging from the movement of an ion across a membrane to send a neurological signal, synthesis of biomolecules, how vision works, to even the Great Oxidation Event and how it relates to heme proteins as well as aging and disease. At the end of BIO/BMB/CHM370, students will be able to • Draw major biomolecular building blocks • Describe features of macromolecular structure & function and demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the two • Analyze how variations in macromolecular structure may affect function • Determine Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters • Understand ionization and redox and connect these to enzyme (dys)function/regulation • Apply biochemical concepts to evaluate a disease • Calculate free energy changes for metabolic reactions • Connect regulatory strategies across metabolic pathways and understand how regulation impacts physiological responses (i.e. signaling) in organisms • Understand how biochemists design, conduct and interpret experiments.
Location Paris, France
Program A cell is a lot like a city in many ways. Molecular traffic, cellular communications. Hustling and bustling. Energy flow. Collective rhythm. The motion associated with Life. Paris will be our laboratory in which we discover. Come immerse yourself in the City of Light to acquire these exciting biochemical insights. Picture it: our small group discussing carbohydrate structure and breakdown over croissants and macarons; our team learning about the drivers of aging and disease at the Catacombs. In this program, during our tour of the particle accelerator, SOLEIL, we will consider, "how does 'culture' work on an atomic level?" While walking the halls of churches, opera houses, theatres, we will examine how proteins and their interactions are a lot like people and vice versa, elucidating the known determinants of cell signaling en route. We will make perfume and visit the Luxembourg Gardens, while also learning the mechanism by which our nose detects those small volatile organic compounds we call "smells". We will learn that the French would say "nos nez dance avec les effluves fragile que l’on appelle ‘odeurs." Let us gain the language of biochemistry in Paname; à bientôt!
 
Faculty Jesalyn Bolduc
Assistant Teaching Professor
Department of Chemistry
Accommodation Shared rooms at an apart-hotel, internet and kitchenette included.
Excursions Musee du Fromage. Includes guided visit and tasting. • Les Catacombes. Includes entrance fees. • Luxembourg Gardens. Includes guided walking tour. • Musee d'Orsay. Includes guided visit. • Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle. Includes entrance fees. • Notre Dame. Free entry. • Palais Garnier. Includes guided visit. • Arts et Metiers. Includes entrance fees. • Sainte-Chapelle. Includes entrance fees. • Eiffel Tower. Includes tickets to the summit. • Pantheon. Includes guided visit. • Seine River Cruise 
Selection
  • Good Academic Standing
  • Interest in subject matter
  • Open to all majors
Costs TBD
  • Program Fee
  • Airfare (estimated)
  • Personal Expenses (estimated)
Program Fee
Airfare (estimated) -
Personal Expenses (estimated) -
Estimated total cost -
Scholarships Scholarships are available through the Center for Global Programs and Studies
Visa & Passport Passport Information
Students need to check their passport's expiration date and ensure that it will be valid for at least 1 year after the program's end date.
US passport holders who need to renew their passport should visit the U.S. Department of State's passport website for information on this process.
Non-US passport holders who need to renew their passport should refer to their home country's passport office.

Visa Information
If you are a US citizen, you most likely will not require a visa for your short term abroad program. If you do, details will be shared with you by GPS. Non-US passport holders should check with their host country's embassy or consulate to find out if a visa is required for their program or not.
Contact Faculty: Jesalyn Bolduc
Assistant Teaching Professor
Department of Chemistry

Amanda Batten
Study Abroad Advisor
Center for Global Programs and Studies
(336) 758-3194
battena@wfu.edu
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