【Article by International College of Innovation】
On April 19, the International Program on Austronesian Studies (IPAS) held a student lunchdialogue at the second floor of the International Building. Part of the International College of Innovation (ICI) and led by Prof. Rik De Busser, IPAS gives students an opportunity to learn more about the Austronesian people of Taiwan and the Pacific Area from a multidisciplinary perspective.

The lunch-dialogue was attended by professors teaching in the program, students and staff. It had the aim of bringing teachers and students of the program together in a relaxed setting, allowing them to get to know each other and the program better, and to give some feedback on their experience.

On the menu was an authentic Indonesian meal of beef rendang, tempeh, stir-fried noodles, and turmeric rice along with a dessert of glutinous and yam cake filled with grated coconut meat wrapped in banana leaves. The director also prepared some freshly cooked millet porridge, once a staple food of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. A mix of traditional and modern music from the Philippine Cordilleras and Northern Mindanao completed the Austronesian ambiance.