Office of International Programs to host Brown Bag Lunch Series featuring Taiwanese culture

he Taiwanese Initiative in the Office of International Programs will host a lunch seminar series on April 12 and 14 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in 2222/2223 Student Center. The Brown Bag Lunch Series is open to everyone and free lunch will be provided.

“The Brown Bag Lunch Series offers an opportunity for the Auburn community to gain a better understanding of the Taiwanese culture and learn more about the Taiwan landscape while enjoying lunch in an exciting, educational environment,” said Ssu-Yu Chang, Taiwanese language and culture instructor in the Office of International Programs.

On April 12, Jason Chang will speak about Taiwan, the beautiful island that lies roughly 100 miles off the coast of southeastern China. Chang is a Taiwanese native who spent his early years on the island before moving to the United States in 1982 to further his education. He obtained his doctoral in Pharmacology at Ohio State University then trained as a post-doctoral researcher at Washington University. Later, Chang joined the Department of Neurobiology and Development Science at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to conduct scientific research and teach students brain behavior and cell biology. Finally, after a 28-year career, he retired in 2020 and moved to Auburn, Alabama.

The seminar on April 14 will be led by Kai-Jing Liu and focus on interesting facts about the Mandarin language. Liu obtained her bachelor’s in English and her master’s in teaching Chinese as a second language from Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages in Taiwan. Sharing Chinese culture and language with students is one of Liu’s passions. Throughout her career she has experienced several teaching opportunities and has taught a variety of Mandarin courses to students from diverse cultural backgrounds, levels and ages. She is now a Fulbright language teaching assistant at Emory University.

These lunch seminars are an outcome of the joint agreement between Auburn, the National Cheng Kung University, or NCKU, in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Atlanta. The goal of the agreement is to promote joint educational and cultural collaboration, and in turn establish a long-lasting friendship and cooperative partnership that enhances the educational experience at Auburn and NCKU.

To learn more about the Office of International Programs and their events throughout the year, visit here.