Learning together in Timor-Leste

Staff and students from the faculties of Agriculture and Environment , Education and Social Work , and Sydney Medical School have experienced first-hand how interdisciplinary collaboration is critical in tackling global challenges such as food security, thanks to a pilot program in Timor-Leste coordinated by the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre (SSEAC). The nine students, three from each faculty, spent a week rotating through placements in a clinic, primary school and farm in the community of Maubisse. They took part in activities such as measuring children's arms to see if they were underweight, instructing children on healthy eating and assessing food production and distribution systems. In the evenings the group came together with academic supervisors to reflect on what they had learned - and the value of cross-disciplinary collaboration. "This experience has equipped me with tools that'll enable me to teach in communities all around the world," said primary education student Paris Esposito. "The opportunity to work alongside medicine and agriculture students enabled inter-professional conversations that were rich, but also at times confronting." Honours student in agricultural economics, Adam Briggs, said the experience would have significant personal and professional benefits. "My time here has allowed me to appreciate the importance of interactions across a range of disciplines to achieve a balanced and well-considered 'solution," he said.