In a lively, festival-style atmosphere, the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers hosted its fourth-annual SASE Exchange last Sunday to showcase traditional food and activities of seven different countries.

Stalls representing Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam flanked all sides of the Mandela Room, allowing students to rotate between each country and enjoy food catered by Kampai Japanese Steakhouse. Options included teriyaki chicken and vegetables, fried rice, mandu dumplings drizzled in ponzu sauce, and samples of different flavors of Boy Bawang, a popular Filipino corn snack.

While SASE was founded in 2011 as a professional organization to support STEM students, it also strived to find new ways to integrate the diversity of Asian cultures into its mission. Marc Sandoval, the organization’s president and a junior majoring in computer engineering, explained how the E-Board selected which countries to feature this year, including additions like Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates, despite the club not having any members from those backgrounds.

“Every single year, we just try to one-up ourselves,” Sandoval said. “By choosing different countries and not sticking to the same countries, we’re able to hit that mark of being able to teach new things about different countries. Because throughout the research process, we also just research these countries and prepare ourselves for being able to demonstrate what these countries are.”

Themed after Disney World’s Epcot and its World Showcase, there was a scaled-down replica of the iconic Spaceship Earth ride in the center of the room, encircled by a handmade miniature golf course. On each stall were banners inspired by the respective country’s flag and cardboard cutouts of Disney characters. Behind the scenes, E-Board members and volunteers engaged in a daylong ordeal piecing together these decorations from scratch.

Rebecca Jang, one of the organization’s marketing chairs and a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering, stepped up to help organize this year’s SASE Exchange, helping plan and promote the event. She said that the collaboration between members made SASE’s “biggest event of the year” possible.

“Everyone plays a part,” Jang said. “Everyone’s assigned a role [or] a country to do some sort of deco and organize — at least contribute in some way.”

Attendees tried their hand at popular children’s games like Vietnamese ô ăn quan or “Mandarin square capturing,” a version of Mancala, and Filipino tumbang preso, or “knock down the can.” There was also a virtual racing simulator booted up in the corner, based on the renowned Yas Marina Circuit located in Abu Dhabi. By visiting and engaging with each country’s stall, attendees could enter a raffle to win prizes and gift cards.

Sandoval expanded on what distinguished this year’s SASE Exchange from years prior.

“The importance of this event was being able to represent all the underrepresented Asian countries, being UAE or Sri Lanka, we really want to highlight the essence of those countries and sort of bring to life to our general body,” Sandoval said. “Because one of our main goals is to teach and being able to have a platform this big to show all of our general body what these countries are all about — and even just a glimpse of what their culture is — I think that’s the importance of us.”