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From the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University, the Gatty Lecture Rewind Podcast features interviews and conversations with scholars and researchers working in and around Southeast Asia, all of whom have been invited to give a Gatty Lecture at Cornell University. Conversations cover the history, politics, economics, literature, art, and cultures of the region. Podcast topics cover the many nations and peoples of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma, Laos, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and Timor-Leste. For more information on the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University, visit our website. Music provided by 14 Strings and the Cornell Gamelan Ensemble.

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  2. Episode 144: Lydia O’Meara, Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, Cornell University

Episode 144: Lydia O’Meara, Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, Cornell University

Mar 11, 2026

In this episode, host Namfon Narumol Choochan is joined by Francine Barchett, former host of the Gatty Rewind Podcast and a Cornell PhD candidate in Natural Resources & the Environment. Together, they interview Lydia O'Meara, a postdoctoral fellow at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability. Lydia studies how diets in coastal communities can reveal links between human nutrition and marine ecosystem health. Her research focuses on Timor-Leste in the Coral Triangle, a biodiversity hotspot where many people rely on fish but face growing threats from climate change and biodiversity loss. Using mobile phones to collect frequent dietary data, she works to fill important data gaps and track changes over time. Tune in to learn more about how her work connects nutrition and environment! 

 

Lightning round(Lecture Summary): 3:45

Main interview: 9:36

9:55 – How did you become interested in nutrition and food security, particularly with a focus on women and children?
13:39 – Why did you decide to focus on Timor-Leste? How did your research experience in Uganda help you navigate research in the context of Timor-Leste?
17:27 – What does fish species diversity look like in the region?
20:16 – Are there differences in fish consumption between men and women?
22:57 – What are the dynamics of mobile phone use, and how is the system structured?
26:38 – How did you develop the method of using mobile phones to collect data?
29:46 – How did the technical process work? What recommendations do you have for scholars using technology in their research?
31:59 – What languages are used in the project?
33:40 – Who are the main stakeholders in the current project? Did your experience collecting data in Uganda help you use or interpret the data differently in this context?
36:46 – What does development and growth look like in Timor-Leste?
38:00 – What are the implications if we overlook the data and marginalized women in Timor-Leste?

Advice for researchers and recommendations: 40:34

Dr. O”Meara’ top recommendations: 

The music on the podcast is from "14 Strings!", a Filipino-style Rondalla group established at Cornell University. Check them out here.  

 

Produced by Neen Yada Tangcharoenmonkong, Adam Farihin, and Cecilia Liu