University-industry collaboration for strengthening the knowledge hub of Sri Lanka

Inaugural Ceremony

20 November 2014 (Thursday) 8.30 am to 12.30 pm at the Auditorium, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo
AGENDA
8.30 – 9.00 am Registration (with Tea)
9.00 – 9.15 am National Anthem and Lighting of the Oil Lamp
9.15 – 9.30 am Welcome Address by Dr W. Kumara Hirimburegama, Vice-Chancellor, University of Colombo
9.30 – 9.35 am Introduction of the Keynote Speaker by Prof H D Karunaratne, Symposium Chair
9.35 -10.30 am Keynote Address by Mr Rohan Pallewatta, CEO, Lanka Harness Company Ltd
10.30 -10.45 am Introduction of the Panel Members by Dr Kokila Konasinghe, Faculty of Law
10.45 -12.15 pm Panel Discussion
12.15 -12.30 pm Thanking Note by Dr Inoka Perera, Faculty of Science
12.30 pm Lunch

Key Note Speaker

Mr. Rohan pallewatta is presently the executive chairman of Lanka harness co; (Pvt) ltd., the core business of this company is the manufacturing of impact sensors for automobile airbags and seat belts. Customers include Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi and Mazda in Japan, ford, general motors and Chrysler in the USA and Volvo, Saab, BMW, Aston Martin, Opel and Renault of Europe. Mr Pallewatta rakes into the country’s foreign revenue worth over us $ 25 million annually. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Sri Lankan economy, the junior chamber international in 2006 awarded him the most prestigious award “the toyp” in the category of business and entrepreneurial accomplishment. An attorney at law by profession, versatile rohan pallewatta holds a b.A. (English special) and has an MBA from the University of Sri jayawardenapura. He has been a visiting lecturer and an examiner in business law since 2000. His most recent appointment is as the director of a recently incorporated state resources management corporation that directly reports to his excellency the president.

The quality requirement of the product that Mr. Pallewatta manufacture is 1 ppm; which means only a single defect would be tolerated for a million produced. The uniqueness of rohan’s achievement is that this is the first time that Sri Lanka has entered the international market with a 1 ppm quality product. A product of st. Anthony’s college, Kandy was the head prefect in the year 1987. In march 2013 Mr Pallewatta was conferred the platinum honour by the alumni of sri jayewardenepura university for his lifetime contribution to management excellence.


Panel Members

Mr. Merrick Gooneratne – Executive Director of TOSLanka Company (Private) Limited

The Government of Japan announced, that TORSGR-2014 will be conferred upon a distinguished Sri Lankan for his un diminishing passion for and uncompromising commitment to promoting Sri Lanka-Japan friendship and relationship. He is an alumnus of the University of Peradeniya. Having obtained his Bachelor’s degree there, he joined Sri Lanka Administrative Service and reached gradually the level of being appointed as Sri Lankan Tea Commissioner to Tokyo. He was a beneficiary of the Japanese Government Postgraduate Research Scholarship and the immediate Past President of the Japanese Graduates’ Alumni Association of Sri Lanka. He is widely known to the corporate world today as a visionary entrepreneur.

Zahara Ashraff – Head of Human Resources, MAS Innovation

She is an alumna of Reading University in the United Kingdom, this personality also holds the status of being a distinguished alumna of Kings College, London. Quintessentially, this possessing distilled expertise in crafting and implementing cutting-edge human resource practices in the industry whilst working hand in hand with universities in Sri Lanka and overseas for nurturing much-needed talent for the labour market. Being a fully-fledged human resource practitioner, today this personality is driving the professional practice of inspiring and leading people at MAS Innovation (Private) Limited. Magnanimously, this personality has been playing a role, with dynamism and zest, as a linchpin between MAS and the university system in Sri Lanka.

Dr. W. Kumara Hirimburegama – Vice Chancellor, University of Colombo

The academia has been the fertile ground for this personality who is always challenging the conventional wisdom with visionary thinking. He is an internationally recognized Scientist with research involvement in nuclear techniques, chemical and biological weapon prevention, molecular biotech research at many prestigious global institutions including the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna-Austria. Being a pioneering personality in forging university-industry collaboration, he has inspired several University-Industry collaborations including an island-wide ICT programmes with the Sri Lanka Federation of Chambers of Industry and Commerce and Cisco Networking Academy. The academic excellence of this eminent scholar was recognised when he made a unique contribution through modern technology to the promotion of Tamil and Sinhala languages among Sri Lankans, to develop national harmony and peace, in-keeping with national policies. Recognizing his contribution as a Scientist to education, in 2010 he was awarded at the 36th Annual Aryabhata International Award for Education in Bangalore, India.

Mr. Gamini Saparamadu – Managing Director, Kent Trophies & Awards (Pvt) Ltd

He articulated emphatically what makes an entrepreneur and how entrepreneurship can build an unbreakable marriage between university and industry. In the year of 1981, following his life-long dream to become a commercial and advertising film maker, he graduated at Bryan Ward Commercial Film Making Academy in the United Kingdom. Being a leading entrepreneur in the country today, he began this journey in 1984 when he commenced the Photografix Commercial and Advertising Studios and Kent Group of Companies. The consistent entrepreneurial success and unwavering commitment to promoting innovative entrepreneurship of this personality are visible for three decades under his transformational leadership of Kent Group of Companies which embodies 11 independent companies and an approximately 950-employee workforce. In recognition of his sustained success and achievements in the world of entrepreneurship, he was awarded the National Platinum Award for the Sri Lankan Entrepreneur in 2014.

Professor H. D. Karunaratne – Chairman, Annual Research Symposium 2014

A personality ventured into pursuing an illustrious academic career at the University of Colombo with earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with First Class Honours at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in 1990. Besides, he has proved his academic excellence by earning two master’s degrees in Economics, one from the University of Colombo and the other one from Nagoya City University in Japan, and a Ph.D. in International Development Economics from Nagoya University in Japan. He has published and presented more than 92 articles and 5 books. This distinguished academic has been engaged actively in disseminating scientific knowledge by undertaking the editorship of many internationally and locally recognised journals. As a coordinator of many postgraduate level programmes, he has contributed to the progressive advancement of the university education system. He has also served as the Dean of the Faculty of Management and Finance and is the incumbent Head of the Department of Business Economics. The University of Colombo took the pride of recognising his academic brilliance by awarding him the best researcher award at the General Convocation. To his credit, this personality was holding a two-year Invited Professorship in Economics at Hosei University in Tokyo.


Panel Discussion

  • Dr. W Kumara Hirimburegama, Vice-Chancellor, University of Colombo
  • Mr. Gamini Saparamadu, Managing Director, Kent Trophies & Awards (Pvt) Ltd
  • Mr. Merrick Gooneratne, Chief Executive, TOS Lanka Company Ltd
  • Ms. Zahara Ashra, Head of Human Resources, MAS Innovation (Pvt) Ltd
  • Moderator: Professor H D Karunaratne |Symposium Chair, University of Colombo

1] Guidelines for preparation of abstracts

    1. The abstract must report original research.
    2. The title should be brief and explain the study reported. Capital letters should be used only for the first letter in the first word of the title and proper nouns.
    3. The author/s names and addresses:
      • Capital letters should be used only for the initials and the first letters of the surnames of authors.
      • The address of the Institution in which the work was carried out should be included under the author’s name.
      • If the collaborators are from different Institutions, the addresses of the Institutions should be included in brief. In this case, the adresses of the co-authors should be indicated by a number in superscript after the author’s names and before the respective adderesses (as shown below).

Example (multiple authors):
I. P. Menikpurage1, D. T. U. Abeytunga1, R. L. C. Wijesundara2
1 Department of Chemistry, Universtiy of Colombo, Colombo 03.
2 Department of Plant Sciences, University of Colombo, Colombo 03.

    1. The text of the abstract should be within the range of 300-350 words.
    2. Standard abbreviations of SI units should be used.
    3. The original and two legible copies of each abstract should be submitted. The two copies should carry only the title and the text and should not contain name(s) of author(s) and place(s) where the research has been carried out.
    4. Acknowledgements should be restricted to the names of funding agencies providing sponsorship.
    5. Use font “Times New Roman” size 11 with 1.5 spacing on A4 paper.

2] Guidelines for preparation of extended abstract (should be submitted with each abstract)

  1. The text should not exceed 1000 words.
  2. The text should cover the following aspects: Background, Objectives, Research Design/Materials and Methods, Results/ Findings, Conclusions and References.
  3. The original and two legible copies of the text should be submitted along with the abstract.
  4. Tables and diagrams can be included and should be referred to in text as Table 1 or Fig. 1.
  5. References: Should be limited to only essential ones.
  6. Use font “Times New Roman” size 11 with 1.5 spacing on A4 paper.

3] Declaration by the authors

  1. The annexed declaration form must be completed by the Corresponding Author and sent with each abstract and extended abstract submitted.
  2. All correspondence will be addressed to the Corresponding Author. If the Corresponding Author is a postgraduate student, then it is mandatory that the declaration form should be signed by the supervising author/s.
  3. The abstracts should be presented by a staff member or a postgraduate student of the University of Colombo. In the event that the presenter indicated in the application is unable to present the paper it is the responsibility of the Corresponding Author either to withdraw the paper inadvance or arrange for one of the Co-Authors to present the paper.

Guidelines for Faculty representatives of the Editorial Committee

Please adhere to the following deadlines with regard to the abstracts and extended abstracts:

  • Discuss with the respective Dean and appoint a committee with representatives from each of the departments in the faculty to coordinate the review work.
  • Deadline for submission of abstracts and extended abstracts – 30th September 2014
  • Send each of the abstracts along with the extended abstracts to at least 2 reviewers with the referee report
  • Deadline for completing the review – 15th October 2014
  • Submission of revised abstracts, incorporating reviewers’ comments – 20th October 2014
  • Edit the abstracts, i.e. correct grammatical and typographical errors and ensure that the spacing, author names and institution names are according to the provided guidelines.
  • Deadline for submission of accepted abstracts to Co-editors – 25th October 2014. Please ensure that each abstract fits into one A4 Page.

** Each faculty representative is expected to provide the theme of the symposium to the Deans of each Faculty and obtain a message from them to be published in the proceedings. The message should be edited and sent to Co-editors by 30th September 2014. We would be grateful if you could follow the above given deadlines and send the edited abstracts along with the Dean’s message to enable us to compile and print the proceedings in time.

Dr. M. Saman Dassanayake
Dr. Kokila Konasinghe
For the Editorial Committee

    1. Theme: University-industry collaboration for strengthening the knowledge hub of Sri Lanka
      The Editorial Committee for the Annual Research Symposium of the University of Colombo invites the academic staff members of the University of Colombo to submit abstracts and extended abstracts to be considered for presentation at the Technical Sessions of the Annual Research Symposium to be held in November 2014. These abstracts and extended abstracts should be based on original research work and, if accepted, should be presented by a staff member or a postgraduate student of the University of Colombo. All accepted abstracts will be published in the Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2014 of the University of Colombo.
    2. The deadline for submission of abstracts and extended abstracts: 30th September 2014
    3. Guidelines for preparation of abstracts and extended abstracts are attached. Please follow the instructions carefully and note that abstracts and extended abstracts not prepared according to the guidelines provided, or submitted after the deadline, will not be considered. To be considered, each submission should include the following three documents:
      1. Abstract – within the range of 300-350 words
      2. Extended abstract (inclusive of background, objectives, research design/materials and methods, results/findings, conclusions) or Synopsis – not exceeding 1,000 words
      3. The author’s declaration form.
    4. Important deadline: Authors should send in their abstracts and extended abstracts along with the author’s declaration form to the respective faculty representatives on or before the 30th September 2014. The list of respective faculty representatives follows:

Prof. W.N. Wickremasinghe Faculty of Science
Ms. Nazima Kamardeen Faculty of Law
Dr. Nuwani Amaratunga Faculty of Management
Prof. Sirimal Abeyratne Faculty of Arts
Prof. Manajula Vithanapathirana Faculty of Education
Mr Sarath Vidanagama Faculty of Graduate Studies
Prof. Varuni de Silva Faculty of Medicine
Dr. DharmaKeerthi Sri Ranjan Sri Palee Campus

For any further information, please contact the Assistant Registrar/Academic and Publications.
Dr. M. Saman Dassanayake
Co-editor
Annual Research Symposium – 2014

Dr. Kokila Konasinghe
Co-Editor
Annual Research Symposium- 2014
29th August 2014

Chairman of the Annual Research Symposium 2014 Professor HD Karunaratne
Editorial Committee
Dr Saman Dasanayake (Chief Editor) Dept. of Human Resource Mgt.
Dr Kokila Konasinghe (Co-Editor) Dept. of Public & International Law
Prof Sirimal Abeyratne Faculty of Arts
Prof Manajula Vithanapathirana Faculty of Education
Mr Sarath Vidanagama Faculty of Graduate Studies
Ms Nazima Kamardeen Faculty of Law
Dr Nuwani Amaratunga Faculty of Management
Prof Varuni de Silva Faculty of Medicine
Prof WN Wickremasinghe Faculty of Science
Dr Dharmakeerthi Sri Ranjan Sripalee Campus
Inauguration Committee
Mr MTM Mahees Faculty of Arts
Ms ES Neranjani Faculty of Education
Dr Sudheera Ranwala Faculty of Graduate Studies
Dr Anusha Perera Faculty of Law
Dr MPP Daharmadasa Faculty of Management
Prof Nalika Gunawardena Faculty of Medicine
Publicity Committee
Ms SRSGK Weerawansa Dept. of Economics
Mr HMWGPRA Bandara DR/Faculty of Graduate Studies
Mr Nipuna Suduwella Network Manager
Dr Ranjan Hettiarachchi Sri Palee Campus
Dr Kokila Konasinghe Dept. of Public & International Law
Dr LKP Wedikkarage Dept. of Social Science Education
Prof Sharmini Gunawardena Dept. of Parasitology
Dr Ashoka Ramanayake Dept. of Statistics

Faculty of Science

  • Session of the Faculty of Science of the Annual Research Symposium 2014 will be held on 21st of November 2014, at the Faculty of Science Premises. There will be three corresponding sessions for the streams, Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences and Physical Sciences.

NILIS Research Symposium 2014 “Information Literacy: Global Challenges, Local Solutions”

  • NILIS Research Symposium 2014, organised by the National Institute of Library and Information Sciences (NILIS), University of Colombo will be held on 21st November 2014. The theme of this year’s symposium is ‘Information Literacy: Global Challenges, Local Solutions. This is the biggest annual event of NILIS, which is a premier academic institution providing postgraduate education in Teacher Librarianship (TL), Library and Information Sciences (LIS) and Information Management (IM).
  • Researchers on TL, LIS, IM and allied fields including Information Communications Technology (ICT) can present their findings at the symposium. Also, inventors and innovators of information management related software, hardware and other applications can publish, and demonstrate such items at the symposium venue.

Dr. M. Saman Dassanayake
Co-editor

 

Dr. Kokila Konasinghe
Co-Editor
kokila@law.cmb.ac.lk