April - June 2011 - University of Peradeniya

University of Peradeniya News
A quarterly update of important events of the University of Peradeniya
Volume 04, No. 08 April – June 2011
ISSN 2012-5356
Contents
Mahapola Scholarship Award
Ceremony
Blood Donation Camp
Dengue Prevention Week
Inter Medical Faculty
Paediatric Quiz 2011
FAHS News
Library News
Orientation Programme for
BBA (Online)
Sports
The Commemoration of the 2600th Anniversary
of the Sri Sambuddhatva Jayanti at the University of Peradeniya
The anniversary celebrations organized by the Sri Sambuddhatva Jayanti Steering
Committee of the University of Peradeniya commenced on 5th May 2011with the
launching of Vesak Greeting Cards by the Vice Chancellor of the University, and
the Dean of the Faculty ofArts.
The Vice Chancellor presenting the Vesak Greeting Cards to the most Venerable Mahanayaka
theros of Asgiriya and Malwatta Chapters.
The Vesak Greeting Cards were handed over to the Dean of the Faculty of Arts by
Ven. Dr. M. Gnanananda, the Chairman of the Sri Sambuddhatva Jayanti Steering
Committee, and the Dean presented them to the Vice Chancellor.
Subsequently, the Vice Chancellor offered the Vesak Greeting Cards and the
details of the anniversary Programme to the most Venerable Mahanayaka theros
ofAsgiriya and Malwatta Chapters on 05th May 2011 at their official temples.
.
Students of the University of Peradeniya singing Bhakthi Geetha on Vesak Day
Ven. Dr. M. Guanananda thero and Mr. D.R.G.K. Godamunna, the Public
Relations Officer of the University of Peradeniya, also participated in this event.
University of Peradeniya to Represent Sri Lanka at Imagine Cup 2011
in NewYork
Perasoft Team from the Department of Computer Engineering, Faculty of
Engineering, won the first place at the Sri Lanka Finals of Imagine Cup 2011
Competition held on 27th May 2011.
The winning team members were Lahiru Senadheera, Madusanka Dasanayake,
Lakshita Herath and Dinushan Samarakoon. This year, these students will
represent Sri Lanka in the International Finals of Imagine Cup 2011 in New
York. The team was coached by Dr. Dhammika Elkaduwa and Dr. Roshan
Ragel of the Department of Computer Engineering.
Contd. Page 2
University of Peradeniya News Web : www.pdn .ac.lk
Statistics & Information Unit, Senate Building Tel. : 081-2392433
University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya.
E-mail : statofficer@pdn.ac.lk
University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka.
Contd. Last Page
The winning Team: Lahiru Senadheera,
Madusanka Dasanayake, Lakshita Herath,
Dinushan Samarakoon

The competition was intense and teams from the UCSC, SLIIT, Informatics, CSE (Moratuwa), and IT
(Moratuwa) participated. Informatics and the University of Moratuwa became the First and the Second
Runners up respectively. Imagine Cup is a Microsoft Company sponsored competition for international
students. For details, please visit http://www.imaginecup.com/
Engineering students to take part in a competition in USA
A team of four Final year Electrical and Electronics Engineering students have been selected for the final
round of the 'International Future Energy Challenge' (IFEC) competition. This international competition,
held every two years and open to universities around the world, is sponsored by the Institute of Electrical
and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).
The proposal by the team from the University of
Peradeniya titled “Li-Ion battery charger for
automotive and renewable energy applications''
was selected for the first round. All four team
members attended the workshop which coincided
with Applied Power Electronics Conference
(APEC) in Texas, USA, on the 6th of March 2011.
After evaluating the progress of the project, the
organizing committee selected seven teams to
compete in the final competition to be held on 22nd
and 23rd July, 2011 in Michigan, USA. The team
from the University of Peradeniya is among the
seven selected teams.
The members of the team are S.M.K.B. Samarakoon, H.S. Jayakody, P.S.N. Perera and R.R.S. De Bulathge,
and the Faculty advisor is Dr. S.G.Abeyratne of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
Mahapola Scholarship Award Ceremony – 2009/2010
The Mahapola Scholarship Award Ceremony for the 2009/2010 batch of the University of Peradeniya was
held on 11.06.2011 at the E.O.E. Perera Hall, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya.
1,575 students in the 2009/2010 batch of the University were selected as beneficiaries of the Mahapola
Scholarship. Prof. K Premaratne, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University, graced the event as the
Chief Guest.
Prof. K Premaratne, the
Deputy Vice Chancellor
awards a certificate to a
student
Special Invitees of the
Ceremony
A group of participants
University of Peradeniya News 02

Prof. S.B. Weerakoon /Dean - Faculty of Engineering, Prof. (Mrs.) A.S.P. Abhayaratna/Dean –
Faculty of Arts, Dr. D.B.M. Wickramarathne /Dean-Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Prof. P.
Abeynayake/Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Mr. G. Bogaswaththa/
Manager, Bank of Ceylon, Peradeniya and Mrs. S.N. Dharmarathne /Manager, Bank of Ceylon
(University Branch) also participated at the ceremony.
The Mahapola Scholarship Award Ceremony was organized by the Student Services Branch of
the University.
th
The 7 National Training Course in Integrating Sexual and Reproductive
Health Services in Crises
th
The 7 National Training Course in Integrating
Sexual and Reproductive Health Services in Crises
conducted by the Health Emergency and Disaster
Management Training Centre (HEDMaTC) in
collaboration with the UNFPA was held as a threeday
residential training programme from 12th -
14th May 2011 at Hotel Topaz, Kandy. The
participants included the Provisions Director of
Health Services (PDHS), Medical Officer/Family
Health Bureau(MO/FHB), Act. Medical Officer of
Health (MOH), the Medical Officer in charge of
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD), the
Additional MOH, MO Health Promotion, the Registrar of Community Medicine, School MO, MO /Non-
Communicable Diseases (NCD), MO /In charge, MO Coordinator/Rehabilitation and the MO of Mental
Health. Ten resource persons conducted the training programme for 20 participants. At the completion of
seven successful programs, the total number of trained persons in this field island-wide increased to 165.
Blood Donation Camp
ABlood Donation Camp organized by the Sevaka Subhasadaka Sangamaya (Employees' Welfare Society) of
the Security Division of the University of Peradeniya was conducted on 22nd June 2011 at the premises of the
Security Office.
The camp was conducted in accordance with a proposal presented by Mr. G.W. Ranaweera, the Deputy Chief
th
Security Officer of the University of Peradeniya to mark the 2600 anniversary of the Sri Sambuddhatva
Jayanti. Sixty two donors including the Deputy Chief Security Officer, Security Inspectors, Security Guards,
Academic and Non Academic employees of the University as well as some students donated blood at this
camp.
Blood was received by the Blood Bank of the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital. Security Inspectors and
Security Guards extended their fullest support to this noble cause, and the expenses were borne by the
Welfare Society of the Security Division of the University of Peradeniya.
University of Peradeniya News 03

Book Launching Ceremony
The launch of the “Irrigation Heritage of Sri Lanka”
and the “Future of the Environment” (in Sinhala)
written by Mr. Muditha Prasannajith Perera, a lecturer
in the Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, was
held on 22-03-2011 at the Geography Theater.
Prof.A.S.P.Abayaratna, the Dean of the Faculty ofArts
participated as the Chief Guest, and Prof. S.K.
Hennayake, Head of the Department of Geography,
Ven. Prof. H. Deerannada, Prof. G.H. Peris, Prof.
H.M.D.R. Herath, Prof. M. Somathilake and Dr. H.B.
Nanayakkara expressed their views on the books.
Academic staff members of the Faculty of Arts and the staff of the Department of Geography also
participated.
Dengue Prevention Week from 20 – 26 June 2011
The Health Centre of the University of Peradeniya in collaboration with the Health Ministry organized
several activities to coincide with the Dengue Prevention Week (20 -26 June 2011).The Health Centre took
measures to inspect Faculties, the Halls of Residence, the University Quarters, other buildings and their
environs, and cleaned up dengue breeding grounds and briefed the residents in the said locations regarding
preventive measures (labourers attached to the Health Services Division had already taken steps to clean the
trench system and potential mosquito breeding grounds as part of their daily routine). Large amounts of waste
material such as bottles, yoghurt cups, food wrappers and polythene bags were found around the newly built
milk stall near the New Arts Theatre where several dengue larvae were also found, and measures were taken
to clean up the area. Furthermore, dengue larvae were found in nine University Quarters and steps were taken
to educate the residents and to clean up the places where larvae are bred. This program shall be implemented
regularly in the future.
The Photo showing a bowl filled with rain
water in which dengue larvae were found
The leaflet distributed by the Health Services Division:-
“ Let's line up to prevent dengue” -
A message from the Health Service Division
Please take steps to inspect your work place, Faculty, Halls of Residence, University Quarters, other buildings
and their environs to locate mosquito breeding grounds and clean them up. This procedure should not be
limited to the Dengue Prevention Week but must be carried out at least once a week.
University of Peradeniya News 04

Observe the following:
Earn money by collecting and selling
discarded items such as plastic bowls/
tins/bottles/coconut shells/yoghurt cups/
curd pots/polythene etc, or store them away
from rain water or bury them by cutting into
small pieces.
Do not allow the deadly Dengue mosquito to
breed in your home/neighbourhood. Follow the
above recommendations once a week and make
your contribution to eradicate the Dengue
epidemic from Sri Lanka. Negligence shall lead
to prosecution in terms of the relevant law.
Fill sand into discarded tires in order to
prevent water from collecting in them, or
make holes or store them in a sheltered place.
Make sure that rain water flows down
concrete roofs, gutters etc. by removing
items such as dried leaves from these places.
Clean blocked gutters to make rain water flow
down easily.
Clean ponds, flower pots, etc. once a week.
Avoid plants which may retain rain water on
leaves, or trees with holes, or bamboo wood.
If these already exist, remove or inspect them
regularly in order to prevent rain water from
collecting in them.
Keep water tanks, barrels, cans etc. tightly
closed, and clean them once a week.
Clean your fridge at least once a week, and
remove ant traps.
FAHS News
The final results of the 01st batch (2005/2006)
of Pharmacy students in the Faculty of Allied
Health Sciences have been released and they
will be awarded the Bachelor of Pharmacy
Degree at the next Convocation.
The X-Ray unit of the Faculty is now in
operation and X-ray images can be obtained at
affordable prices.
The Physiotherapy Service unit of the FAHS is
now providing outpatient treatment at
affordable prices.
rd
The 3 Volume of the Sir Lanka Bulletin of
Nursing and Allied Health Sciences is ready
for publication, and interested parties are
encouraged to send in their articles for the next
issue.
Work related to the installation of the
structured data network at the Faculty ofAllied
Health Sciences is in progress.
Winners of the Inter Medical Faculty Paediatric Quiz 2011
The Annual Inter Medical Faculty Paediatric Quiz
organized by the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians
th
was held for the 5 consecutive year on the 8th of May
2011 at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute,
Independence Square, Colombo.
The team from the Medical Faculty of the University of
Peradeniya was outstanding in their performance and
won the prestigious Paediatric Quiz for the third
consecutive year by defeating contestants from five
other Medical Faculties in the country.
The members of the team were Dr. A.M.G.A.R.
Bandara, Dr. M.H.Wattegama, Dr. C.S.Danasekara, Dr.
C.N. Kahathuduwa and Dr. S.L.A.D.C.B. Perera.
The students of the Faculty of Medicine,
University of Peradeniya, won the same
competition in 2007, 2009, 2010, and were runners
up in 2008.
University of Peradeniya News 05

Library News
Subsequent to the introduction of databases
such as Science Direct, Emerald, SCOPUS
etc to a group of academic staff members
from the University of Peradeniya in March
2010, access is now made available to these
resources through the Main Library of the
University of Moratuwa. Please contact
Mrs. H. Dissanayake, Senior Asst. Librarian
/ IT Division ( harshanid@pdn.ac.lk) for
more information.
The revised website of the University of
Peradeniya Library Network was launched
in mid May 2011. Please visit us at
www.lib.pdn.ac.lk .
The Main Library has re-opened its Front
Counter as an Inquiry Desk which appears to
be of added assistance to library users.
Mrs. K.P.K. Dambawinna, Senior Assistant
Librarian/AHS Library and Mrs.
B.M.M.C.B. Hindagolla, Assistant
Librarian/ Dental Library, are attending an
advanced training in library practice at
Niigata University, Japan, from 1st June to
31stAugust 2011.
Two senior staff members of the UP Library
Network were awarded the University
Research Grants for the year 2011 for the
following projects:
A Study on the Use of Resources and
Services in the Medical Library (including
the e-library) by its users – Mrs.
P.A.S.H.
Perera, Senior Assistant Librarian/Medical
Library.
Use of Information Communication
Technologies by the Dental Sciences
undergraduates at the University of
Peradeniya – Ms. C.N.K. Alahakoon, Senior
Assistant Librarian/Reference Services.
A “User Awareness Seminar on Health
Information for Health Professionals” was
organized by the Medical Library on 26th May
2010 at the E-library, Faculty of Medicine. The
Seminar was sponsored by the WHO and was
attended by academics of the Faculties of the
Dental Sciences, Medicine and Veterinary
Medicine. Four resource persons made
presentations and 'hands on computer' sessions
at the Seminar.
The Orientation Programme for the BBA (Online) Degree - 2011
The Orientation Programme 2011 for the Bachelor of Business Administration (Online) Degree students
conducted through the Centre for Distance and Continuing Education was held on 9th April 2011 at the
CDCEAuditorium. Atotal of 72 students are enrolled in this programme for the current academic year.
Prof. A.S.P Abhayaratna, Dean, Faculty of Arts, Dr. A.G.H.J Edirisinghe, Director/CDCE, Mrs. Malani
Ranasinghe Chairperson/Boards of Study and Dr. M. Alfred, Academic Coordinator/ BBA Online
Programme, addressed the students. Subject experts offered brief introductions to the different courses in the
Degree Programme.
Sports
Selection Trials to choose the Sri Lanka
University team for the World University Games
2011 were conducted during April at various
venues. The Selection Trial for the game of Chess
was conducted from 02nd to 04th April at the
University of Moratuwa. Three students, KMHK
Konara-E/07/174, PRGDK Jayathilake-
S/08/206 & RS Kalugampitiya-S/08/373, from
the University of Peradeniya were selected to the
Sri Lanka University Chess Team. The Trial for
the track & field events was also held in the first
week of April at the Diyagama International
stadium. WMTK Weerasekara- AG/FT/06/023
was chosen to take part in the World University
Games to be held in China from 07th to 22nd
August, 2011. HY Weerathunga will be
representing Sri Lanka in swimming.
The University of Moratuwa organized 'Mora
Hockey 7's Invitational Tournament 2011' at the
premises of the Moratuwa University on 05th May
2011. The University of Peradeniya women's team
clinched the Champion's Trophy and the men's
team came third.
University of Peradeniya News 06

The Inter University Carrom Championship
was held from 25th to 26th June 2011 at the Sri
Lanka Carrom Federation, Reid Avenue,
Colombo. The women's team of the University of
Peradeniya became the first runner-up but the
men's team lost at the quarter final.
The Inter University Tennis Championship
took place at the tennis courts of the University of
Moratuwa from 10th to 13th June 2011. The
University of Peradeniya men's team secured
third place and the women's team came fourth.
The University of Peradeniya weightlifters
performed extremely well at the Inter University
Weightlifting Championship to become the
Overall Runner-up.
The National Youth Service Council
conducted the District Volleyball Tournament on
10th June, 2011. The University of Peradeniya
men's team won the champion's title and entered
the National Youth Service Volleyball competition
held on 22nd June 2011 at Ruwanwella.
Unfortunately, the team failed to secure a medal
position.
Ms. MRK Karunathilake was the winner at the
Central Province Karate Championship held on
20th June 2011 at the Gymnasium of the
University of Peradeniya. She won in the 60 Kg
weight category.
Ruggerites from the University of Peradeniya
performed well in the premier competition of the
Inter University Rugby Championship 2011 and
became the Inter University winners. Our
ruggerites defeated leading teams such as those
from the University of Moratuwa, University of
Sri Jayewardenepura and the Rajarata University.
The University of Peradeniya women's Hockey
team became champions and the men's team came
fourth at the Inter University Hockey
Championships held from 16th to 19th June &
23rd to 26th at the University of Colombo.
Details of Retired / Resigned Employees(for the period from 01-04-2011 to 30-06-2011)
Name Designation Department Years of Service
01 Mr. UB Seelangedara Plumber- Gr. I Maintenance Division 44
02 Mr. ANMN Navaratne Staff Technical Officer - Gr. I Faculty of Engineering 38
03 Mr. DM Wijesooriya Mechanic - Special Grade Faculty of Engineering 37
04 Mr. PG Abeyrathne Banda Lab Attendant - Special Grade Faculty of Medicine 37
05 Mr. EG Samaradasa Karyala Karya Sahayaka Faculty of Arts 36
06 Mr. JPG Pathiraja Labourer - Special Grade Faculty of Vet. Medicine & Animal Sci. 36
07 Mrs. SI Wansekara Senior Staff Assistant Student Services Branch 35
- Stenography Services
08 Mrs. ABM Nijam Staff Assistant Faculty of Arts 34
- Clerical Services
09 Mrs. LPG Yoganathan Senior Staff Assistant Faculty of Arts 34
- Clerical Services
10 Mr. PGBH Bojaraja Senior Staff Assistant Faculty of Engineering
33
- Clerical Services
11 Mrs. AWAKK Amarasinghe Senior Staff Assistant Financial Administration 33
- Clerical Services
12 Mr. D Rambukwella Deputy Registrar Academic Establishments 32
13 Mr. DM Tikiribanda Labourer - Special Grade Engineering Workshop 31
14 Mr. WA Samaranayake Senior Assistant Registrar Non-Academic Establishments 31
15 Mr. WIF Jayawardhane Labourer - Special Grade Physical Education Division 31
16 Mr. DM Tikiribanda Lab Attendant - Higher Grade Faculty of Science 27
17 Mr. RDJ Wijewardena Full Time Sub Warden Jayathilake Hall 26
- Special Grade
18 Mrs. ND Somawathie Labourer - Gr. I Hilda Obeysekara Hall 26
19 Mr. HM Herath Banda Caretaker - Special Grade Upper Hanthana Guest House 26
20 Mr. WMA Wickramasinghe Supervisor - Gr. I Faculty of Arts 23
21 Mr. WK Wipulasena Labourer - Special Grade Faculty of Vet. Medicine & Animal Sci. 21
22 Mr. CPS Ilangasinghe Staff Technical Officer Gr. - II Faculty of Medicine 17
University of Peradeniya News 07

University of Peradeniya News
A quarterly update of important events of the University of Peradeniya
Other programmes conducted by the University of Peradeniya to commemorate the
2600th anniversary of the Sri Sambuddhatva Jayanti
Re-structured web site of the University of Peradeniya – www.pdn.ac.lk
The University of Peradeniya is pleased to announce the launch of its improved and updated version of the
www.pdn.ac.lk website. The updated version of the site was released on 02nd May 2011. The site has been
redesigned to provide a better and efficient service to the University staff, students and the internet community.
The new website provides enhanced access to the information and resources of the University of Peradeniya.A
clear structure, simplified navigation and improved search functions are some of its new features.
If you experience any difficulties with the new website or have comments or suggestions, please contact
the Web Developer at webmaster@pdn.ac.lk.
University of Peradeniya,
Peradeniya, 20400,
Sri Lanka.