The team of Chemistry Undergraduates from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, who represented the university at the Annual Inter University Debate Competition organized by the Institute of Chemistry Ceylon (IChemC) on March 4th, 2023, secured the first runner-up position in the competition.
Eight students from the university participated in the competition: Govini Perera, Hirusha Liyanage, Minduli Perera, Devin Dharmaratne, Sajani Pathiranage, Darshitha Dilshan, Keshala Gunarathna and Vindula Vidarshana. They competed against teams from other universities such as University of Peradeniya, University of Ruhuna, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka and the College of Chemical Sciences.
The competition consisted of two sessions where each team debated with all the other teams under the league method. The team from College of Chemical Sciences won the competition while Rajarata University of Sri Lanka came third. The University of Sri Jayewardenepura team thanked their Lecturer in Charge, Prof. Theshini Perera, and Ms. Manesha Fernando for their guidance and support. They also expressed their gratitude to their past debating captain, Lasni Nishshanke, for her valuable input during their practice sessions via Zoom. They acknowledged the encouragement they received from the Head of the Department of Chemistry, Prof. Champa Jayaweera and the other lecturers of the department.
The team also appreciated Dr. Kushan Weerasiri, Chairperson of the Inter- University Debating Committee and the Institute of Chemistry Ceylon for providing them with an opportunity to showcase their skills and engage in intellectual discussions as young scientists.
