University of Sri Jayewardenepura participated in the Annual Inter-University Debate Competition organized by the Institute of Chemistry Ceylon (IChemC) on the 27th of April 2024 and secured the first runner-up position at the competition.
Eight students from the Department of Chemistry participated in the competition: Minduli Perera, Devin Dharmarathne, Avishka Thathsara, Darshitha Dilshan, Keshala Gunarathna, Hashma Imnisar, Wehara Gunawardena and Aaysha Sufran. They competed against two teams from the University of Colombo and the College of Chemical Sciences.
The competition was conducted according to the league method, where each team debated with all the other teams. The team from the College of Chemical Sciences won the competition, while the University of Colombo emerged third. The team from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura thanked their Lecturer-in-Charge, Prof. Theshini Perera, for her unwavering guidance and support throughout the course of the practice sessions. They also expressed their gratitude to their past debating captains, Lasni Nishshanke, Manesha Fernando, and Govini Perera, for their valuable input during their practice sessions via Zoom, as well as to Hirusha Liyanage, who extended his support by being present at the competition day. 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.
