The Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS) held its 79th Annual Session on the 10th of December at the Bandaranayake Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo. The theme of the session was “Science Diplomacy as a Powerful Force for National Unity and Friendship among Nations.”
The Chief Guest of the event was Deshamanya Professor Mohan Munasinghe, a Nobel laureate and a leading expert on sustainable development. The session also featured the presentation of the Physical Science Awards, which recognize the outstanding research achievements of undergraduate students or recent graduates in the fields of Physics, Mathematics or Statistics. The awards were given to the top three candidates in each field of study, based on their research projects that were completed as a partial requirement for a B.Sc. Degree in a Sri Lankan University.
Among the award winners were three former students from the Department of Physics of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
- Ms. P.C.H. Peiris, currently a demonstrator, was awarded 1st Place in the 3-minute video competition 2023 for the submission of a video titled ‘Photon Therapy’.
- Ms. E.M.U.S. De Seram, also a demonstrator, was awarded 2nd Place in the same competition for the submission of a video titled ‘Leptons’.
- Mr. B.H.L.M. Fernando, currently an assistant lecturer, was awarded the 3rd Place of Physical Science Award (Physics) for the submission of a thesis titled ‘Development of Atom-Centered Positron Basis Sets for Qualitative Study of e+ – Molecule Interactions’ under the supervision of Dr. W.K.I.L. Wanniarachchi.
