Sri Lanka Science & Engineering Fair
(SLSEF) is a collaborative effort of the following partners:
- Ministry of Education (MoE) of Sri Lanka.
- National Science Foundation (NSF).
- Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL).
- Intel® Education.
Sri Lanka Science & Engineering
Fair (SLSEF) has been duly affiliated with Intel® International Science
& Engineering Fair (ISEF) in USA for the first time in October 2007.
Therefore, winners of SLSEF each year who meet the eligibility
criteria of Intel® ISEF would get an opportunity to compete/participate
at the Intel® ISEF held in USA in the month of May each year.
Intel® International Science & Engineering Fair
(ISEF)
Intel® ISEF is the world's largest pre-collegiate
science fair; Intel® has been the primary sponsor since 1996. The 2009
fair drew more than 1,500 young scientists from over 50 countries, regions,
and territories to compete for USD 4 million in scholarships and awards.
More information:
http://www.intel.com/education/ISEF
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Participation at Sri Lanka Science & Engineering
Fair (SLSEF) Sri Lanka Science & Engineering
Fair (SLSEF) will be held in December each year. The competitors
for this fair will be selected from the following two competitions.
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Science Research Project competition
of National Science Foundation (NSF) of Sri Lanka in November each
year.
Booklet:
View
More information:
http://www.nsf.ac.lk/spd/srpc/
-
Junior Inventor of the Year (JIY)
competition of Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) in October
each year.
Flyer: View
(New)
Regulations: View
(New)
Application Forms: Download
(New)
Press Notice:
View (New)
More information:
http://www.iesl.lk
The ten best projects of each of the above two
competitions of NSF and IESL will compete together at SLSEF competition.
Intel sponsors three (3) local winners selected from SLSEF and one (1)
adult-in-charge to Intel ISEF in USA.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
-
Three local winners shall consist of two
best Individual finalists and the leader of best Group
finalist at SLSEF.
-
If other members (maximum two) of the best Group
finalist willing to participate, they need to find their own
sponsors for Air-tickets, US Visas, and other related expenses from
anyone other than family members (school, local authorities,
organizations, businesses, and any other benefactors).
Intel® is the Title Sponsor of ISEF since 1996 and
Society for Science & the Public (SSP), a non-profit
organization based in Washington, D.C., has administered ISEF since its
inception in 1950.
More information and guidelines on ISEF:
http://www.societyforscience.org/isef/about/rules_regulations.asp
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Renewal of Sri Lanka Science &
Engineering Fair (SLSEF) MoU
The renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
for the Sri Lanka Science and Engineering Fair (SLSEF) for year
2009/2010 took place on 31 August 2009 at Isurupaya. A collaboration
between the Ministry of Education (MoE), the National Science Foundation
(NSF), Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL), and Intel, SLSEF is
affiliated to the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF)
- the world’s largest pre-college science competition.
Picture from left: , Mr.
Priyantha Weerabahu, Mr. Indika de Zoysa, Mr. Anura Dissanayake, Mr. Nimal Bandara,
Eng. J. Meegoda, Dr. Sarath Abayawardana and Ms. Rohini Wijayaratna
The signatories to the renewal of the MoU, which seeks
to reaffirm the partnership between the stakeholders, were Mr. Nimal
Bandara of the MoE, Dr. Sarath Abayawardana of NSF, Eng. H. D. S. De
Alwis of IESL and Mr. Indika De Zoysa of Intel. A national platform for
showcasing student scientific ingenuity, SLSEF aims to unite young
scientific minds and enhance innovative thinking, while investing in a
new generation of pioneers in the fields of math and science.
Affiliated to Intel ISEF, winners of SLSEF represent Sri Lanka at the
world’s preeminent science competition for pre-college students.
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Education
Minister Felicitates First Sri Lankan Winner at Intel ISEF 2009
Chandula Padmasiri a student of Ananda College Colombo, the first local student to win
a Grand Award at the recently concluded Intel International Science and
Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2009 was felicitated by the Minister of
Education, Hon. Susil Premajayantha at Isurupaya. Chandula, one of five
students who represented Sri Lanka at this event, was adjudged third in
the Electrical and Mechanical category for his mobile phone based
microscope and received US$1,000 in prize money. Chandula was a
finalist of Junior Inventor of the Year (JIY) 2008 competition and won
the first place at Sri Lanka Science and Engineering Fair (SLSEF) which
is a partnership of Ministry of Education, National Science Foundation,
Institute of Engineers and Intel to become eligible to compete
internationally.
Picture from left:
Mr. Indika De Zoysa, Mr. Navin Shenoy, Hon. Susil Premajayantha, Mast.
Chandula Padmasiri, Mr. Anura Dissanayake
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Sri
Lankan Children At Intel International Science & Engineering Fair 2008
Three students who won the Sri Lanka Science &
Engineering Fair (SLSEF) 2007 participated at the Intel Science &
Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2008 in Atlanta for the very first time. First
finalist Yasith Lokuge and second finalist Praveej Jayasinghe competed
at the event while Sajeewa Hendurugoda participated as an observer.
Eng. Sarath Samarasiri the Director, Design Centre of University of
Moratuwa and a member of IESL who went as the adult in charge performed
a very admirable role by guiding and looking after the children right
throughout the journey.
This year all three children were selected from the
Junior Inventor of the Year (JIY) competition of Institution of
Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) which has been conducting this for the past
23 years in the country.
Picture from left: Sajeewa
Hendurugoda, Praveej Jayasinghe and Yasith
Lokuge at Intel ISEF 2008 Awards Ceremony
This was an unbelievable experience to the kids and
the officials from Sri Lanka and the reception given to them by Intel
ISEF was magnanimous. They thoroughly enjoyed the competition and both
their projects were considered for President’s Scholarship Award of IEEE
Foundation. Even though they did not win any prizes this time the
officials are quite confident that they could do so in the near future
with the learning they gained at this year’s competition.
In parallel to the competition, Intel ISEF Educator
Academy 2008 was held in Atlanta, which brought together a select group
of educators and government officials from Intel sites around the world
to explore proven, innovative methods of engaging students in the study
of science and math. At this forum Sri Lanka was represented by Mr.
Anura Dissanayake, Director, Secondary Education Modernization Project
(SEMP) of Ministry of Education, Professor M. T. M. Jiffry, Chairperson,
Advisory Committee of National Science Foundation (NSF), Eng. J.
Meegoda, Chairperson Junior Inventor of the Year (JIY) Competition of
Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) and Mr. Priyantha Weerabahu,
Intel Education Program Manager for Sri Lanka.
Picture from left: Eng. J. Meegoda, Prof. M. T. M. Jiffry, Mr. Anura Dissanayake and Mr. Priyantha Weerabahu at Intel ISEF Educator
Academy 2008
During the five-day forum, outstanding educators
presented workshops on student research, project-based learning and
other proven ways to engage students in the study of science and
mathematics including Nobel laureate Dr. Rich Roberts. Also, experienced
science fair organizers shared resources and provided participants with
valuable information about managing, organizing, and preparing students
for science fairs.
“The Intel ISEF 2008 was for the first time
represented by three students from Sri Lanka. As a person who has been
involved for a considerable period on conducting similar activities
through the National Science Foundation (NSF) of Sri Lanka, I found the
experience we have gained as organisers as well as prospective
participants at the Intel ISEF held in Atlanta, Georgia were immense and
gave us opportunities to identify the strengths and weaknesses of our
competitors. The organisers were also very friendly and provided all the
opportunities for the participants to interact with other stakeholders
and participants.” Prof. M. T. M. Jiffry.
Sri Lankan team was elated by the fact that one of the
three USD 50,000 Scholarship Grand Prize winners at Intel ISEF 2008 was
a Sri Lankan student Natalie Saranga Omattage of Mississippi School for
Mathematics and Science, Columbus, Mississippi. Therefore, the Sri
Lankan team is determined to improve the local competitions to compete
at a higher level in the years to come.
From next year Junior Inventor of the Year (JIY)
competition of Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) and Science
Research Projects Competition (SRPC) of National Science Foundation
(NSF) will be the feeder fairs for Sri Lanka Science & Engineering Fair
(SLSEF).
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Felicitation of
Winners of Sri Lanka Science & Engineering Fair (SLSEF) 2007
The Hon. Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha
felicitated the winners of Sri Lanka Science and Engineering Fair
(SLSEF) 2007, Yasith Kanchana Lokuge of Ananda College, Praveej Malinda
Jayasinghe of St. Anthony’s College and Sajeewa Dinesh Hendurugoda of
Nugawela Central College at the Ministry of Education, Battaramulla on
8th May 2008.
Picture from left: Winners of Sri Lanka Science & Engineering Fair (SLSEF), their parents,
officials of Ministry of Education, National Science Foundation,
Institution of Engineers and Intel with the Hon. Minister of Education
This was done prior to their visit to Intel
International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) in May 2008 in
Atlanta, Georgia. All three children received a certificate and a
monetary gift from the Hon. Minister of Education, while Yasith Kanchana
Lokuge was awarded the “Herbert Hoover Young Engineer Award”, which
consisted of a certificate and a medal.
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Winners of Sri Lanka Science & Engineering Fair (SLSEF) 2007 for Intel
ISEF 2008
The
Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) named Yasith Kanchana Lokuge of
Ananda College, Colombo, Praveej Malinda Jayasinghe of St. Anthony’s
College, Katugastota and Sajeewa Dinesh Hendurugoda of Nugawela Central
College, Nugawela as winners from Junior Inventor of the Year (JIY)
competition of Sri Lanka Science and Engineering Fair (SLSEF). The
winners will be sent to the world’s largest pre-college science
competition, Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), to
be held in May 2008 in Atlanta, USA.
The
innovative ideas that won include: a low-cost Nutmeg Cutter designed by
Praveej Jayasinghe to extract nutmeg seeds in an efficient manner and
thereby expedite the manufacturing process of nutmegs in the local
industry, Yasith Lokuge’s space-saving Collapsible Staircase that can
save up to 90% of the space consumed by spiral staircases and Sajeewa
Hendurugoda’s invention of a device that automatically distributes water
to a plant when the water content or moisture of a particular part of
the plant drops below a specified level.
While
Sajeewa Hendurugoda will be sent to the 59th Intel ISEF as an observer,
Yasith Lokuge and Praveeja Jayasinghe will compete with 1,500 other
students from over 51 nations for over 900 prizes and $4 million in
scholarships, scientific equipment and scientific trips.
The SLSEF will
continue to provide young science students with the impetus to discover
their scientific genius and the platform to win public recognition at
the national and international level, as per the objectives of
Memorandum of Understanding signed by the organizers earlier this year.
It will be held annually and will continue offer youth from around the
country the opportunity to inculcate a scientific temperament and
enhance their innovative thinking, so that they can take their talents
and their country, to an international plateau of recognition.
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Signing of Sri Lanka Science & Engineering Fair
(SLSEF) MoU
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on 7th February 2008 at the
Ministry of Education (MoE) Sri Lanka by the representatives of four
partners to Sri Lanka Science & Engineering Fair (SLSEF).
Picture from left: Ms. Rohini Wijeyaratne, Mr.
Priyantha Weerabahu, Mr. Anura Dissanayake, Mr. Nimal Bandara, Mr.
Indika de Zoysa, Eng. R. J. Gunawardena, Dr. M. C. N. Jayasuriya and
Eng. J. Meegoda.
The signatories were as follows.
-
Mr. Nimal Bandara, Secretary, Ministry of
Education (MoE), Sri Lanka.
-
Dr. M. C. N. Jayasuriya, Director, National
Science Foundation (NSF), Sri Lanka.
-
Eng. R. J. Gunawardena, President, Institution of
Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL).
-
Mr. Indika de Zoysa, Regional Manager, Intel® EM
Limited-Sri Lanka Liaison office.
The witnesses were as follows.
-
Mr. Anura Dissanayake, Project Director, Secondary
Education Modernization Project (SEMP), Ministry of Education (MoE),
Sri Lanka.
-
Mrs. Rohini Wijeyaratne, Head of Science
Promotion, National Science Foundation (NSF), Sri Lanka.
-
Eng. J. Meegoda, Chairperson, Junior Inventor of
the Year (JIY), Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL).
-
Mr. Priyantha K. Weerabahu, Intel® Education
Program Manager, Sri Lanka.
Salient Facts of SLSEF MoU
-
NSF and IESL in collaboration with the MoE and
Intel® desires to organize the Sri Lanka Science and Engineering
Fair (“SLSEF”) with the objective of enhancing the innovative
thinking amongst school children and youth in the country as well as
developing a scientific temperament.
-
SLSEF is a platform for science students to
discover their scientific genius and win public recognition at
national and International level.
-
National level winners of SLSEF will be eligible
to represent Sri Lanka at Intel® International Science and
Engineering Fair (“Intel® ISEF”).
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Laying the Foundation for Sri Lanka Science &
Engineering Fair (SLSEF)
A high level team from Sri Lanka participated at the Intel ISEF 2007 in
Albuquerque, New Mexico to learn and prepare for setting up the Sri
Lanka Science & Engineering Fair (SLSEF). As a result of this
preparation and some hard work by the team, SLSEF was duly affiliated
with Intel ISEF and the first competition was held in year 2007 itself.
Now the winners of SLSEF 2007 are ready to participate at Intel
ISEF 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Picture from left: Mr. Priyantha Weerabahu, Mr.
Ariyaratne Hewage, Eng. J. Meegoda, Ms. Rohini Wijeyaratne and Mr. Anura
Dissanayake.
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