May 2014

Sri Lanka Newsletter (SLN) INSIDE IMechE Group  Editorial -p2  Chairmen’s view Fostering entrepreneurship among young engineers -p3

News--  Monorail Will become a reality soon in Sri Lanka –p4  Toyota announces Prius Hydrid Cars models for software update -p5  Honda’s New ASIMO Robot, more human-like than ever -p6  Alternative Energy – Big Power from tiny Wire -p6

Views--  Engineer in Sri Lanka Society -p7  A renewed prospective IMechE Engnow 2013 -p8

Technologies –  Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) Simulation for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle designing & Modeling -p9  Wearable Robot- Robotic prosthesis for lower limb amputees -p10 Sigiriya -The Archeological Wonder of Sri Lankan City SL Events- -p11 Planning, Engineering, Hydraulic Technology ,Defense and  How to become an affiliate Arts of the 5th Century AD member of IMechE -P16

 Continuing professional development (CPD) -p17

“Develop your career and demonstrate your professional expertise. Benefit from: professional recognition, career progression, information and resources, life-long support and the credentials to work internationally”

Institution of Mechanical Engineers

[SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER (SLN)] May 1, 2014

“In order to strengthen its links with members and increase member engagement, the IMechE has proposed to organize learned society activity relevant to members, industry and society with emphasis on its key themes.”

Editorial By Sumith Jayawardane

One of the strategies of IMechE worldwide is to increase its membership and in this direction it has identified four themes to be focused on namely ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, EDUCATION and TRANSPORT.

In order to strengthen its links with members and increase member engagement, the IMechE has proposed to organize learned society activity relevant to members, industry and society with emphasis on its key themes.

These four themes are very apt and would definitely strike a chord with all us as being citizens of a developing country like ours; there is ample need to turn the spotlight on these areas as a matter of priority.

In the energy sector all of us are well aware of the existing issues and hence without any doubt this area should be a subject requiring absolute focus. There also exists an urgent requirement to turn our attention to cheaper and more sustainable forms of energy.

With limited land area and the onslaught on the existing forest cover we need to be conscious of our obligations to Mother Nature.

All in all as members of a learned society we need to take up the cause and ensure that we bequeath as much of the environment we inherited to the next generation

Please give this a thought

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[SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER (SLN)] May 1, 2014

Chairmen’s view –

Fostering entrepreneurship among young engineers by Lucien Pereira (Group Chair)

Looking around the industrial landscape in Sri Lanka convinces me now more than ever of the dire need for more Mechanical engineering professionals to take to entrepreneurship. In my opinion the need is increasing by the day. One of the main reasons for expressing this view is simply because mechanicals are the lowest paid professionals when compared to most of other professionals engaged in professions such as Financial and marketing activity. The justification for this low remuneration levels are in the main due to the shortage of larger industrial units who could employ mechanicals in any significant number. Hence, most mechanicals are doing the back end activity which is usually to look after the service and maintenance. Hence, my view is that if we mechanicals are to rise up to our full potential and also regain our prestige and also be adequately remunerated, the only way forward is to become an entrepreneur.

How can I become an entrepreneur?

While it is an achievable objective, one must be aware that in reality almost 80-90% of new entrants fail as entrepreneurs as they do not have the required attributes which can be briefly summarized as the following:

1. Ability to take risks 2. Have some sort of financial resources or have access to finances through other sources 3. Some knowledge or expertise in the subjects or area of business one intends to get into 4. Stamina and ability to shoulder any burden and also to absorb shocks 5. Sound knowledge on handling finances and cash flow management.

Eight times out of ten , business fail as engineers fall short in the required aspects and I have encountered this at a very personal level , as more than all the other aspects is the most important and I can't place emphasis on any other aspect .

Form of Business

For an entry level entrepreneur this simplest structure would be a partnership or a sole proprietorship as the reporting requirements to various state statutory bodies is minimal when compared to the limited liability companies which entail higher reporting / and operating costs-not always affordable to entry level entrepreneurs.

Risks involved

Those who get into small businesses do so in spite of or in ignorance of the odds of survival. As a rule of thumb , as many as 50% of new business fail in their first two years and about 80-90% within five years. Some reasons for small business failures can be attributed to:

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[SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER (SLN)] May 1, 2014

1. Inability to find competent employees; inadequate starting capital 2. Inability to finance expansion 3. Poor sales because of low demand for the product or service 4. High operating expenses; Limited credit form suppliers 5. Shortage of working capital; Poor location; Inability to make a new product known to the market 6. Impossible tax burdens 7. Failure to formulate plans and objectives; Pressure from large competitors with a vested interest to see the business fail 8. Inability to keep proper financial records. You will notice that many of the items mentioned in this list relate to financial factors.

In fact, most aspects of a business are eventually reflected in one way or another in the financial statements. Hence in addition to having technical expertise, financial acumen is also a very important aspect. However, provided one has the stomach and the ability to persevere, the sky is the limit and I would personally encourage engineers either as individuals or as a team to delve into entrepreneurship and use this superior expertise to move our profession up a couple of notches and also provide a new platform and avenue for the next generation of mechanicals to benefit from. Hence, let’s make IMechE SL Group the incubator for this entrepreneurship drive.

NEWS

Monorail will become a reality soon in Sri Lanka

By Lasantha Kurukularachchi

Sri Lanka is entering to a new era in transportation with the introduction of monorail which separates itself from the ground level to enhance multi-model connectivity through multi-model terminals and the Transport Hub in Pettah so that the service delivery of existing public transport models could be improved as well. It is urgently needed to implement a transportation system like mono rail to save billions of rupees which is burnt in the traffic congestion every day. This traffic congestion is creating a serious air pollution and it will badly affect to the health of the city people. No one enjoys wasting time in the stop-and –go traffic on the road ways. The most economically painful process of enhancing the ground level road network is land acquisition at the commercially viable areas. The monorail which separates itself from the ground level will be an ideal solution to minimize the damages in lands acquisition process in the commercial hubs.

While the monorail users will get the direct benefit of an affordable, high quality and comfortable public transport service, the non- users will get the benefits of reduced congestion 4

[SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER (SLN)] May 1, 2014 and transport costs. In many places all over the world monorail systems has shown the tremendous improvement in city transportation. Such a solution like monorail is not easy to implement because of cost. But it is essential to develop in a country like Sri Lanka which is looking forward to be developed as an economic hub in Asia. Eventually, we can save billions of rupees annually in wasted fuel and lost Pic: Source –Sunday time. th Observer,30 March 2014 A feasibility study has been done to reshape the future of the urban transportation system through the monorail system by the ministry of transport in Sri Lanka and its source has said “These financial proposals propose to Map of the proposed Monorail line build a 26.5 kilometers monorail starting from , , , Townhall, , World Trade Centre, Pettah, , Panchikawatte, Armour Street, Modera, and ,” . Further he stated the overall aim of this project is to take some 150 000 people off the roads. (source – Business time, Aug25,2013 ) To promote a public transport system like the monorail in Colombo metropolitan area was the subject of this feasibility study and the first phase of this project will be started on the second largest of 157,000 persons who enter the city via Malabe corridor. A line from Malabe to via the business hub around the World Trade Centre (WTC) and Colombo railway station—is currently the subject of a feasibility study.

Larger cities in Asia have been achieving significant improvement in their transport systems through separate group level monorail systems and it is a solution in their urban transport system . In terms of energy consumption, capacity, safety, environmental issues, time wasting, ground separated mono rail will be a best solution to the urban transportation in Sri Lanka

TOYOTA announces certain Prius hybrid cars models for software update.

Toyota will update the motor/generator control ECU and hybrid control ECU software on certain Model Year 2010-2014 Prius vehicles. The software's current settings could result in higher thermal stress in certain transistors, potentially causing them to become damaged. If this happens, various warning lights will illuminate and the vehicle can enter a failsafe mode. In rare circumstances, the hybrid system might shut down while the vehicle is being driven, resulting in the loss of power and the vehicle coming to a stop.

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[SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER (SLN)] May 1, 2014

Honda's new ASIMO robot, more human-like than ever

NEW YORK, US , April 16,2014 (AFP)– It walks and runs, even up and down stairs. It can open a bottle and serve a drink, and politely tries to shake hands with a stranger. Meet the latest ASIMO, Honda's humanoid robot.

"Hello New York! Thank you for coming today!" the little guy chirped in English, the recorded voice of a teenage boy, at his US debut in a Manhattan hotel on Wednesday, April 16.Resembling a tiny astronaut, ASIMO – decked out in a white suit and helmet – stands 4 feet three inches (1.3 meters) tall and weighs in at 110 lbs (50 kg).ASIMO – short for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility – was designed to help people, potentially in cases of reduced mobility. The first model was unveiled in 2000 after 14 years of research during which scientists studied human movements in an effort to replicate them.

The latest demonstration highlighted the robot's increased flexibility and balance – ASIMO can now jump – as well as sign language abilities. It can now also run at a speed of 5.6 miles per hour (9 km/h).Researchers think that one day it could help the elderly – say by getting a snack or turning the lights off – when their ability to get around is reduced."ASIMO was designed to help those in society who need assistance, and Honda believes that these improvements in ASIMO bring us another step closer to our ultimate goal of being able to help all kinds of people in need," said Satoshi Shigemi, senior chief engineer at Honda R&D Co., Ltd. Japan responsible for humanoid robotics. "We need to understand what people expect from ASIMO and what people want ASIMO to do."

Alternative energy -Big power from tiny wires

MIT News , A team of scientists at MIT have discovered a previously unknown phenomenon that can cause powerful waves of energy to shoot through minuscule wires known as carbon nanotubes. The discovery could lead to a new way of producing electricity, the researchers say.

The phenomenon, described as thermopower waves, “opens up a new area of energy research, which is rare,” says Michael Strano, MIT’s Charles and Hilda Roddey A carbon nanotube (shown in illustration) can produce a Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, who was very rapid wave of power when it is coated by a layer of fuel and ignited, so that heat travels along the tube. the senior author of a paper describing the new findings that appeared in Nature Materials on March 7. The lead A carbon nanotube (shown in illustration) can produce a author was Wonjoon Choi, a doctoral student in very rapid wave of power when it is coated by a layer of mechanical engineering. fuel and ignited, so that heat travels along the tube.

Like a collection of flotsam propelled along the surface Graphic: Christine Daniloff by waves traveling across the ocean, it turns out that a thermal wave — a moving pulse of heat — traveling along a microscopic wire can drive electrons along, creating an electrical current. The key ingredient in the recipe is carbon nanotubes — submicroscopic 6

[SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER (SLN)] May 1, 2014 hollow tubes made of a chicken-wire-like lattice of carbon atoms. These tubes, just a few billionths of a meter (nanometers) in diameter, are part of a family of novel carbon molecules, including buckyballs and graphene sheets, that have been the subject of intensive worldwide research over the last two decades. More info- http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2010/thermopower-waves-0308

Point of View

Engineer in Sri Lankan society

By Lasantha Kurukularachchi Co-editor

The Sri Lankan economy is transformed to a “dynamic hub” in the areas of shipping, aviation, commerce, energy and knowledge as leading nations in Asia. In this context, role of engineers will be vital in fulfilling those demands at various scales to change established patterns of behaviour to inspire the development in our society.

The engineers should be often opinion leaders in every sectors, they also need to contribute to the change in public attitudes that Sri Lanka needs, if it is to become a developed nation in a short span of time. Moving out of a “business as usual” approach and adopting new ways of thinking is essential to progress rapidly.

But the readiness of engineers to take the leadership to fulfill such demand is a question. High caliber professionals such as engineers are not trying to go to the top decision making level in our society . Many of them stop their career at middle level management. But a few exceptional cases take-up the challenges and break the wall to reach top hieratical positions of organizations. The fact is, it is not sufficient to do significant changes in the society under the engineering prospective.

Many of engineering graduates become dropouts of professional engineering because an engineer is not well paid in Sri Lanka compared to parallel professions. But it is a more esteemed profession and to get into it is not an easy task so far in our country.

The Co-editor’s view is not to discourage the young engineers who are entering the profession. My genuine aim is to prepare them for the future challenges. Engineers should know how to overcome their professional obstacles and market their profession to the highest value. It is the only way to inspire the next generation to engineering. Many engineers are reluctant to take the risk in their jobs. It is a major hindrance to them to go to the top in their career. They should be brave enough to take the risk and challenges to improve the world though engineering. It is clear that engineering education needs to be changed to address the challenges associated with it. There is still a large gap between what the industries expect from the engineers and the university moulded engineering graduates.

First, we have to map the challenges that we have in our profession and make a proper plan individually and collectively to increase our professional values. That is the way, how engineers can demand their job and actively involve in the development of the country.

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[SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER (SLN)] May 1, 2014

A Renewed perspective - ‘IMechE Eng Now 2013 – Asia Pacific Initiative’

SOFE Contestant 2013 -By Tisura Dasith Gamage,

The ‘IMechE Eng Now 2013 – Asia Pacific Initiative’ was the first of its kind which was organized as an umbrella event hosting 3 events in one go. It combined 2 events which were held annually before, with the new addition of the Young Leadership Conference coined as ‘Eng Now 360o Leadership Training workshop’. My participation in this event was as the SOFE contestant from Sri Lanka. Originally established in 1964, the ‘Speak Out For Engineering’ competition was intended to encourage young engineers to become effective communicators. The contestants were judged for successfully reaching out technical matters to the general public. That is on how well complex engineering solutions were reached out in a way that attracts professionals from non-technical disciplines like bankers, business executives, lawyers etc. This is a valuable trait expected from all engineers.

Since being among the finalists and finishing first at the ‘Speak Out for Engineering(SOFE)’ competition organized by the IMechE Sri Lanka Section in May 2013, I was eagerly preparing under the mentorship of Mr. Chanaka Wanniarachchi, member of the Sri Lanka IMechE group. My theme was based on renewable energy and micro-generation. It was a feasibility study on implementing small domestic wind turbines in Sri Lanka as an alternative to much larger and expensive turbines. The final Asia Pacific SOFE 2013 competition was hosted by the IMechE Hong Kong branch. The event took place at the open auditorium of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Looking back, the ‘Eng Now API’ was an event that changed my perspective of Mechanical Engineering. There I witnessed how Professional Mechanical Engineers shape and manage one of the strongest and most free economies of the world. It was also a bridge to the British professionals who were taking part in the event. The ideas and the role of engineering in the modern world was discussed on a whole new level of thinking. Even the perspective of professional diplomats like Mr. Paul Lynch from the British Consulate General in Hong Kong was also included diversifying the input.

The role of the IMechE in the future is of utmost importance. Its diversification in activities like the SOFE and ‘Eng Now’ is a right step towards a stronger unity among the young engineers. I wish them my sincere commendation and hope the Sri Lankan committee will be able to host an event of this nature very soon which is well within their capacity.

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[SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER (SLN)] May 1, 2014

Technologies

Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulation for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV) Designing and modeling

by Lasantha Kurukularachchi

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are used for humanitarian operation like public safety, rescue operations in disaster areas, data acquisition and map building in unreached areas, traffic surveillance and so on are becoming more demanding today. There are many UAVs projects that are being done in many academic and research institutions in Sri Lanka to acquire this UAV technology for humanitarian operations. The UAVs designing and modeling are extremely a complex task because of the nonlinearity behavior in the actual environment. The UAV flight model should to be verified before flying . Wind tunnel testing is the most classical and conventional method for model verification. But is it more time consuming and expensive process.

Today, the Computational Fluid Dynamic simulation has given a great ambition for replacing the wind tunnel in coming years as the science behind CFD improves and computers become more powerful. Currently, CFD can provide results almost as accurate as a wind tunnel that are often more useful due to the sophisticated visualization and domain wide measurements characteristic of CFD. Therefore, the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) for UAV flight simulation on FXLR5 CFD software UAVs Model verification is a more effective tool.

But Wind Tunnel modeling is generally accepted in the scientific and engineering community. Wind tunnel results have been proven to be representative of real world situations when the modeling correctly accounts for the features of the atmosphere and scaling is exact. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a well-proven tool that was economically feasible only on mainframe computers until recent advances in computing made it possible to use a desktop PC. However, CFD results may not be as comprehensively comparable to real world results as most wind tunnel results can be. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) model in the CFD domain can be altered quickly and remodeling done immediately. Physical models require more time and effort for adjustments and wind tunnel testing can’t analyze much more details like CFD . Then there is some limitation displaing the result.

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[SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER (SLN)] May 1, 2014

Wearable Robot-

-Robotic Prosthesis for Lower limb amputees

“When my leg was taken by the tsunami I never thought I would have an actual limb. But, when I heard this robotic type leg I have a new dream” said Kamal Rathnayake who lost his limb in tsunami in 2004

A robotic lower limb prosthesis is an active device that replaces all or a part of the lower extremity. It provides the amputee the opportunity to perform functional tasks, particularly ambulation (walking), which may not be possible without the limb. The design of the prosthesis is depend on the functional level of the amputee and it is geared toward comfort. Lower limb amputation is the most frequently occurring human limb amputation. Explosion of anti-person land mines is annually caused thousands of people become amputees in civil war prevailing nations. There are around 110 million active mines scattered in over 70 countries and 2,000 people are involved in landmine accidents every month in which around 800 losing their lives and the rest will turn as amputees. Most of these countries are developing countries either in Asian or African region. The victims in these regions are not capable of using high price active prostheses. The manufacturers of these prostheses do not bother to develop the devices for developing countries and they are only focusing on their own amputees. Meanwhile, there are around 160,000 lower limb amputees in Sri Lanka mostly because of civil war raged for past three decades, including thousands of armed personalities who are struggling to re-establish themselves because of their amputations. Apart from wars, natural disasters and accidents, amputations have to be carried ou due to various other reasons as well. Dysvascular related amputations, Trauma related amputations, Cancer related amputations and Congenital incidence related amputation are the other major types of amputation. There are around 347 million people are suffering from diabetes worldwide. In USA, 23.6 million are having diabetes which is 7% of their total population. Approximately, 1.7 million American people have limb amputation and 82% of new amputations occur due to diabetes in which most of them are undergoing lower-limb amputations. In England, about 6,000 diabetes related amputations are taking place in each year. Meanwhile, in Sri Lanka over 700 persons are amputated each year due to diabetes. When a person becomes an amputee, he is facing a staggering emotional and financial lifestyle changes. Further, the amputees are often viewed as objects of charity or pity in the society since many amputees lack the financial resources to obtain adequate prosthesis care.

In Sri Lanka, even passive prosthetic limbs are inaccessible and limited in terms of providers and funds because of lack of skilled technicians and donor support. The government does not have enough capacity to provide these services due to lack of facilities and trained people. Moreover, all the present prostheses used in Sri Lanka are either passive or body powered devices. In these days, several robotics prostheses have being developed in many countries using various advanced technologies. However, insignificant amount of researches are being carrying out in Sri Lanka in this field. Yet, recently researches have been started in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University ofMoratuwa to develop robotic prosthetic limbs.

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[SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER (SLN)] May 1, 2014

A prototype of robotic prosthesis for trans-tibial amputation is developed in this study. This research is the initial step of developing a robotic prosthesis for below knee amputees. Most of existing prostheses are purely passive devices. They have stiffness properties independent of the walking conditions. This leads to a higher metabolic energy cost than seen in normal person and none of the available passive prosthesis is yet able to achieve approximately 70% of the required ankle power during stride. There is a clear need in the market for active prostheses in order to improve the ability of amputees to perform their daily activities, give the amputees out a chance to live their normal lives again, to take pride in enjoying the fruits of their own labour and to stand with hope.

SL EVENTS

Annual dinner 2013, Sri Lanka group

The annual dinner of the Sri Lanka group of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) was successfully held on the 21st of November 2013 at the hotel Galadari, Colombo in the midst of a large gathering of IMechE members , their spouses, guests and invitees from industry, other business leaders and representatives from the universities . Presentations were made on a range of industrial products and services by representatives from some local and foreign companies. Main sponsor of event was Cummins TPL and the principal sponsor was MACSA(Perkins) ltd.

The annual dinner of the IMechE Sri Lanka group has been held continuously for the past 10 years and is usually well attended by its members and guests to network and enjoy fellowship in an informal atmosphere. This year event had a very good participation and has motivated the organizing committee to make it even more attractive as the guest spot featuring a prominent local artiste at the event proved to be a good draw.

The current chairman of the IMechE SL Group is Mr. Lucein Pereira and the Vice Chairman Mr. N Wickremasuriya . The event was also attended by the current Regional chair , Southern Asia Mr. Sam Perera.

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[SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER (SLN)] May 1, 2014

Industrial refrigeration with Ammonia Challenges in planning & system designing

By Eng(prof.) Leelanada Rajapaksha

The presentation was held in Wimalasurandra Auditorium, IESL on November 2013 and it was based on a project recently completed for a leading dairy company in Sri Lanka, where the presenter served in the capacity of the industrial refrigeration consultant. It demonstrates a good case of application of global standards and guide lines on industrial refrigeration and system/personal safety. The work involvement of the project is a very good example of how synergy of academic and commercial strengths could lead to better outcome in manufacturing sector. This is a success case in many aspects, which created significant interest among professionals and contractors in the field of industrial refrigeration. The respective plant became Region best in safety in 2010 (result of HAZOP and IIAR minimum safety practices) and helped the client achieve recorded highest production, while reducing electricity bills for refrigeration in the range of 15 -25%. The project is a big boost for local ammonia refrigeration industry and the use of green/natural refrigerant – Ammonia.

IMechE SL Group Annual General Meeting ,2014

IMechE Group SL, Annual General Meeting is the most important event in IMechE SL calendar and it was held at Organization of Professional Associations (OPA) in Stanley Wijayasundara Mwt, Colombo 7 on 4th, Friday 2014 .It was well attended.. Mr.Lucien Pereira( Immediate Past Chairman of IMechE ,SL ) presided over the meeting . Mr Prashant De Mel( Hon: Secretary) presented the annual report for the year 2013 and Mr. Russel De zilwa presented the audited account for the year 2013. The report and accounts were accepted by the general body. Mr. Pual Arrora, International Trustee,who attended gave a special speech to the gathering. Delegates from Pakistan also attended to the event.

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[SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER (SLN)] May 1, 2014

Presidential visit to Sri Lanka 2013

Round table discussion in Prof. Isobel with UOM student's Prof. Isobel at Institute of IESL HQ , colombo chapter office bearers Engineers ,Sri Lanka

The immediate past president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)Prof. Isobel Pollock visited Sri Lanka as part of her visit to south Asia on April 2013 to deliver the International George Stephenson Lecture on measuring Success . It was held at the Hotel Galadari, Colombo with a large gathering of members.

In her visit to Sri Lanka, she visited the Engineering Faculties in University of , University of Ruhuna, University of Peradaniya to inspire the next generation on Mechanical Engineering and encourage them to continue their membership in IMechE . Also she had a cordial discussion with the president of Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) in the IESL head quarters , Colombo.

And also she did not forget to meet the executive committee members in Sri Lanka group who voluntarily support for the IMechE local and international activities . Mr. Prebal Sharma , Director Membership promotion in India also participated in the presidential visit to Sri Lanka.

International George Adressing to the Participants for IGSL- Stephenson gathering by SL Group 2013 in Colombo Lecture(IGSL)-2013 Chair

Further information of our activities and plans for the future could be viewed in our other pages and the face book page (https://www.facebook.com/IMechESriLanka)

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[SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER (SLN)] May 1, 2014

Student Chapter – University of Peradeniya

IMechE Sri Lanka Group members visited the university of Peradeniya Student Chapter on 6th October 2013. The objective was to conduct a half a day education session for undergraduates at the Mechanical Engineering Faculty. The session was conducted by four executive committee members of Sri Lanka Group.

Mr. Russel De Silva started the session with the topic “How to become a charted engineer”. The conversion from student member to associate member and CPD programs available to reach MIMechE level was clearly explained to students.

Mr. Lasantha Kurukularachchi discussed on the topic “How to become a good engineer” This session was more focused on the requirements of industry from a young engineer and innovative thinking. Mr.Chanaka Wanniarachchi conducted the session on “Industrial accidents and machinery safety”. This was more focused on machinery safety and latest concepts available in the industry to prevent machinery related accidents and injury. The moral responsibility of engineers to ensure safety of the workforce and the impact to environment was discussed in detail.

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[SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER (SLN)] May 1, 2014

The session was followed by awarding of certificates for participant of SOFE competition held early this year. This was conducted by Mr. Lolitha Wickrmarachchi. Students were informed of events in pipe line for this year and future plans of the IMechE Sri Lanka Group.

Executive committee 2013/2014

Mr. Lucien Pereira (Chairman) Mr. Newton Wickramasuriya (Vice Chairman) Mr. S.T. Perera (Immediate Past president) Mr. Russel De Zilva (Treasurer) Mr. Lasantha Kurukulaarchchi (Young member Chairman) Prof. Leelananda Rajapaksha(CPD) Mr. Gamini Ranasinghe (Lectures/Seminars) Mr. D. Subasinghe ( Ass Sectary / treasurer) Mr. Lolitha Wickramarachchi (Social activities) Mr. Chanaka Wanniarachchi (Membership development) Mr. Preshant De Mel( Secretary) Mr. D.D.S. Jayawardena (Editor) Auditors:

Mr. Lal Weerasinghe Mr. A.I.A. Baduge

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[SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER (SLN)] May 1, 2014

How to become an Affiliate Member of IMechE

By Chanaka Wanniarachchi

The Sri Lanka branch promotes student to affiliate membership through the University chapters. Presently universities of Peradeniya, Ruhuna and Moratuwa possess active Student chapters. Affiliate membership is the first step towards becoming a professional engineer. This membership provides many benefits to students in their academic carrier development.

Affiliate member registration process:

1. Use link http://www.imeche.org/my-account/Register to log in to “ Activate your online Account” page 2. Go to Online Account Creation tab 3. Select “NO” to create a new account. 4. Complete personal details and press “submit”. 5. You will get an email from IMechE with an account number. (This is Not the membership number) 6. Use the link given in the mail and go to membership route finder page. You can use this link http://www.imeche.org/membership/membership-registration/How-to-apply/Which-grade 7. Then select Affiliate tab in the web page 8. Click to “ready to apply” button, you will be directed to “Apply – Affiliates” page 9. Select the “ I am a full time – sandwich undergraduate student” tab. 10. Click “ Apply Online” to go to “Becoming a student Affiliate” page 11. Now enter your user name (email address registered at IMechE) and password in the mail sent by IMechE, to enter in to the web page. 12. Complete the Student affiliation form and submit in the system to get registered.

If you choose to fill up a pdf application from and email it to IMechE it will take a long time to get the membership. Hence it is advisable to stick to on line application by clicking “Apply Online” tab. If you need further clarification, feel free to contact me on [email protected] or https://www.facebook.com/ImecheSriLanka

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[SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER (SLN)] May 1, 2014

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Most successful people never stop learning.

“Once you stop learning, you start dying” – Albert Einstein

CPD is a fundamental part of any career in Engineering. From formal training to learning ‘on the job’, we can help you continue your career progression by creating goals, reports and action plans ahead of your professional review interview.

Engineers are the backbone of society – responsible for addressing some of the biggest challenges facing the world, both now and in the future. But this can only happen if the world’s engineers can keep up with, create, and implement the latest developments in technology and ideas.

This is what Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is all about. It’s a fundamental part of any career in Engineering - ensuring you keep up to date by constantly learning and improving to develop skills and stay at the cutting edge of industry thought. Not only will this aid your contribution to engineering, but it’ll help you get the most out of your career. As professionally registered members of the Institution and the Engineering Council, it’s also our responsibility – and your obligation – to do it and keep a record of your progress.

Find out more – www.imeche.org

“Developing engineers today need to be multi- faceted in their approach to their Engineering careers”

Call for Articles Patrick Kniveton BSc(Hons) MBA,CEng FIMechE FIET President, Editors would invite you to submit your article on Institution of Mechanical Engineers engineering related matters for SLN to [email protected]

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