Students felicitated by Education Minister prior to their departure
SRI LANKA, Colombo, 8 May 2013: Minister of Education, Hon. Bandula Gunawardena met with the winners of the Sri Lanka Science and Engineering Fair (SLSEF) 2013, Pasindu Wijesena from Ananda College, Colombo, Subhash Gamage and Rakhitha Malewana from Nalanda College, Colombo, and the runner up, Dinesh Kapuge from Mihintala Maha Vidyalaya, Mihintalaya, prior to their departure to the US to participate in the annual Intel International Science and Engineering Fair from the 12th through 17th of this month.
The Sri Lankan team will showcase a software system developed by Pasindu to assist the physically challenged, a unique computerized ridge cutting machine developed by Dinesh whilst the team from Nalanda would be sharing the results of their study on the effects of plant extract to increase platelet count in Wistar rats with induced low platelet count.
Speaking at the meeting, Hon. Bandula Gunewardena stated, “The ingenuity displayed by our students at the SLSEF continues to amaze us every year. I would like to thank Intel for sponsoring our finalists to take part in the ISEF. The event would provide our students with the opportunity to interact with innovators from around the world and bring back the learnings to our country. I wish them the very best.”
“Participating in international events such as the ISEF will help broaden the horizons for our students and help them go beyond their textbooks and in-class learning. I wish the finalists all the very best for the ISEF,” said Anura Dissanayake, Additional Secretary to the President.
Indika de Zoysa, Country Business Manager, Intel EM Limited, Sri Lanka Liaison office said, “Intel Sri Lanka is proud to work alongside the Ministry of Education, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) and provide our students with an opportunity to showcase their talents at a global forum. I wish them the best of luck.”
As the world’s largest pre-college science fair, and the only global science competition for students in grades 9-12, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) encourages students to tackle challenging scientific questions and solve the problems of tomorrow. Each year, more than 6 million students worldwide, from local and regional science fairs within the Intel ISEF-affiliated network in 70 countries vie to attend the Intel ISEF. This year over 1,600 finalists have been selected to share breakthrough scientific research and compete for nearly $4 million in scholarships and awards at the event. Over the past five years, 21 Sri Lankan students have participated at Intel ISEF while over ten officials have attended the Intel Educator Academy. Sri Lanka has won two grand awards and four special awards to date at the Event.
Photo caption: (From left) Eng. H.N. Gunasekera, Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL); Rakhitha Malewana and Subhash Gamage from Nalanda College, Colombo; Indika de Zoysa, Country Business Manager, Intel EM Limited, Sri Lanka Liaison office; Minister of Education, Hon. Bandula Gunawardena; Anura Dissanayake, Additional Secretary to the President; Eng. J. Meegoda, IESL, Nadeera Jayaweera, National Science Foundation (NSF), Dinesh Kapuge from Mihintala Maha Vidyalaya, Mihintalaya and Pasindu Wijesena from Ananda College, Colombo
About Intel: Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is a world leader in computing innovation. The Company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world’s computing devices. Additional information about Intel is available at newsroom.intel.com and blogs.intel.com
