A path to pursue ~ Moratuwa pays tribute to young inventors

by Ranga Kamaladasa

"I really want to be an engineer when I grow up," says Chamil - the winner of the Sabaragamuwa province best inventors competition. "If I don't get high marks in my ALs to study engineering, that's okay, I still want to go to the Ratnapura Technical College and invent new things."

Unlike most students in Sri Lanka who are not inspired but forced to pursue a path engineering, Chamil is one of the few who has a knack for invention and a deep yearning to create new things for the benefit of mankind. His award winning project was an innovative briefcase that had a whole heap gadgetry to make it more functional.

Chamil who is an O'L student from the Aheliyagoda Central College was one of the 164 young inventors who attended the workshop held in the University of Moratuwa on the 7th of July. Funded by the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) and organized by the Engineering Design Center, Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, the program was to help educate young innovators like Chamil about innovation, product development and entrepreneurship.

The full fledged seminar session followed up with an introductory visit into the Universities facilities gave the young inventors a scope of what awaits them if they do continue their higher studies. It most probably would have created some positive prospect in these young hearts to carry on what they do best - inventing for the greater good.

"It's wonderful being here," says Amith from Kalutara Gnanodaya College. "I have learned so much about how things are made. I wish we had more time to look at the workshops. The mechanical labs were really interesting."

While Amith admired the heavy machinery in the mechanical labs, Piyandika from the same school was awed by the high voltage labs in the Electrical Engineering Dept. The heavy duty textile weaving machines in the Textile Dept, the finer circuitry in the Electronics Dept, and the microscopic analysis in the Materials Dept brought to life the vocation in its true spirit of engineering, and to the students it would've been a ride they will never forget.

Being the past winners and present competitors of the 'Junior Inventor of the Year' competition, the students may have even benchmarked some of the engineering ideas they've gained through the visit into their own inventions by now.

"Broken down roads, power cuts -even if we take these for granted- they are not standards." said Eng. J. Meegoda the chairman of the Junior Inventor of the Year competition addressing the young inventors. "Whether in the future you become an engineer or not, put your creative skills to good use. The country needs people like you."

The inventors also went through a lengthy educational session where Dr. Thrishantha Nanayakkara - the commissioner of the Sri Lanka Inventors Commission - briefed them the Commissions role and how the young inventors can benefit from it. A brief introduction to Entrepreneurship was done by Eng. (Dr.) Chandana Perera, the Head of the Department of Management of Technology.

A note on Project Financing was done by Mr. M. Attanayake from the SME Bank. A briefing of "Innovations and Inventions" was done by Eng(Dr.) MARV Fenando and a special lecture on "Product Development was done by Prof. J.A.K.S. Jayasinghe. The young inventors were also addressed by Eng. Jayantha Ranathunga - the present President of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka.

"When you grow up don't expect the government to give you a job. Government jobs have a lot of rules and there is no space for new thoughts and new things. Do something on your own." advised Eng. Ranathunga. "And you don't always need science to do new things. Someone can create a good drama and that will be a new invention."