Jaffna University International Research Conference 2016: ‘Towards a Greener Future’

The University of Jaffna has chosen ‘Towards a Greener Future’, as the theme for its third consecutive biennial International Conference for the year 2016. This area has sought the attention of the whole world and set a platform for the search of the researchers. 

The conference, concerning globally disputed and highly challenged area; environment, has been scheduled to be held on 12 and 13 August at the University of Jaffna, with the presence of internationally reputed experts and the participation of Sri Lankan intellectuals of respective fields. 

The concern of this conference has been focused on searching the reason for deviation from the greener perspectives in the past to mobilise the humankind towards the necessity of preserving the greenery. The specialty of the conference is encompassing the concern for the environment from diverse fields. 

In this regard, the research sessions of this conference are to be held to move towards a greener future through the fields of Agriculture and Food Science, Biology and Environmental Sciences, Commerce, Management and Entrepreneurship, Education, Engineering, Health and Medical Sciences, Humanities and Fine Arts, Information Science and Technology, Pure Sciences, Sports Science and Social Sciences and Regional Sciences.

So far, more than 75 articles have been chosen for this conference. The considerable number of articles, received from foreign and local researchers, displays the significance this research conference has gained among the research community. It is to be noted that the chosen research papers are accepted after blind reviews of experts, as per the international research conference norms. 

Guest speakers of the conference

On the list of the guest speakers of the JUICE-2016 Conference ‘Towards a Greener Future’, the plenary speech is to be delivered by Prof. Rachel Tribe. 

Rachel Tribe has been a member of the UK-Sri Lanka trauma group since it was formed and she has been volunteering in Sri Lanka for over 20 years. She is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and an HCPC registered psychologist. She is a chartered organisational and chartered counselling psychologist who has experience of working in the private, public, charity and academic sectors. She is currently employed at the University of East London. Her clinical interests focus on culture and mental health, on all aspects of trauma, professional and ethical practice, working with interpreters in mental health, migration and mental health and organisational development.

Keynote speeches are to be delivered by Prof. Ranjit Koodali from the USA and Prof. Arumugam Kandaiah.  Prof. Ranjit Koodali is currently attached to the University of South Dakota, one of the most famous universities in the USA. He obtained his Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology Madras. He is a world renowned researcher. Being a person with chemistry background, Prof. Ranjit Koodali is going to deliver a keynote address on ‘Application of Nanoporus Materials towards a Sustainable Future’.

‘Towards a Greener Food Production System’ is the topic of Prof. Arumugam Kandaiah’s keynote address. Prof. Arumugam Kandiah completed his Ph.D. in Water Resources Engineering, at the University of California, Davis, USA. He worked as a freelance consultant to UNDP, World Bank, Global Environmental Facility (GEF), multilateral and bilateral donor agencies and international NGOs.

Participation in the conference

So far, more than 150 participants have registered themselves to take part in the conference, to be held for two days. Meanwhile arrangements are made for on spot registration on the first day of the conference to enable those who are interested to participate in the conference. An enthusiastic participation of researchers, scholars, public and those who are interested is appreciable to make the conference fruitful. 

Let a hope be bloomed in a post war territory, consisting inhabitants who experienced and realised the necessity of a greener future, the Jaffna University International Research Conference – 2016 on the theme ‘Towards a Greener Future’, would showcase the importance of conducting this kind of conferences, and let the hope create new ideas and avenues.