Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Monday, 13 July 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka’s monthly lecture for July will be delivered by Prof. Ajith de Alwis on the topic ‘Colombo Garbage: An Asset or a Liability?’
Solid waste today is considered an asset rather than a liability. The difference is realised when the resource is well understood, civic responsibilities are factored into the process of management and technology options are considered with extended benefit, cost economics, etc.
Prof. Ajith de Alwis completed his Ph.D. at the Cambridge University, UK after completing his B.Sc. (Eng) degree at the University of Moratuwa. He also has an MBA from the Post Graduate Institute of Management (PIM) of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
He is the recipient of numerous awards in recognition of his work, most notably the Senior Moulton Medal of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (UK), Danckwerts-Maxwell Award from the University of Cambridge (D/Chemical Engineering) for the best PhD Thesis (Chemical Engineering), University of Moratuwa Research Awards from 1997 to 2007 and 2013.
He is a Professor at the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Moratuwa and is also the Director of the University of Moratuwa-Cargills Food Process Development Incubator. He has served as the Chairman of the Engineering Research Unit (ERU) of the University of Moratuwa from 2005-7. He was also a science team leader for the Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC) from its inception in 2008 to 2011. He has served on several national policy formulation subcommittees for biotechnology, nanotechnology, e-waste, etc.
He is currently the Project Director of the recently instituted Coordinating Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI) in Sri Lanka. He has also served as the Chairman of the National Mirror Committee at SLSI on Environmental Management.
He is a member of various local and international professional bodies: the Cambridge Philosophical and Commonwealth Societies, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (MAIChE), the Editorial Board of the European Journal of Food and Bioproducts, a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences Sri Lanka, a Life Member of the Sri Lanka Society for the Advancement of Sciences and also the founding President of the Biogas Association of Sri Lanka.
Prof. de Alwis was also a Post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Reading, UK and a Visiting Scientist at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore. He has published many research articles and book chapters in various international and local journals. He is also a regular columnist for the Daily FT (www.ft.lk/columns) on science, technology and national development.
The monthly lecture will be on 16 July at 6.15 p.m. at the Department of Meteorology Auditorium, 383, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07 (opposite BMICH). All are welcome and entrance is free.
