Category: Events

Sep 01

Two research students are undergoing Research Training at HVL

Two Sri Lankan research students Asitha Udayanga and Siva Uthayaraj from Universities of Peradeniya and Jaffna have been undergoing six month Research Training at HVL under supervision of  Professor Dhayalan since first week of September, respectively. They will undergo training on range of sophisticated equipment related to material characterization. Sri Lankan supervisors, Prof.Gamini Rajapakshe and Prof.P.Ravirajan  will join them by third week of October.

Aug 04

Meeting of Project Monitoring Board

Project Management Board had a meeting on the 4th of August at HVL. Prof. Dhayalan Velauthapillai informed the members on the progress of the NORPART project. In relation to the NORPART project, HVL is now funded NOK 6,2 million by The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Sri Lanka for capacity building and establishing a research consortium on clean energy technologies. Details of the technical assistance agreement between HVL and UoJ signed at the Norwegian Embassy were also given. Huge media coverage of this signing event in Sri Lanka and other countries was acknowledged.  Necessary arrangements such as accommodation, scholarships for the two students from UoJ and UoP under the mobility program were discussed. The two students are expected to be at HVL by first week of September.  Project Management Board member and the financial advisor Ms. Anna Zheleznaya will be leaving HVL shortly, and her position will be taken by another financial advisor from HVL, namely Stian Westgår-Strand.

Jul 07

Technical Assistance Contract signed by the coordinators

Further to the MOU signed between the vice chancellors of the University of Jaffna and Western Norway University of Applied Sciences in March 2017, an Institutional  Technical Assistance Contract on Capacity Building and Establishment of a Research Consortium in Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Technologies was signed by the project coordinators Prof.P.Ravirajan, and Prof.V.Dhayalan, at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo in the presence of the Norwegian Ambassador, His Excellency Thorbjørn Gaustadsæther on 07.07.2017 . This collaborative initiative will be funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway as part of its development cooperation programme and the total grant is 6.2 million Norwegian Kroners (LKR 112 million) to be disbursed over a period of three years (2017-2019).

Jul 06

Visited Research Laboratories of the Collaborators

On 06.07.2017, Professors Dhayalan and Ravirajan visited the research laboratories at the University of Peradeniya and National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy and discussed about the possibilities of collaborative research with Professors Gamini Rajapakshe and Kumara at the respective institutions. Prof. Dhayalan invited both professors to the forthcoming Indo-Norwegian workshop to be held in Coimbatore Institute of Technology, India in December 2017. Also, the research work to be carried out at HVL, Norway under the supervision of Prof. Dhayalan for six months from August/September 2017 by the PhD student of Prof. Gamini Rajapaksa was discussed with the respective student and Prof. Gamini Rajapaksa.

Jul 06

Visit to Research Laboratories of the Collaborators

On 06.07.2017, Professors Dhayalan and Ravirajan visited the research laboratories at the University of Peradeniya and National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy and discussed about the possibilities of collaborative research with Professors Gamini Rajapakshe and Kumara at the respective institutions. Prof. Dhayalan invited both professors to the forthcoming Indo-Norwegian workshop to be held in Coimbatore Institute of Technology, India in December 2017. Also, the research work to be carried out at HVL, Norway under the supervision of Prof. Dhayalan for six months from August/September 2017 by the PhD student of Prof. Gamini Rajapaksa was discussed with the respective student and Prof. Gamini Rajapaksa.

Jul 03

Postgraduate Studentships

In June 2017, applications were invited (http://www.jfn.ac.lk/index.php/postgraduate-research-studentships/) from suitably qualified candidates for Postgraduate Research Studentships to work at the University of Jaffna and the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences under general theme of Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Technologies.  Five applicants out of seven applied were appeared on July 03, 2017 before the interviewed panel consisted of Prof. V. Dhayalan, Prof. Ravirajan, Prof. Kandasamy, Prof.Meena Senthilnanthanan and Prof. Atputharajah, nominated by the Vice-Chancellor and the Chairman / Project Monitoring Board of the project. Two applicants were selected to receive studentship which is worth of Rs. 50,000/- (fixed) per month for 18 months and maintenance expenses for 06 months at university of Jaffna and the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, respectively. Both registration fee for their MPhil degree and return airfare to Norway will be covered by the project.

Jul 03

Workshop on developing a Master degree curriculum on Clean Energy Technologies

On 03.07.2017, a workshop on ‘Developing a Master Degree Curriculum on Clean Energy Technologies’ was held at the University of Jaffna. More than twenty academics from the Faculties of Science, Engineering and Technology actively participated in this important academic exercise. The initial draft of syllabi for more than ten course units of the proposed master degree programme were presented by the potential resource persons. Prof.V.Dhayalan (Professor in Physics and Technology and Coordinator/HRNCET, HVL) and Prof. K.Kandasamy (Emeritus Professor in Physics and Consultant / Faculty of Technology, UoJ) served as facilitators. The draft was further refined through constructive discussions. Prof.Lakshman Dissanayake (Physics), Prof.Gamini Rajapakshe (Chemistry) and Prof.Janaka Bandara Ekanayake (Engineering) were identified as potential reviewers of the proposed curriculum.

Jun 29

Discussions with EXCO of JSA for outreach activities

On 29.06.2017, Prof.V.Dhayalan, Coordinator/HRNCET of Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), Norway and Prof.P.Ravirajan, Coordinator/HRNCET of University of Jaffna (UoJ) had discussions with the Executive Committee of Jaffna Science Association (JSA) (http://www.thejsa.org/) on possible collaboration for conducting outreach activities on Clean Energy Technologies in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. A proposal has been developed by the JSA subcommittee on project planning and implementation in consultation with the HRNCET project coordinators and Department of Education, Northern Province with the primary objective of educating more than 3000 GCE (A/L) students in Science and Technology streams from 55 schools in the Jaffna district on the significance of clean energy technologies through interactive discussions and hands on experiments. Further, students will be encouraged to participate in long term activities such as poster preparation, documentary film making and invention of appropriate and innovative formulations on the theme.

May 27

Norwegian Students’ short visit to UoJ

Four final year electrical engineering undergraduates from Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) were on a short visit to UoJ. They have been working on a final year Bachelor project in electrical engineering in clean energy technologies, namely solar cell technologies. They designed a complete smart energy solar energy based grid system for a newly built elderly home in Jaffna. These undergraduates from HVL and undergraduates from University of Jaffna exchanged their scientific knowledge generated through their final year undergraduate research projects in the field of clean energy.