FEATURED NEWS

The construction industry is a large and important contributor to the global economy. However, it has been known to be lagging behind other industries in embracing innovation. With the advancement of new technologies in the past decade towards the next industrial revolution, a ‘transformative framework’ was defined for the Construction industry for its revolution, ‘Construction 4.0’.

Professor Campbell Middleton, Professor of Construction Engineering and Director of the Laing O’Rourke Centre for Construction Engineering and Technology at Cambridge University, United Kingdom visited the Civil Engineering Department for a one-week period from 28th November to 02nd December 2022 as the new External Reviewer of the BSc Civil Engineering (Hons) Degree Program offered by the University of Moratuwa. Prof. Middleton visited the department at the request of the Head of the Department, Prof. (Mrs.) Chintha Jayasinghe, and the Accreditation committee, chaired by Prof. Lalith Rajapakse.

Civil Engineering Research Symposium (CERS) 2022, organized by the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa was successfully held on the 01st of December 2022 at the Civil Engineering Auditorium. The symposium showcased the latest and novel research activities undertaken by undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Department. A special keynote speech on “Data is the new Gold” was delivered by Professor Campbell Middleton from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

The new module was introduced from Intake 2020 onwards as an open-ended, holistic project, where the fresh Civil Engineering undergraduates in Semesters 2 and 3 are exposed to student-centered learning on basic design concepts at an early stage of the course. The module was designed as a fun learning exercise for the students, where they are free to make mistakes and learn from them.

The Christmas celebrations of the Department of Civil Engineering were held on the 21st of December, 2022 from 4.30 pm onwards at the Civil Engineering Auditorium. This was organized as part of the initiative by the Head of the Department, Prof. (Mrs.) Chintha Jayasinghe, to promote social harmony within the Department. The event was organized by the students of Intake 2020, under the guidance of Dr. Lakshitha Fernando, Mr. Nipun Kumarage, and Ms. Sharon Vanmathy. The event was attended by the staff and the students of the Department, Rev. Rajeev Palihawadana, children and guardians from the Homes of Diri Daru Piyasa-Maharagama and Suhada Lanka Children's Home-Willorawatta.

Mr. U.A.K. Premakumara from the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, has won the prestigious award given by the Sri Lankan Association for the Advancement of Sciences (SLAAS), namely the ‘Manamperi Award’ under the Merit category, at the 78th Annual Sessions of SLAAS. This award was presented for Mr. Premakumara’s final year project titled “Development of an Overall Construction Productivity Assessment Framework and an Improvement Model,” conducted under the supervision of Dr. C. S. A. Siriwardana at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa.

IHE Delft (Netherlands), in partnership with the University of Moratuwa and SLASS, conducted a workshop on extreme sea levels (ESL) and coastal flooding projections for Sri Lanka at SLASS auditorium in Colombo 7. The event was held on October 26 with the participation of the Deputy Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Sri Lanka and Maldives. Prof Roshanka Ranasinghe (IHE Delft/Deltares/University of Twente), presented the ESL projections for the entire Sri Lankan coast and highlighted potential techniques for coastal flooding protection for Sri Lanka.