Friday 9 February 2018

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE CIVIL ENGINEERING SOCIETY-2018

Venue:  Auditorium, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa.
Date   : 18th of January 2018
Time   : 11.15 a.m.

The annual meeting of the civil engineering society for the year 2018 was held with main objective of electing the new office bearers for the year 2018. The meeting was conducted by Mr. Anushka Dasanayake, the president of the CES with the presence of Prof.W.K.Mampearachchi, Dr. W.B.Gunawardana and Dr.Ashani Ranathunga. At first he invited  Mr.Lahiru Thiwanka, the newly appointed assistant secretary to read the minutes of the last meeting. Then as the agenda of the meeting the new office bearers were selected as follows.















vAcademic advisor : Dr. W. B. Gunawardana. (Appointed by Prof.W.K.Mampearachci & seconded by Dr.Ashani Ranathunga)

v  Senior Treasurer : Prof. W. K. Mampearachchi.( Appointed by Dr.W.B.Gunawardana & seconded by Dr.Ashani Ranathunga) .                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
v  President: Mr.Sasith karunarathna (sem 7) [Suggested by Mr.Thisaru Gamage(sem 7) & seconded by Mr.Tharaka abesinghe(sem 7)].

v  Secretary: Mr.Kelum Sandamal (sem 7) [Suggested by Mr.Thilanga Fonseka(sem 7) & seconded by Mr. Janith Nipuna(sem 7)].


v  Vice-President : Mr.Sadish Madushan(sem 5) [Suggested by Mr.Milindu Jayasekara(sem 5) & seconded by Ms.Shashikala Rajasinghe (sem 5)].

v  Assistant secretary : Mr.Lahiru Thiwanka(sem 5) ) [Suggested by Ms.Isuri Fonseka(sem 5) & seconded by Ms.Hirushi Vandana (sem 5)].


v  Junior treasurer :Mr.Kalana Ranawaka(sem 7)  [Suggested by Mr.Thilanga Fonseka(sem 7) & seconded by Mr.Janith Nipuna(sem 7)].




v  Editors :
Mr. Hasanga Fernando(sem 7)  [Suggested by Mr.Senehas Navodya(sem 7) & seconded by Mr.Pravin Maduwantha(sem 7)].
Ms. Nadeeshani Haggalla (sem 5)  [Suggested by Mr.Asitha Rathnayake (sem 5) & seconded by       Ms. Isuri Fonseka (sem 5)].
Mr.Buddhi Rasathmaka(sem 5) [Suggested by Mr.Randil sumiditha (sem 5) & seconded by Mr. Hashan Ishara(sem 5)].

v  Internal affairs committe chairma:
 Mr.Risky sameez(sem 7) [Suggested by Mr.Thisaru Gamage(sem 7) & seconded by Mr.Janith Nipuna(sem 7)  

v  External affairs commitee chairman:

Mr.Janith Nipuna(sem 7) [Suggested by Mr.Thilanga Fonseka(sem 7) & seconded by Mr. Senehas Navodya(sem 7)




v  Comittee members:

Mr.Subash Chamara (sem 5) [Suggested by Mr.Roshantha Jeewaka(sem 5) & seconded by Mr.Lucky Prabath(sem 5)].
Mr.Dinuja Ilangarathna(sem 5)  [Suggested by Mr.Nalaka Jayantha(sem 5) & seconded by Mr.Lahiru Siomon(sem 5)].
                    

v  Committee Members :
                    
Main event organiser:

Mr. Buddhi rajapakshe(sem 7) [Suggested by Ms.Sachini shashiprabha(sem 7) & seconded by Mr.Thanura hasantha(sem 7)]. 
                                                                          
Chairman of the panel discussion commitee:

Ms. Sachini Wijewardane(sem 7) [Suggested by Mr.Gihan Rupasinghe (sem 7) & seconded by Mr.Manoj Ranga (sem 7)].

Chairman of the canteen commitee:

Mr.Suraj dombagahawaththa(sem 7) [Suggested by Mr.Pravin Maduwantha(sem 7) & seconded by Mr.Manoj(sem 7)].

Mr.Imal Dasanayake(sem 5)  [Suggested by Mr.Randil Sumuditha(sem 5) & seconded by Mr.Hashan Ishara(sem 5)].
Mr.Sudara Withan(sem 5) [Suggested by Mr.Udara Sachinthana (sem 5) & seconded by Mr.Sadun Wijebandara(sem 5)].
Mr.Mohamed Zenith(sem 5) [Suggested by Mr.Jayan(sem 5) & seconded by Mr.Bemalka Senath(sem 5)].
Mr. Thisaru Sandulika(sem 5) [Suggested by Ms.Narmada Liyanagamage (sem 5) & seconded by Ms.Wageesha Kavindi (sem 5)].

10 Committee members from sem 3 appointed by Mr.Sadish Madushan(vice president) & seconded by  Mr.Kelum Sandamal( secretary)



Former President of CES invited the newly appointed President to take over the meeting & the president welcomed all the guests and objectives of the civil engineering society were presented to all the members.
Then the vice president Mr. Sadish Madushan presented a video to the audience on the last years’ memories.

After that the President, Mr. Sasith Karunarathna invited all the past members to the front of the audience for the awarding of the certificates of appreciation for their contribution to the society.
Next the former President, Mr. Anushka Dassanayake talked about what they have done in last year and how it will proceed in the upcoming years. Finally he thanked all who supported the past member committee and congratulated the newly appointed office bearers.

Next Dr.W.B.Gunawardana( Academic Adviser)  talked about the past few year’s progress & about the history of the society. Further she said how it was developed under so many obstacles & the contribution of all members. Also she said what the improvements we have to engage and the alumina. association. Finally she finished speech by congratulating the newly appointed committee members.
Then Prof. W.K. Mampearachchi( Senior Treasurer ) talked about the contribution made by the past students and collecting donations from outgoing batches in order to increase the funds of the CES. Finally he talked about the programs which were done last year and he concluded his speech by congratulating the newly appointed committee members.
Then a few plans for the upcoming year were presented to the audience by the president. They are;
          1. New year festival 2018.
          2. Cricket festival.
          3. Suhastha( Seminar series).
          4. Civil Padura.
          5.Civil Night.
Then the secretary, Mr. Kelum Sandamal thanked all the members in the audience and the meeting was adjourned at 12.15p.m. by the president.                                                     









CIVIL ENGINEERING RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM


The Civil Engineering Research Symposium was one of the most highlighted Events of year 2017. 
The Symposium enlightened the future engineering minds on the  30th of November 2017 at the Civil Engineering Auditorium with the overall coordination by Prof.S.A.S.Kulathilake. First session of the event was chaired by Prof.S.A.S.Kulathilake with Dr.H.R.Pasindu as the secretary where as the second and third sessions were chaired by Dr.L.I.N.De Silva with Prof.A.A.D.A.J.Perera as the secretary.

The event emphasized on the Undergraduate researches of the Batch 12 of Civil Engineering Department. The Symposium was proceeded in three sessions in front of a respected panel and the students of the Department of Civil Engineering throughout the day despite the bad weather. The presentations made the event much more interesting with enthusiastic questions from the audience. 


The event wrapped up in style descending the bright ideas of the seniors to the junior undergraduates to be continued into the future.



Session 01
Comparison of Nailed Timber box beams with Nail Laminated Timber beams
Dr.(Mrs) MTP Hettiarachchi
Miss KPIE Ariyarathne
Finite element analysis on the effect of deep embedded retaining structures on the settlement of raft foundations
Dr.  LIN de Silva
Mr. MP Amarasinghe
Shear strength and permeability characteristics of compacted residual soils in an unsaturated state
Prof. SAS Kulathilake
Mrs. HPW Dilanthi
Evaluating multifaceted benefits of river restoration projects undertaken in Sri Lanka and future directions to develop Recommendations for further improvement
Dr. RLHL Rajapakse
Mr. WGCS Gayan
Volumetric design and performance analysis of Superpave and marshal  mix designs for Sri Lankan conditions
Prof. WK Mampearachchi
Mr. HAMB Kadurugamuwa
Use of Nano CaO loaded mesoporous Al2O3 for removal of Fourides from ground water rich in hardness
Prof. MW Jayaweera
Miss PAN Peris

Removal of Cadimium in hard water with nano zero valentrion (NZVI)
Prof. MW Jayaweera
Mr. RDJ Martin
Failure modes in stone columns in very soft clays
Prof. SAS Kulathilake
Miss MHM Harshani

Session 02
Prediction of creased geometry of thin folded membranes using finite element analysis
Dr. HMYC Mallikarachchi
MR. S. Mierunalan
Development of an undisturbed density measurement for heavy tamping model studies on MSW
Dr. UP Nawagamuwa
Mr. AMDC Bandara
Use of ozonation and photocatalysis for degradation of Glyphosate in potable water in CKDu Prevalent areas
Prof. (Ms) WB Gunawardana
Miss PP Jayasekara
A study on recontamination risks in water distribution systems, using a network model.
Prof.(Mrs) N. Rathnayake
MR. MHV Lasantha
Application of ERP system for construction industry
Prof. AADAJ Perera
Miss FST Hewawitharana
A study on water retention in ancient cascade systems
Dr. TMN Wijayarathna
Mr. JSI Thilakarathna
Study of Operational improvements of introducing electronic toll collection to expressways in Sri Lanka
Dr.HR Pasindu
Mr. CJ Vidanapathirana
Estimating the vehicle operating cost used for economic feasibility analysis of highway construction
Dr.HR Pasindu
Mr. DASSS Ranawaka

Session 03
Influence of matric suction on pullout resistance of soil nails
Prof. SAS Kulathilake
Mr. P Rajeeevkaran
Generic algorithm applications for optimization and novelty in engineering design
Prof. WPS Dias
Mr. K Thaniroshan


FIELD VISIT TO PORT CITY COLOMBO


Port city Colombo is a brand new city development built as an extension of the Central Business District of Sri Lanka’s vibrant commercial capital, Colombo. Through this project the total area of the sea to be reclaimed is 269 hectares. It is expected to cater as an international Financial Centre. Construction of the Colombo Port City project was launched on the 17th of September 2014. It is expected to complete the landfill by 2019.



On the 9th of November 2017, the Civil Engineering Society of University of Moratuwa organized the field visit to port city land reclamation site in Colombo. Senior lecturer of the Department of Civil Engineering, Dr. L.I.N De Silva along with sixty students were given the opportunity to join this field visit.

The major objective of this field visit was to get exposure in construction. This visit comprised of a detailed explanation on the project plan by the main engineer of port city, a presentation-discussion round with the objective of identifying problems and solutions of this project as well as a closer examination of the landfill in the site. 

 
Furthermore, Eng. Amil Samarasinghe, the reclamation engineer at Colombo port city development project, gave a general explanation on Construction and Landfilling as well. Hence in conclusion the visit was an overall success with much valuable knowledge sharing and experience for the participants.


CIVIL NITE 2017


It was the 10th of November 2017.


The glamorous evening opened the curtains for one of the most prominent events of Department of Civil Engineering. It was the Civil Night 2017, a night filled with entertainment under the theme of prisoners.


The event started up with traditional lightning of the oil lamp by distinguished guest of honor for the day, the Head of the Civil Engineering department & the lecturers of the department who were present to sparkle the event.


The gathering was eagerly waiting to witness the events in the function. There were students dressed up as prisoners in one side of the hall and there were judges and policemen in other side of the hall. Everyone was more curious with embedded feeling of what will happen next.

The stage was opened to a glamorous song performed by the 2013 batch & then few dancing items & then the most humorous & thrilling event of the function came up. It was the drama performed by the students of level 4 of the department. The audience was showered with humor and laughter up to the end of the drama.

The function was not bound only to those events, but also for a short quiz competition which added more sparkles to the function & there were several singing & dancing items amidst those which added more glamour to the function.

The day ended up with adding more flashing memories to the presenters of the event & remarking the end of another memorable event in the Civil Engineering Department history.



CIVIL CRIC FIESTA - 2017

Academic excellence is a stepping stone to success but good health is equally important to enjoy the fruit of success. So both academics and sports must be balanced. Playing as a team builds team work, self-confidence and makes us to effectively communicate problems. With similar objectives, Civil Engineering Society of University of Moratuwa organizes annual cricket tournament for the civil engineering undergraduates.



It was held on the 3rd of November 2017 from 9.00am at the university grounds. It was organized by the students from all the levels of civil engineering department. The head of the department - Prof J.M.S.J Bandara, senior lecturers- Dr L.I.N de Silva, Dr.Mahesh Warnajith Jayaweera, and Dr G.L.Deemantha de Silva were present on that day and made the day more special.




Students of all four levels participated in the tournament enthusiastically and glorified the day. There were three teams for each level consisting two men’s teams and one women’s team. After a full day of competition, level 4 team became the first and level 2 became the second in the men’s team. Level 2 team won the first place in women’s team. Everybody played the game fairly and even the lost teams took it very sportive.

 
Pavilion was decorated and the posters were pasted around the university premises by level 1 students. Refreshments were provided by the level 2 students. The whole event was planned and organized by level 4 students who guided all the following three levels to have the event successfully conducted.

Lecturers and instructors joined in the award ceremony at the end of the event. Everybody enjoyed whole heartedly and united for the celebration without any discrimination of victory and loss.



Thursday 8 February 2018

Field Visit to Mount Clifford Range

A unique blend of affordability and smart living, Mount Clifford Range is supposed to offer a desirable combination of modern amenities and facilities in a prime location. A four-storey residential building, Mount Clifford Range is yet to provide well planned and spacious apartments of 640 square feet area. The International Construction Consortium (ICC) has planned to complete the first phase of this successful project during the second quarter of 2019 while the completion of the second phase is scheduled in the second quarter of 2020.

Civil engineering wise the particularity of this housing project is the utilization of precast concrete wall panels for construction. Through the courtesy of  Dr. Chandana Siriwardana and Eng. Jayanath Raveendra, the Civil Engineering undergraduates of the 2013 and 2014 batch of University of Moratuwa were given the opportunity to visit this construction site on the 28th of October 2017 which is located in Homagama.


As mentioned above the sole objective of this field visit was to expose and familiarize the students to precast construction which is a novel, yet a rapid method of construction which has been emerging in the industry lately. Simply, the wall panels and other structural elements were casted at the site and then assembled together. Due to this method, the project duration can be vastly minimized. Not only on the precast construction, but the students were educated on other significant and integral components of housing projects such as choosing suitable lands and infrastructure facilities like electricity and water up to the site as well.

However, it can be determined that this field visit was an overall success and facilitated the student awareness on designing, checking structural requirements, ensuring the quality of construction when implementing this contemporary method of precast concrete construction in their future vocations. 

Wednesday 7 February 2018

CIVIL TALKS - 2017 (Phase 04)


4th phase of the Annual panel discussion organized by Civil Engineering Society of University of Moratuwa with the collaboration of the highway Engineering Society, was held on the 31st of October 2017 at 4.15pm at the Civil auditorium. Panel discussion was titled as ”Land acquisition procedure for national development” and the discussion was chaired by Engineer S.H.U.De Silva, the director of environmental and social development division of Road Development Authority.


He discussed several facts regarding land acquisition and insisted that the development of highways is highly contributed for the development of the country. He also explained that as civil engineers our aim should be to obtain the maximum support of the public for acquiring lands without delay in order to develop roads and to minimize the loss by granting fair compensations for the acquired lands.

With the cessation of the thirty years of war, Sri Lanka has been rapidly growing hence construction of infrastructure and development projects are being carried out for the benefit of the people in the country and it is an undeniable fact that there is a percentage of people who lose their lands for the enforcement of rights of public at large. He discussed such cases as well as the laws and parties who are involved in land acquisitions.



 Such estimable sharing of knowledge came to an end with the presenting of a token of appreciation to our honorable speaker of the discussion followed by the vote of thanks delivered by Osanda Muthuhewa, the president of the panel discussion committee of the Civil Engineering Society.