Did you know that lemons could produce electricity? And did you know there was a
method to using a hammer? Have you ever imagined the energy of the ocean, harnessed? All this became realities for those who were at EngEx 2010.
The Faculty of Engineering of the University of Ceylon was established exactly 60 years ago. In celebration of this anniversary, the students of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Peradeniya have been involved in a number of major projects over the past four or five months.
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The events were sponsored by various private companies and donors including the alumni of the faculty, but the main sponsor for the whole series of anniversary projects was the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau of Sri Lanka.
One of these projects was the launch of a range of anniversary stamps. Another was an educational venture. Groups of students from the faculty travelled around the country visiting major schools in all 25 districts, talking to A/L students about getting through the A/Ls and what awaits them at the national universities.
“We visited over a hundred schools,” declares Azrah, post-final year student and member of the organizing committee, adding that their goal was to “motivate students and inspire them to get into tertiary education.” “Of course we used the opportunities to tell them about the exhibition,” Lahiru, another student and committee member adds.
This exhibition, the biggest event on the anniversary celebrations calendar was the centre-of-activity at the University of Peradeniya from September 16-22. Throngs of people from around the country filled the streets of the campus on their way to and from the Engineering Exhibition.
The gloomy weather, despite being a damper (literally as well as metaphorically!), did not prevent large crowds travelling from distant parts of the country to view the amazing exhibits. Bus loads of students from regions as far off as Jaffna arrived and even spent a whole weekend on the campus premises in order to experience an event that takes place only once in a decade.
The faculty housed exhibits from each and every department of study as well as special stalls from commercial participants and even some presentations by the Ministry of Defense. Many exhibits had a timely relevance, especially those concerned with energy conservation, waste management and
security.
The organizers aimed at supplying information and inspiration for a wide spectrum of viewers and therefore included a range of exhibits, some displaying basic scientific principles and some presenting very advanced yet practical applications of these principles. Some items including a mobile-phone operated car security system, a clothes iron that switches itself off automatically and a Linux-based OS available in Sinhala and Tamil were immediate hits with the crowds.
Food, entertainment, guide maps for Bluetooth enabled phones, SMS help services, live radio and TV broadcasting, gaming centres, and a tiny hole-in-the-wall with “look here” written beside it were added attractions which made the whole experience so much more varied and interesting.
Another very useful feature was the series of A/L math, chemistry and physics lectures conducted during the course of each day. “We’ve really targeted the A/L student crowd,” says Azrah, “because they are the ones who will take our place and carry this forward.”
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