Department of Industrial Management

Global Innovation, Cultural Exchange, and Hands-On Learning: MIT Students Represents Sri Lanka at Technovit 2024 in Chennai

Two students from the Department of Industrial Management at the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, recently participated in Technovit 2024 at the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Chennai campus, India. Held from September 19th to 21st, the event offered a comprehensive blend of workshops, competitions, and networking opportunities, organized by various schools within the VIT campus.

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Mr. Tharuka Sandaruwan and Ms. Lavanya Ravichandran attended an informative session on web application Vulnerability Exploitation titled "How Hackers Really Hack" and participated in a workshop focused on drones. The drone workshop covered key topics such as building and calibrating drones, providing hands-on experience in this cutting-edge technology. Both sessions were highly engaging and provided valuable insights into their respective fields.

In addition to the workshops, the students observed exciting competitions, including robot battles and robot soccer, and participated in various recreational activities. These experiences were complemented by opportunities to interact with academic staff, further enhancing their learning.

A standout moment during the event was the fashion show, where international students, including the Sri Lankan participants, showcased their traditional attire, celebrating cultural diversity and global unity.

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Following Technovit 2024, the students enrolled in several certification courses on power electronics, electric vehicles, and robotics. These courses were well-structured, incorporating practical lab sessions that enhanced both theoretical understanding and hands-on skills.

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The event also provided an excellent platform for cultural exchange, with international students from 11 countries across four continents, including Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Japan, Uzbekistan, Tanzania, Uruguay, Peru, Mexico, Malaysia, Brazil, and Bangladesh. The students shared cultural insights and experiences, expanding their global perspectives while engaging in leisure activities with local students. The experience was further enriched by the opportunity to sample authentic Indian cuisine.

Throughout their 10-day stay, from September 18th to 27th, the students received exceptional support from the student volunteers and the International Relations (IR) team at VIT, ensuring a seamless and enriching experience.

This opportunity was made possible through the collaboration between VIT Chennai and the Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. The students left with valuable knowledge, meaningful connections, and lasting memories from this immersive global experience.

Written by - R. Gunawardana

HackX 9.0, Young Minds Towards Sustainable Innovation

“If you take a group of people with the right equity incentives and organize them in a startup, you can unlock human potential in a way never before possible.”

— Bill Gross, The Single Biggest Reason Why Start-Ups Succeed, TED, 2015.

The Industrial Management Science Students’ Association (IMSSA) aims to provide dynamic platforms for individuals who have the passion to do better in the ever evolving plethora of opportunities lying in front of them. The HackX 9.0 Grand Finals is a major event organized by the IMSSA that provides a dynamic platform for Sri Lanka's brightest young minds to showcase their innovative startup concepts. This renowned inter-university startup challenge, now in its ninth edition, was centered on the theme of "Sustainable Innovation".

The final event was held on the 29th September 2024 at Ideamart, Dialog Axiata PLC, where 15 exceptional teams from leading universities across Sri Lanka pitched their groundbreaking ideas.

CeylonMusk Studios - University of Sri Jayewardenepura
Code9 - University of Sri Jayewardenepura
CtrlShiftCode - University of Moratuwa
DavinciDreamers - University of Kelaniya
Denkers - University of Kelaniya
Design 100 - Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT)
Hack Masters - Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT)
InnovaTech - Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology (APIIT)
Team CodeCrafters - Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka
Team Hydrolink - University of Moratuwa
Team KernelPanic - University of Moratuwa
Team moveMate - Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT)
Team Vanguard - Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka
Tech Trios - University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Zenhance - University of Kelaniya

Competing in front of a panel of esteemed industry experts, these undergraduates demonstrated unparalleled creativity of the youth, embodying the spirit of entrepreneurship.

Mr. Hiranya Samarasekera - Country Head and Senior Vice President of Engineering at CODICE
Mrs. Amaya Jayasuriya - Manager of Business Consulting at Evonsys
Mr. Malinda Rathnayake - Senior Manager of Platform Business at Dialog Axiata PLC
Mr. Azhar Ameer - Lead Technical Consultant at Creative Software
Mr. Sajith Silva - R&D Director for Sri Lanka at Pagero

Their expertise brought invaluable insights and constructive feedback to the finalists, fostering a learning environment.

The finals concluded with a spectacular awards ceremony recognizing the standout performances.

Champion - Team InnovaTech - Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology (APIIT)
1st Runner-Up - Team KernelPanic - University of Moratuwa
2nd Runner-Up - Team moveMate - Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT)
Most Innovative Team (Powered by CODICE) - Team Vanguard - Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka
Most Popular Team (Powered by Ideamart) - Team DavinciDreamers - University of Kelaniya
Instagram Challenge Winner (Powered by Creative Software) - Team moveMate - Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT)

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The event emphasized innovation’s role in solving real world challenges sustainably. HackX 9.0 connected undergraduates with industry leaders, fostering networking, mentorship, and the realization of bold ideas. More than a competition, it celebrated ingenuity, collaboration, and the potential of Sri Lanka’s youth.

CrowdSnap Market Minds Challenge 2024: A Breakthrough Hackathon Bridging Academia and Industry

The CrowdSnap Market Minds Challenge 2024, organized by the Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, in partnership with CrowdSnap, provided undergraduates with a transformative platform to engage in real-world market research and address contemporary industry challenges.

This innovative hackathon enabled undergraduates to work on projects sourced directly from industry specialists across the hotel, environmental, and social research sectors, using the cutting-edge CrowdSnap platform. Undergraduates conducted surveys, analyzed data, and delivered actionable insights to address some pressing industry needs. By integrating theoretical knowledge with practical application, the hackathon embodied the spirit of industry-academia collaboration.

Award-Winning Teams

The hackathon culminated in a grand finale on November 25, 2024, where the top-performing teams were celebrated for their exceptional innovation and dedication. The winners were awarded cash prizes and certificates in recognition of their achievements:

1. Winners: Team MaRRsi

2. First Runner-Up: Team NOMADS

3. Second Runner-Up: Paradise Predictors

The Department of Industrial Management expresses its heartfelt gratitude to CrowdSnap for choosing the department to host its inaugural university research competition. The CrowdSnap team - Mr. Hasitha Ariyarathna Mr. Indika Fernando, and Mr. Akash Rashmikara, not only facilitated mentorship by industry specialists but also consistently encouraged and motivated undergraduates throughout the challenge.

This hackathon exemplifies the department’s commitment to producing industry-ready graduates, equipping them with hands-on experience, research expertise, and the capability to address real-world problems. Such initiatives align with the department’s vision of being "A Thought Leader in Digital Transformation" by empowering students to meet the demands of the modern workforce and advance their professional aspirations.

UCSC – IIT Workshop on Shared Task towards building a Sinhala/Tamil Large Language Model

Team Govi-Nena emerged as the winners of the UCSC-IIT Workshop on the Shared Task for Building a Sinhala/Tamil Large Language Model, held in parallel with the ICTer 2024 conference. This event focused on advancing the development of Large Language Models (LLMs) for the low-resource languages Sinhala and Tamil. The workshop focused on two primary tasks: developing a tokenizer and word embedding model and creating a chatbot system with Q&A support using the Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) model for Sinhala/Tamil. The goal was to promote collaboration and innovation within the NLP community, establish robust benchmarks for Sinhala and Tamil NLP, and drive forward the development of LLMs for these languages.

Over the course of two months, teams from academia and industry competed to create the most effective solutions. Team Govi-Nena, consisting of members from the Department of Industrial Management at the University of Kelaniya, the University of Ruhuna, and Western Sydney University, presented two solutions for the Q&A chatbot task. Their code-based and low-code solutions achieved impressive accuracy scores of 80% and 85% respectively (based on human evaluation).

The members of the team are as follows:

Prof. Anusha Indika – University of Ruhuna

Mr. Shamika Tissera (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shamika-tissera) - Department of Industrial Management (UoK)

Mr. Kishan Fernando (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kishan-fernando-675029269) - University of Ruhuna

Ms. Shyama Wilson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/r-shyama-wilson-0346aa8a) - Western Sydney University

Mr. Aruna Lorensuhewa - University of Ruhuna

Overcoming Challenges: Empowering SMEs with Innovative Solutions, A Guest Session by Dr. Phillip Nehri

Being exposed to real-world challenges and solutions in the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, along with aligning academic learning with industry practices, will eventually become a guiding force for undergraduates eager to advance their careers in the field of industry and technology. As Yoon (2022) asserts, “The community is composed of early- to growth-stage companies from around the world that are involved in the design, development, and deployment of new technologies and innovations, and poised to have a significant impact on business and society.”

The Department of Industrial Management is committed to upskilling students in every way possible during their undergraduate journey before they enter the workforce. An insightful session titled "Overcoming Challenges: Empowering SMEs with Innovative Solutions" was conducted on the 24th of September, 2024, specifically arranged for first-year students as part of their Industry and Technology course. The event featured a distinguished guest speaker, Dr. Philip Nehri Mullegama, the Chief Advisor to the Sri Lankan government on the national project aimed at creating 500 brands for the country. Dr. Mullegama, also the former CEO of Chandanalepa Cosmetics, brought a wealth of experience and insights to the discussion. His role in guiding the national branding initiative and his extensive background in the cosmetics industry provided students with invaluable perspectives on navigating challenges and seizing opportunities within the SME landscape.

During the session, Dr. Mullegama highlighted the importance of innovation and strategic thinking in overcoming common hurdles faced by SMEs in Sri Lanka. He shared his experiences in brand development, emphasizing the need for creative and resilient approaches to foster growth and sustainability in business. Students were encouraged to think beyond conventional solutions and explore innovative paths to success, making the session highly engaging and interactive.

Photo Credits: IMSSA Media unit

The session not only enriched the students' understanding of the SME sector but also underscored the vital role that young professionals and future entrepreneurs can play in shaping the country's economic landscape. Dr. Mullegama's insights served as a powerful reminder of the potential for technology and innovation to transform industries and drive national development.

This session marked a significant step in bridging the gap between academia and industry, equipping students with practical knowledge and inspiring them to contribute meaningfully to the SME sector in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, to give the next generation of innovators a voice in addressing global issues and the opportunity to contribute to the exploration of future trends, the Department of Industrial Management will continue to strive toward this goal.

Written by - I. Fernando & D. Lorensuhewa

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