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

 

 

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.

Dr. Mullegama presenting Audience listening attentively

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

The International Research Conference on Smart Computing and Systems Engineering (SCSE) organized by the Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, has reached an extraordinary milestone. Not hundreds, not even five hundred, this milestone is about crossing a thousand citations.

This achievement isn't just a number, it’s synonymous with the groundbreaking research presented at SCSE, fueling academic discussions and innovations worldwide. Each citation is a recognition of the hard work, dedication, and expertise of researchers contributing to fields that drive the future.

From its inception, SCSE has pushed boundaries, fostering collaborations, expanding knowledge, and tackling global challenges through smart computing and systems engineering. Reaching 1K+ citations show how far the conference's influence extends, leaving a monumental mark in the world of research. Here's to many more milestones in the ever-evolving world of technology.

The Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya has always been a pillar for undergraduates seeking to change the world by sharing their knowledge and skills to pave the way for a better, more innovative future.

While focusing on academics, the Department of Industrial Management is also keen on ensuring that students are ready to conquer the world not only with their skills and knowledge but also by how they market themselves as a brand. As part of this ongoing initiative, the poster presentations for the Software Development Project were held on the 11th of September 2024, starting at 8:00 AM at the Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya. Second-year undergraduates of the department presented their project ideas, focusing on how they identified problems in current systems and how they plan to address those issues by incorporating prudent solutions and new features into their systematically developed software projects.

As George Lucas said, “Everybody has talent; it's just a matter of moving around until you've discovered what it is.” The Department of Industrial Management firmly believes that, with proper guidance and direction, these talented and skilled intellectuals can aspire to inspire as well-versed individuals in the industry who are not only knowledgeable but also practically proficient. The session proved insightful for the second-year undergraduates, as they received valuable feedback from an experienced panel consisting of academic staff members of the Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya.

It is indeed a testament to the dedication of both the students and the department, reinforcing the notion that with the right mentorship and a platform to showcase their skills, these future innovators are on track to make a significant impact in their respective fields.

We are excited to present the key highlights of ideaX 2024, an event organized by the undergraduates of the Department of Industrial Management on the 17th of August.

The event showcased the initial pitch presentations from 30 teams of undergraduates representing both state universities and higher education institutions. These teams were selected from a pool of 176 proposals submitted for the event, following a meticulous screening process.

 

The esteemed panel of judges comprised,

  1. Mr. Ramesh Vithanage – Senior Business Analyst, CODICE
  2. Mr. Anuradha Rathnayake – Technical Architect, EvonSys
  3. Mr. Chamindra Dushan – Software Architect, Pagero
  4. Mr. Udara Gunasekara – Product Manager, Gaming Services, IdeaMart
  5. Mr. Akalanka Jayalath – Senior DevOps Engineer, Acuity Knowledge Partners
  6. Mr. Chamindra Hettitantirige – Senior Business Analyst, CODICE
  7. Mr. Chamathkara Yasisuru – Product Manager, Dialog Enterprise Marketplace

 

The teams selected for the finals are as follows:

 

  1. CeylonMusk Studios – University of Sri Jayewardenepura
  2. Code9 – University of Sri Jayewardenepura
  3. CodeCrafters – Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka
  4. CtrlShiftCode – University of Moratuwa
  5. Design 100 – Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT)
  6. Hack Masters – Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT)
  7. Hydrolink – University of Moratuwa
  8. InnovaTech – Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology (APIIT)
  9. KernelPanic – University of Moratuwa
  10. moveMate – Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT)
  11. Tech Trio – University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
  12. Vanguard – Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka

 

The Department of Industrial Management extends its heartfelt congratulations to the selected teams, who will advance to compete in the Grand Finals of hackX 9.0 alongside the top 3 teams from Ideasprint 2024.

  1. CrowdSnap Market Minds Challenge 2024: Bridging Academia and Industry
  2. INVENTION CONVENTION FOR ENGINEERING SMART SYSTEMS FOR INDUSTRY (INCO 2024)
  3. IDEASPRINT 2024: HACKX 9.0
  4. Leadership Training Program for First-Year Undergraduates

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Last Update on 31-03-2022

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