Chemistry Institute to honour Prof. Sultanbawa

CHEMIST Professor M. U. S. Sultanbawa will be honoured by the Institute of Chemistry, Ceylon by naming one of the two laboratories in its headquarters at 431/22, Kotte Road, Welikada, Rajagiriya as the M. U. S. Sultanbawa laboratory at 4.15 p.m. on May 7, which is his 84th birth anniversary.

In a news release, Dean of the College of Chemical Sciences Prof. J. N. Oleap Fernando states that the M. U. S. Sultanbawa Oration will be delivered by his one time student and subsequent University Collegue, Professor Savithri Kumar, former Head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Peradeniya.

Declaring open the Sultanbawa laboratory and unveiling the portrait of Professor Sultanbawa will be carried out by Richard Kulatunga.

Professor Sultanbawa had a distinguished academic career in Chemistry and passed out in 1943 in the very first batch of graduates to be produced by the University of Ceylon. Having obtained a Ph.D. in Chemistry in Organic Chemistry from Imperial College (University of London), Professor Sultanbawa proved to be a determined and productive researcher under very trying conditions and primitive facilities.

He served the university system in Sri Lanka with great distinction and in a distinguished and exemplary manner over the next 27 years until 1980. Professor Sultanbawa is the founding father of the development of teaching and research in chemistry at Peradeniya ever since a second Faculty of Science was established there in the early sixties.

The very high level which the standard of chemistry has risen at Peradeniya today will stand no doubt as a lasting and permanent monument to the firm commitment, unfailing determination and far- sightedness of Professor Sultanbawa.

Professor Sultanbawa also involved himself in many learned societies and professional bodies; he served as General President of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science, President of the Chemistry Society of Ceylon and President of the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka.

He served on a number of Boards and Corporations.

Professor Sultanbawa who obtained international recognition by winning the Guiness award for Scientific Achievement was also awarded the D.Sc by the University of London. Professor Sultanbawa also has the unique distinction of having been conferred honorary doctorates by no less than seven universities.

In recognition of his unparalleled contribution to Science, Education, Teaching and Research the Institute of Chemistry, Ceylon gave Professor Sultanbawa unique recognition in 1996 by felicitating him on the occasion of his 75th birthday by holding a felicitation seminar and dinner in his honour. Professor Sultanbawa died after a brief illness on April 30, 1999.