Nanotechnology expert here for World Science Day

COLOMBO: Dr. Hemantha Kumar Wickramsinghe, a pioneering nanotechnology expert met a group of Sri Lankan engineers at the IESL Headquarters last week to discuss the future of engineering in the light of path breaking technological advances of nano-science and technology.

Dr. Wickramasinghe is in the country on the invitation of Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Tissa Vitharana to be the keynote speaker at the World Science Day celebrations to be held today. He is the Henry Samueli endowed Prof. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California, Erwaine.

Dr. Wickramasinghe told the engineers that they should take a lead role in nano-technology as Sri Lanka has a competitive advantage of having well-educated engineers and scientists. He also emphasised that the knowledge gap between developed countries and the developing countries is much less in these newly emerging technologies compared to more developed ones.

He mentioned that the capital investment involved in some of the initial research and development activities are within the affordable limits of countries like Sri Lanka.

Prof. Wickramasinghe will be visiting Sri Lanka next month 2006 along with two other Sri Lankan born pioneers in nano-technology. They are Dr. Gihan Amaratunga. Prof. of Electronics and Power at the Department of Electrical Engineering of the University of Cambridge and Dr. Ravi Silva, Prof of Electrical Engineering at the University of Surrey.

Dr. Wickramasinghe is the younger brother of Prof. Chandra Wickramasinghe, another renowned Sri Lankan born scientist.