20th Anniversary celebration : Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Moratuwa University

2005 marks the 20th Anniversary of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), University of Moratuwa. On this significant occasion, the Department is proud to have been at the forefront of IT education in Sri Lanka, states a press release issued by the Department of Computer Science & Engineering of University of Moratuwa.

As part of the celebrations, the Department of CSE together with the Computer Science & Engineering Society (CS&ES) organises a Conference and a Get-together on the 21st of July, 2005 at the Empire Ball Room, Mount Lavinia Hotel. The Honourable Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Tissa Vitharana will be the Chief Guest of the event. The conference will commence at 1.45 pm which will be followed by the Get-together, which would be attended by the alumni and well-wishers of the department.

The Department of CSE was established in 1985 and since then it has played a major role in the development of IT industry in Sri Lanka. It has made a significant contribution in developing the LEARN (Lanka Education & Research Network), which is the main Internet Service Provider for the academic community in the country. It should be mentioned that the Department of Computer Science and Engineering is the first institute in Sri Lanka to connect to the Internet.

Its graduates have been excelling in all fields of Information Technology both in Sri Lanka and overseas. Some alumni hold high positions in leading organisations and are working in areas outside IT as well. Furthermore the department has produced high quality scholars doing research and teaching at many local and international academic institutions. Hence it has chosen the phrase "For those who dare to go beyond Excellence" as the theme for the 20th anniversary celebrations. This is in recognition of the excellence achieved by the graduates of the Department and the target to achieve higher goals in the future.

The conference under the topic of "IT Professionals to IT Entrepreneurs" will be addressed by some prominent personnel in the industry and academia. The Hon. Prof Tissa Vitharana, who is a microbiologist by profession, will present his views on the role of IT professionals in the scientific advancement of Sri Lanka. Prof. Sardha Wijesoma, Associate Professor at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, who was a former Head of the Department of CSE will make a speech on Smart Vehicles. Mr. Venkatesh Hariharan, who is the Head of Open Source Affairs of Red Hat India Pvt. Ltd will express views on "Open Source and its relevance to emerging economies".

Mr. Dhananjaya Rajapakshe, CEO of Stretchline, Indonesia of the MAS Group who is also a former graduate of the Department will speak of experiences of an IT graduate in the corporate world. Other speakers will focus on the IT industry and its future in Sri Lanka. They include Mr Ramesh Shanmuganathan, Director/CEO of Keells Business Systems Limited and Mr. Mano Sekaram, CEO of EuroCenter DDC.

The conference will be followed by the Get-together of the CSE alumni which will be an enjoyable occasion for the former and present students and staff to meet up. The get-together will also include a felicitation of the staff who has worked tirelessly to build the Department from scratch and the annual general meeting of the Computer Science and Engineering Society. The evening will culminate with a gala dinner.

In addition to this event the Department is planning to hold an exhibition in September targeting young IT enthusiasts and release a retrospective volume in December highlighting the history of the Department. All of these are part of the 20th Anniversary celebrations.