2012 April SL2College Newsletter

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SL2College Quarterly News Update
Volume 01. Issue 09. Winter 2012

N
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Online panel discussion
at University of Colombo
- 200 Siu!cnis aucn!!
A Skype session was
held at the School of Comput-
ing, University of Colombo
on 11th January, 2012. The
event focused on postgradu-
ate opportunities in computer
science in North America. It
was organized in Sri Lanka by
Nuwanthika Fernando, the
country coordinator for Sri
Lanka. THe panelists were
Lalindra De Silva (University
of Utah, U.S.A.), Sujan Uday-
anga (Wright State Univer-
sity, Ohio, U.S.A.), and Primal
Wijesekera (University of
British Columbia, Canada
SL2College is a
global
community that
provides
free advise and
guidance to
Sri Lankan
students who wish
to pursue their
higher studies
abroad & in
Sri Lanka.
SL2College was
envisioned in 2005
with the primary
goal of helping
Sri Lankan
students access
relevant
information that
would assist them
make informed
decisions about
their educational
goals.
For the 4th consecutive year,
SL2College was given a free
stall at Edex, which is the
premier educational exhibi-
tion in Sri Lanka. This year
we had a large turnout of
volunteers for the stalls in
both Colombo & Kandy.
SL2College at Edex 2012 In Colombo & Kandy
Team Australia has
been initiated, with Raja
Mahanama from the Univer-
sity of Sydney leading the
eßorl. CurrenlIy, lhere are
volunteers from many of the
major universities around
Australia who work as advi-
sors to answer questions that
students may have. The team
plans on expanding, with
volunteers taking on more
active roles within the core
team. Expect articles about
educational opportunities in
Australia and other events
organized by the team in the
future!
SL2College Discusses New Avenues
For Education On YATV
In an exclusive and
in-depth interview with
Narada Bakmeewewa of
3D, Nayana Samaranayake
and Sasanka Jayadasa, two
of the administrative direc-
tors of SL2C, gave insight
into the very purpose,
services and future endeav-
ors of SL2College.
Nayana further
elaborated how SL2College
is actively contributing to
the “Brain-Gain” process in
Sri Lanka, while Sasanka
highlighted its contribution
to help youth go beyond the
conventional paths in higher
education by providing
access to expert advisors
from academia and indus-
try.
3D programme of
Young Asia television is a
program in Sinhala that
strives to create awareness
among the public about
issues of national and inter-
national importance through
discussions with activists
and experts. The program
vas hrsl broadcasl on 19lh
January, 2012, on TNL. and
can be now viewed at:
hu¡: / / youngasi a. l v/ 3d-
lhrimana/nev-avenues-for--
educalion/
Updates:
Team Australia


SL2College's fundraising
inilialive kicked oß in
March. We have had great
responses from supporters
of SL2College. So far, we
have been able to to reach
25% of the target goal, from
either donations or con-
hrmed ¡Iedges. The "$100 x
100" inilialive aims lo coIIecl
a conlribulion of $100 (if
possible) from (ideally) 100
individuals or groups
(country teams) to reach the
largel of $10,000-lhe esli-
mated annual budget for
2012. Let's get together and
do what we can to help this
fundraiser succeed!
Please take a few min-
utes to email Nimna Rana-
tunga (from the fundraising
team) at nims84@sl2college
.org with your donation or
even a simple pledge to
donate later.
“$100 x 100” Fundraiser initiative
Please visit us on the web at www.sl2college.org
Or send us your suggestions & comments at [email protected]
Page 02
Sri Lanka Education Forum (SLEF)
Upon observing university
systems around the world, we
found that an almost universal
aspect was the fact that students
received advice and support from
graduate students, and not just
their professors. This assistance
remains mostly unavailable to Sri
Lankan students due to the lack of
graduate students within Sri
Lankan universities. In our con-
stant eßorl to improve our
services, Sl2College aims to start a
new endeavour that will provide
this support in the form of mentor-
ing to undergraduate students
who are involved in academic proj-
ects. You can join this venture
either by volunteering as a mentor
or sharing your opinions with us.
You can reach us at: at:
undergraduate-mentor@sl2college.
org.
Undergraduate Thesis
Mentor Program:
Meet a Team Member -
Shanie Liyanagamage
Shanie completed her bach-
elor's degree in Biomedical Engi-
neering at Georgia Institute of
Technology, Atlanta, Georgia. She
is currently a hrsl-year Ph.D.
student in Biomedical Engineering
at the University of Southern Cali-
fornia, Los Angeles, California.
Shanie became involved
with SL2College last year as an
editor as well as a part of the Sri
Lankan undergraduate mentoring
program. She has always been
involved in doing community
service, and has been looking for a
way to give back to Sri Lanka in
whichever way
possible. She says
“I believe the
whole concept of
SL2College is
very smart,
thoughtful, and
interesting; it also
provides the
perfect platform
for student volunteers like me to help
other students with their academic
interests.” She is currently the
editor-in-chief at SL2C, and is
involved with ensuring SL2C
continuously publishes in the
Sunday Observer's education section
each week.

The 4th meeting of the Board of
Directors took place on 9th of
January. Board members were
very pleased with the progress
of various projects at
SL2College. Main topics of
discussion included approval of
the candidate selected as the
country director and the scope
of his role, future strategies and
expansion plans.
A team focused on brain
gain activities was formed with
Heshan Weerasekera from UK
acting as the Project Manager.
Dilrukshi Gamage, based in Sri
Lanka will lead the eßorl in Sri
Lanka and work with local com-
panies. The team plans to work
with John Keells Holdings as the
hrsl local partner and create
awareness about opportunities
in Sri Lanka for both full time
and internship positions. In the
long run, the team plans to build
relationships with all local com-
panies interested in providing
opportunities for expatriate Sri
Lankans keen on returning back
to the country.
In collaboration with
Research Consultancy Bureau
(RCB), the independent and spe-
cialized market research agency
based in Sri Lanka, a survey is
now been conducted to assess
the willingness of Sri Lankan
graduates to return home. It is
expected to reveal the personal,
socio-economic determinants
that aßecl their decision.
Followed by the initiation from team
Canada, Madushanka Soysa of Uni-
versity of Alberta is now managing
the survey.
“Brain Gain” Team & the Survey With RCB
"Sri Lanka Education
Forum" is dedicated to support
Sri Lankan students by guiding
them towards suitable higher
education quaIihcalions in their
respective heIds present within
Sri Lanka. SLEF is being led by
Lakmal Padmakumara and a
team of 6 undergraduate students
from the Universities of Colombo
and Moratuwa. Several projects are
underway to increase awareness
about SLEF: creation of a facebook
page as a marketing tool, reaching
out to various levels of faculty and
organising a Sri Lanka Education
Seminar Series. You can visit the
forum at: www.sl2colleg e.org/SLEF
and the SLEF team can be reached at:
slef@sl2college .org.
Board of Directors Meet
The second annual SL2College team
get-together took place in Colombo
on the 5th of January. Over 25 core
team members and volunteers
joined to celebrate the successes and
achievements of 2011 and to plan
and discuss future plans for 2012
and beyond.
SL2College Team
Gathering in Colombo

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