INSPICO 2017 - Session at Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technology

Arthur C Clarke Sep 20, 2017

As written by Rtr Hiranya Panawenna,

For the undergraduates of ‘16 batch of University of Moratuwa, a brand new journey has begun. Right after they faced their first semester exam they have made their choice of field of specialization. Amidst the excitement of stepping foot into a freshly paved path, who wouldn’t like to sneak peek at what’s in store for them once they graduate? Thus, it is time for Inspico 2017.

Inspico is a series of Industrial Orientation and Field Visit sessions at prestigious organizations around the country, belonging to various fields of specialization in engineering. The aim of this project is to help the first year undergraduates to understand the industry norms and demands while getting a hands-on experience of the current trends and cutting-edge technologies.

The first session of Inspico 2017 took place not far from our alma mater. On the 11th of August we grabbed the opportunity to step into the world of research and innovation at Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technology, Katubedda.

The session commenced with a warm welcome by Mr. Chinthana Wijewardana, (Deputy Director – Media), followed by an interesting presentation based on the history of the institute and the life on Mr. Arthur C Clarke. Then Mr. Kavindra Jayawardhana (Director -Communication Engineering) gave an introduction to the current projects and operations of the institute. Being a product of University of Moratuwa himself, Mr. Kavindra enlightened us about the opportunities available for engineers in the government and semi-government sectors. He also shared his experiences about the researches he has been involved with and explained that the self-satisfaction is higher when we do research rather than doing a routine job.

Then came the most awaited part of the session. The first satellite of Sri Lanka is currently being developed at ACCIMT. Mr. Samantha Pushpakumara (Research Scientist) did a presentation titled “Development of In-house Capabilities of Nano-satellite Technology”. Through his presentation we got the basic understanding about the amazing modern technologies used in satellite development.

Afterwards, we began our field visit around the institute. First, we climbed to the rooftop of ACCIMT, where Mr. Tharindu demonstrated and explained Downlink-Uplink Antenna Receiving. Next we visited the Electronics and Electrical Division and Mr. Gihara showed us how Surge Protection Testing is done. After that, we visited the RCCB and MCB testing lab where Impulse Testing as well as Temperature & Power Loss Variation Testing were taking place. Lastly, we got the chance to catch a glimpse of the largest telescope in Sri Lanka. The telescope has been gifted to Sri Lanka by Japan in 1996. Mr. Chinthana Wijewardana gave us a detailed description regarding the history of telescopes and new technologies along with a bit of astronomy.

The first session of Inspico 2017 ended a success and the Rotaractors are thankful to Mr. Chinthana Wijewardana and the staff of ACCIMT for the valuable opportunity.