Three staff members from University of South-Eastern Norway performed seminars and supervision visit to UoJ and UoP during the last days of January 2019. At both universities 40-60 student and staff members joined the seminars with lectures on Genetics, Water and Environmental Sciences, as well as possibilities for future collaboration and exchange. In Jaffna, UoJ also invited for a very interesting field-trip to the Jaffna lagoon and a site for sea-cucumber harvesting. After lectures at both universities, there were fruitful discussions with staff and students about ongoing and planned research, and we aim at some joint activities within environmental research and education. Three Master’s students at UoP presented their thesis work and got supervision from Sæbø and Oredalen from USN:

  • W.A.P.P Rathnayake – “Landfill leachate Treatment using combined biological and physio-chemical methods “
  • R.A.J.C Ranasinghe – “Chemically modified fly ash for removing major pollutants in Sri Lankan Groundwater”
  • G.W.H.A Chandrasiri – “Modeling of Hydraulics losses in the throttled surge tank”

Our thanks go to Prof. Sivashanthini Kuganathan and Dr. Balachandran Ketheesan at UoJ for their thorough planning and organizing during our visit to Jaffna. We are also very grateful to Prof. S.B.Weerakoon, Dr. Daham Dias and Dr. Shameen Jinadasa at UoP for all their concern, organizing and follow-up on all matters needed before and during our stay in Sri Lanka!

Students and staff at the University of Jaffna joining the seminar on selected topics
Topics of the seminar: “Genetic diversity; prinipals, theory, methods and research” by Associate Professor Mona Sæbø, “Environmental DNA (eDNA) and the use of it in ecological research” Assistant Professor Tone Jøran Oredalen and a presentation of University of South-Eastern Norway and the Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health and “Internationalisation and student exchange – How can it work?” by Academic Advisor Anette Norheim Fredly. Mona is here demonstrating how the way we fold our arms is determined by our genes.
Dr. Easwaramohan showing us the mosquito lab and explaining their research on the Dengue virus
The University of Jaffna campus
Visiting the CERL lab (Clean Energy Research Lab) funded by NORPART through a joint project between UoJ and the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences
Sea cucumber farm in the Mankumban bay of the Jaffna lagoon, where students and staff at the UoJ conduct research and field work
The sea cucumber farmer explaining the culturing of sea cucumbers
Meeting with the Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya to further strengthen our cooperation
Student posters, supervision and lectures at University of Peradeniya
The University of Peradeniya campus is listed as one of the ten most beautiful campuses in the world, and it is easy to understand why.