In an era where Sri Lankan education is impeded by various factors, the Faculty of Engineering, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) is determined to offer opportunities for young researchers, scientists, academics and industry practitioners to stay connected with growing research networks and to get their outstanding work visible. The 1st SLIIT International Conference on Engineering and Technology (SICET 2022) is one such golden opportunity offered by the Faculty of Engineering to showcase cutting-edge research addressing emerging trends in the fields of Engineering, Technology, and Applied and Natural Sciences, spanning research across Theory, Applications, and Education.

SICET 2022 will be held on 11th February 2022 under hybrid mode providing opportunities for both physical and virtual participation. In addition to technical sessions, SICET 2022 is geared with keynote speeches and a plenary session by renowned academic experts. Keynote speeches on the agenda include “Intelligent Robotics—Misconceptions, Current Trends and Opportunities” by Prof. Clarence De Silva (University of British Colombia, Canada), “Converter Control for Integration of Renewable Energy into the Grid” by Prof. Udaya Annakkage (University of Manitoba, Canada), and “Aspects of Structural Vulnerability against Tsunamis” by Prof. Priyan Dias (University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka).

Moreover, a panel of speakers including Prof. Gamini Rajapakse (University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka), Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama (Infectious Disease Hospital, Colombo, Sri Lanka), Prof. Vajira Dissanayake (University of Colombo, Sri Lanka), Prof. Malika Perera (Department of Mechanical Engineering, SLIIT) and Prof. Iain Murray (Curtin University, Australia) will speak on “Engineering aspects in dealing with COVID-19 pandemic”. Fostering SICET 2022, seven different pre-conference workshops have been organised covering diverse engineering and technology topics. Academic and industry experts from local as well as international organizations will conduct the workshops. Further details of the workshops are presented next.

STRUCTURAL DESIGN OF HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS

Tall building developments have been rapidly increasing worldwide as well as in Sri Lanka. However, with the rapid increase of its function in other areas such as residential, mixed-use, and hotel tower developments, the role of the structural engineer has changed significantly. Moreover, the increasingly competitive nature of the building industry has also created an immense challenge to the design team to achieve optimum designs. Hence, it is essential that the current structural engineers acquire state-of-the-art knowledge of designing tall buildings.

This workshop introduces tall building design and its uniqueness in the structural engineering context covering the concept of tall buildings, the basics of geotechnical investigation, wind analysis, and earthquake design requirements. Resource people for the workshop are Prof. Priyan Mendis from the University of Melbourne, Australia and Eng. Shiromal Fernando, Eng. Bathiya Waduge, Eng. Dilina Hettiarachchi, Eng. Balrajh Kiriparan, Eng. Shilpa Thilakarathne and Eng. Arthur De Alwis from Civil and Structural Engineering Consultant (Pvt.) Ltd.

LIFECYCLE ASSESSMENT TOOLS FOR SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Climate change and rapid urbanization with a growing population have prompted an emerging interest on construction industries to include more sustainable practices. To accomplish a net-zero carbon building stock in 2050, direct and indirect building carbon dioxide (CO2) release needs to be assessed and quantified. Thus, the assessment of global warming potential of buildings, through life cycle assessment, taking into account both the processes and materials, to promote the use of more sustainable construction materials and processes is timely. The participants will be introduced to the building life cycle assessment. They will be using a whole building life cycle assessment tool (Building – SAT), developed by the resource persons applicable for the Sri Lankan as well as overseas building sector. Workshop will be conducted by Prof. Shiromi Karunaratne and Eng. Ms. Dilshi Dharmarathna from the Department of Civil Engineering.

Reinforcement Learning - A Primer

Reinforcement learning (RL) is an area of machine learning which uses intelligent agents to take actions in an uncertain, potentially complex environment to maximise a given reward. It employs trial and error to find a solution to a given problem. Artificial intelligence sets either rewards or penalties for the actions that are performed. RL does not require prior knowledge about the system and could provide very robust solutions for changing systems. Reinforcement learning is used in many disciplines. These include game theory, operations research, robotics, information theory, optimization and multi-agent systems. Workshop will discuss fundamentals of Reinforcement learning and provide hands-on experience through practical sessions on game environment implementation. Workshop will be conducted by Prof. Migara Liyanage, Eng. Madhawa Herath and Mr. Thakshila Thilakanayake from the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Condition-Based Monitoring

Condition monitoring plays a key role in the reliability improvement programme. Where, we need to understand the machinery health, declaring the alarms/ warnings for the machinery to prevent failures and improve profitability. In a true reliabilitybased maintenance programme, condition monitoring is an integral part of the planning, scheduling, and forecasting process. In more deeply, it helps for root cause analysis so that they may predict, and necessary precautionary measures can be implemented. Further, this can be extended up to the quality assurance process as well. Therefore, this course is designed to enlighten the horizons of modern-day engineers. Workshop will be conducted by Prof. Malika Perera and his team from the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS IN REHABILITATION AND ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

Engineering technology is widely used in the medical field. A special subcategory is rehabilitation and in applications (and devices) used to aid humans in activities of daily living, often coined as ‘Assistive technology’. Mostly, the technology is used in injuries caused by accidents, conditions resulted from diseases and to remedy the difficulties experienced by deterioration of human body and limbs. It can also be used to detect illnesses and monitor long-term health conditions. Research is carried out extensively at national and global levels, due to the rocketing demands for these services. The participants will be introduced to engineering applications in rehabilitation and assistive technology.

Using some research findings and case studies, the users will be able to learn how these technologies are developed, development processes, advantages, and future research paths. It may also be a nice opportunity for potential researchers to establish connections for future collaborations. Resource panel include Prof. Iain Murray, Mr. Siavash Khaksar, Ms. Bita Borazjani, Ms. Nimalika Fernando, Dr. Shiva Sharif from Curtin University, Australia and Dr. Nimsiri Abhayasinghe from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, SLIIT.

BIO-INSPIRING SOLUTIONS TO INCREASE INFRASTRUCTURE DURABILITY AND RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate resilience is the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to hazardous events, trends, or disturbances related to climate. Improving climate resilience involves assessing how climate change will create new, or alter current, climate-related risks, and taking steps to better cope with these risks. Knowing climate resilience will create better projects which sustain for future climatic changes. The first phase of the workshop is on the effect of climatic change on infrastructure. The second part is on the development of infrastructure adaptation with nature-based solutions. The importance of embodied carbon and its impact on the infrastructure operational stage will be discussed, together with present and discuss some examples of infrastructures service life extension associated with the reduction of materials consumption by using bio-inspiration solutions. Workshop will be conducted by Dr. Ana Armada Bras, Dr. Mawada Abdellatif, Dr. Michaela Gkantou and Dr. Damian Fearon from Liverpool John Moores University.

BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has become a trending topic in Sri Lankan construction industry due to its enormous benefits compared to the traditional process. It is becoming a part and parcel of the career of construction professionals and enhancing the skills related to BIM will add a significant benefit to their careers. Nevertheless, there are very limited resource people and sources available in Sri Lanka to study this subject comprehensively. Three sessions will be conducted throughout the day as it covers the theoretical and practical background related to BIM. Session 1: Theory related to BIM, Session-2: BIM related to SL context, Session-3 Beyond BIM. Workshop resource panel consists of Ch. QS (Mr). Suranga Jayasena from University of Moratuwa, Ch. QS (Mr). Majith Kodithuwakkua from International Construction Consortium (Pvt) Ltd., Dr (Ms). Mahendrini Ariyachandra from Kingston University, UK and Mr. I.G. Namal Anuradha from Department of Quantity Surveying, SLIIT.

We encourage you to participate in the conference including the workshops and grasp new knowledge offered by the academic and industrial experts in their respective fields. Pre-registration is required before 8th February 2022. E-certificates will be issued for all those who register and attend the workshops. Kindly visit our website (https://sicet.sliit.lk) for additional information.