EXMO 2010 Engineering Exhibition

Ideally situated on the banks of the Bolgoda Lake, the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, stands majestically as the leading technical university in the country. As one of the pioneers in the field of engineering to which it has rendered yeoman service throughout the past decades, the university enriches the lives of both its’ student body and society in general through a diverse array of social and cultural activities, student societies, services and sports. 
The University of Moratuwa consists of the Faculty of Architecture, the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Information Technology and several departments under the purview of each of the faculties.  The university has indeed traversed a mixed path since its inception as the Institute of Practical Technology in 1960 to what it is now – an academic institution of the highest standards producing world class graduates.
Having moulded and guided the minds of many an aspiring young professional in the paths of sound knowledge, the dedicated staff of the university strive to inculcate principles of wisdom in the lives of their students and have encouraged them to offer their services to the wider community. Not surprisingly, the university too has accomplished no easy feat in producing a formidable number of distinguished personalities and experts in their respective fields as a reflection of the academic excellence for which it has stood.
ExMO2010 is an initiative of the Engineering Faculty organized with the aid of the other faculties in the university. This is the first time in 14 years that the University of Moratuwa is organizing such an exhibition with the last of its’ kind being held in 1996.

OBJECTIVES

• To extend our social responsibility towards the society by knowledge dissemination

The exhibition will serve as a general means of demonstrating to the public, the role of engineering in its service and mission to society at large. It also seeks to enhance public awareness regarding modern trends and cutting-edge technological advances.   

• To educate and inspire school students in the face of rapidly advancing technology.

Special programs for Advanced Level students, career counseling etc. tailor made for school students will help broaden their horizons and increase their knowledge about different academic disciplines, innovations and other relevant material. 

• To increase the university- industry interaction

ExMO2010 will provide an ideal platform for increased interaction between the two parties, with all standing to benefit in the present context.

• To provide potential employers with the opportunity of selecting final year students for employment subsequent to an evaluation.
• Promoting the appreciation of the arts and enhancing soft skills of our undergraduates
• Building unity and fellowship through teamwork

EVENT OUTLINE

 ExMO2010, is envisaged to be a large scale technological exhibition, characterized by the united organizing efforts of both the student body and the academic staff. Exhibits from the Faculty of Architecture and the Faculty of Information Technology along with those from other Engineering Faculties, namely the University of Peradeniya and the University of Ruhuna, will also be on display. The exhibition will be held on four consecutive days at the university premises beginning on the 10th of June.
In addition, the exhibition will feature a number of sub-events. Various programs are to be carried out to capture the interest of university students, school students and the general public.

EXHIBITION

As mentioned above the exhibition will be the highlight of ExMO2010. The event affords an interesting and unique opportunity for the general public to flavour the technical atmosphere of engineering and certain other disciplines. The exhibition will be open for viewing from the 10th to the 13th of June, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Exhibits from the following departments and faculties within the university as well from the other engineering faculties in the country will be on display.

• Department of Chemical and Process Engineering
• Department of Civil Engineering
• Department of Computer Science and Engineering
• Department of Earth Resources Engineering
• Department of Electrical Engineering
• Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering
• Department of Mathematics
• Department of Material Science and Engineering
• Department of Mechanical Engineering
• Department of Transport and Logistics Management
• Department of Textiles and Clothing Technology/Fashion Design
• Faculty of Architecture
• Faculty of Information Technology

EXHIBITS

The nature of the displayed exhibits will be as follows.

Final year projects

It is mandatory that each undergraduate student in the university completes a project relevant to his/her field of specialization during the final year of study. Many such projects have proven to be of a high quality with some of the concepts even being implemented in the industry. Several such projects completed by the ’06 batch will be on display under this category.

Laboratory equipment and relevant demonstrations

      

The University of Moratuwa, as one of the foremost in the sphere of higher education in the island, has its’ fully laboratories equipped with the latest technology. The instruments themselves and demonstrations on the use of them will be one of the features of ExMO2010.

 June Term projects

The June Term provides an excellent opportunity for the harnessing of creative thinking skills in engineering design of the Level 1 students. Some of these design projects too will be on display.

New inventions

 The university, by providing them with a suitable platform, has encouraged school students to develop new inventions and in turn improve their innovative talents. ‘Innomech’ is an event organized annually by the Department of Mechanical Engineering. It conducted a competition among school students and the public where participants present new inventions. The top ten inventions at ‘Innomech 2009’ will be among the exhibits at ExMO2010.

Technical stalls from the industry and other relevant bodies

These stalls will showcase products from the industry providing the participants with a picture of the latest technology and of the industrial aspect of engineering and other related fields.

Postgraduate projects

Postgraduate students pursuing their education at the University of Moratuwa will also be given the opportunity to showcase design projects.

Other exhibits from departments.

Various other departments may also showcase other exhibits unique to their fields.

Stalls

Stalls will be maintained at the exhibition for the exhibits on display, entertainment items and selling of food. These individual stalls will be managed by the respective departments and clubs of the university.

 Practical Sessions for Advanced Level Students

ExMO2010 is expected to attract many Advanced Level students. Comprehensive practical sessions will be organized to provide them with an insight into the field of engineering along with relevant applications of theory. This will be a combined effort of the Departments of Chemical and Process, Civil, Electronic and Telecommunication, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. 

COMPETITIONS

A number of competitions will be organized to stimulate the interest of both university undergraduates and students from schools. The categories are as follows.

For university students

A Singing Competition and Talent Search – The competition proper will be held on the 20th & 21st  of May, subsequent to which the adjudged winners will get the opportunity to perform at the concerts to be held each evening just after the exhibition.

 For school students

Essay and poetry competitions will be organized for students participating in the event, thus giving them an opportunity to assess and enhance aesthetic talent. The Furthermore, an inter-school science quiz will also be organized bringing together students across the island. Finals of the quiz competition are due to be held on 11th of June at university premises.

ENTERTAINMENT ITEMS

What is success in an exhibition without an aesthetic touch?  Several items of entertainment have been planned for each evening to create a colourful atmosphere at ExMO2010. These include the following.

• Full day Karaoke and Movioke sessions will provide the participants with an entertaining and refreshing experience.

• 2nd and 3rd night – Oriental Music Concert (Involves participation of Talent Search and Singing Competition winners)
• 4th night – Live in concert (A special concert by renowned srilankan artists to enliven the final day’s proceedings)

WORKSHOPS

Presentations from institutes of higher education for undergraduates.

Special presentations by popular higher education institutions in the island including the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) Sri Lanka, Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA), British Council, American Centre, AmChem etc. These sessions will be conducted focusing on the undergraduates of the university as many of them are keen on following part time courses.

Workshops for the public

Interactive sessions will be conducted in parallel targeting the public. Organizations such as IEEE will conduct awareness programs on certain practices and issues of importance to the public in their day to day lives.

Career development workshops for school students

The school student population of Sri Lanka is one of the primary groups to whom much attention will be paid at ExMO2010.  It has been of the view that university contribution towards the education of school students has been largely inadequate. Several career development and counseling programs will be initiated at the exhibition for the purpose of strengthening ties between the student population and the university community. This will, hopefully, create a change in the attitude of the student towards the university or any other institute of higher education where he may pursue his studies thereafter. The programs will include absorbing applications of modern science, competitions and demonstrations pertaining to subject curricula in the A-Levels.

Video production demonstration

Today the motion picture industry has captured the hearts of our youth very strongly. Most of them will show an eager interest in the making of a movie.  The university’s Video Production Unit will conduct sessions on all four days on how to produce short films.

Photographic exhibition by the Nature Team

The nature team of the university will provide observers with a unique opportunity of witnessing an outdoor photographic exhibition. This will also be conducted throughout the event.

Non technical presentations and projects by other societies and clubs

Various student societies will also be in charge of stalls including the Rotaract Club, the Buddhist Society, AIESEC, the Leo Club and the Sinhala Literary Association. Participants at ExMO2010 will be given the opportunity to view the non-technical aspect of university education.