University
Uva Wellassa University was established in 2005 with the aim of producing employable, technocratic, and entrepreneurial graduates who can contribute to the development of national economy of Sri Lanka. The vision of the university is “To be the Centre of Excellence for Value Addition to the National Resources Base”. Since its inception, the university has been steadfast in its research endeavors focusing to this vision. At present, the university has five faculties offering 17 demand-driven undergraduate degree programmes in addition to offering postgraduate degrees. It is expected to further extend the university to new heights in future to provide more opportunities in higher education addressing the demand of the country and beyond.
Faculty of Animal Science and Export Agriculture
Faculty of Animal Science and Export Agriculture is one of the three faculties established at the inception of the university. Since then, the faculty is driven for producing agriculturalists who could make a significant contribution to the agriculture sector by adding value to the products and services.The mission of the faculty is “to excel in teaching and learning, research and outreach activities in undergraduate, postgraduate and extramural programmes emphasizing value addition to the agricultural and allied resources through scientific and emerging technological approaches”. The faculty has recognized livestock (farm animals), agricultural crops and aquatic resources as the basic agriculture and allied assets of the country and all academic activities are continued by the mediation of three academic departments: Department of Animal Science, Department of Export Agriculture and, Department of Food Science and Technology.
National Symposium on Agriculture and Life Sciences
Within the academic milieu, the Faculty of Animal Science and Export Agriculture annually organizes the “National Symposium on Agriculture and Life Sciences (NSALS)” as an undergraduate Research Symposium. NSALS provides a platform for the budding researchers to present their research findings and obtain experience prior to grooming as intellectuals. Not limiting to Uva Wellassa University, NSALS has provided opportunities for the undergraduates of other universities. Therefore, we believe that we have made a national level platform for taking undergraduates of the country to share their recent scientific findings among each other.The symposium encompasses 8 tracks, which focus on specific areas in the field of agriculture and life sciences: 1. Crop Production Technology, 2. Food Science and Technology, 3. Animal Production and Technology, 4. Aquatic Sciences, 5. Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness Management, Extension and Entrepreneurship, 6. Agricultural Engineering and Process Technology, 7. Agricultural Microbiology and Biotechnology and 8. Environmental Science and Climate Change.
NSALS ‘24
National Symposium on Agriculture and Life Sciences (NSALS ‘24) was successfully held as the maiden symposium of the faculty on January 05, 2024 where the budding scholars and innovators gathered to present their novel research findings, innovations, and new scholarly works to support national agricultural development. NSALS’24 revolved around the theme, “Shaping the future research and innovations” and Prof. Rangika Halwathura, Professor in Civil Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa delivered the keynote speech under the theme, “Inventions & innovations towards sustainability”. Additionally, Mr. Anurudda Gamage, General Manager/Head HR & Corporate Sustainability, Kelani Valley Plantations PLC, Sri Lanka also delivered a special address on the engagement of graduates towards the sustainable, ethical, and responsible world of work. For NSALS’24, 100 scholarly abstracts were presented. Dr. Kasun Meegahakumbura and Ayantha Abeygunawardena acted as the Coordinator and Secretary of NSALS ’24, respectively.
NSALS ‘25
This year, the second National Symposium on Agriculture and Life Sciences (NSALS’25) washeld on January 23, 2025.NSALS’25 provided an interactive platform for sharing the innovations and scholarly works of 186enthusiastic undergraduates of Sri Lankan universities who carried out their research at the universities, national research institutes and industry. The theme of NSALS’25was “Empowering sustainability through innovations”. Prof. Saman Senaweera, Chairman of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Sri Lanka as well as the Chair Professor of Agriculture Engineering and Environmental Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna delivered the Keynote address for NSALS ‘25. The event was graced by the presence of Senior Professor Kolitha B. Wijesekara, Vice Chancellor, Uva Wellassa University as the Chief Guest and other distinguished invitees including deans of the faculties. The program’s agendaaligned with the diverse array of presentations, discussions, and interactive sessions, providing room to build collaborative knowledgeand experiences.Dr. Duminda Senevirathne and Prathibha Kahandage provided their service to NSALS ’25 as the Coordinator and Secretary, respectively.
Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition
In parallel to NSALS’25, the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, which follows the internationally accepted rules and regulations,was organized among the fresh graduates of the Faculty of Animal Science and Export Agriculture consecutively for the 4thtime in the history of Uva Wellassa University. 62 participants competed in the initial round of the competition and after three rounds of selection, the Best 3MT Speaker (Winner) was selected by a panel of judges and the Most Popular Speaker (People’s Award) was selected during the closing ceremony by the votes of the audience.
Closing Ceremony
Amidst the culminating moments of the closing ceremony of NSALS’25, Dr. Achala Alakolanga, Department of Export Agriculture, Faculty of Animal Science and Export Agriculture, delivered a guest speech on “Effective domestic processing methods in enhancing the digestibility of legume proteins”.NSALS’25 alsorecognized the exceptional research findings presented during the symposium by awarding the “Best Paper” accolades in each respective track and for the poster sessions.
Sponsors
NSALS’25 was sponsored by Yara (Pvt.) Ltd., International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Happy Hen (Pvt.) Ltd., Crysbro (Pvt.) Ltd., Hemsons International, Analytical Instruments (Pvt.) Ltd., Avon Phamo Chem (Pvt.) Ltd., and Lipton Teas and Infusions Ceylon (Pvt.) Ltd. The Media Sponsor was TV Derana and Ada Derana 24. We would like to thank these Silver and BronzeSponsors and all other sponsors who supported for the success of the symposium.
