The fourteenth (14th) Session of the “INSPIRE” Webinar Series, which the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies organized to guide engineering undergraduates on the topic “Your Potential is Limitless,” was successfully held via Zoom on 19th October 2024 from 7.00 PM to 8.30 PM with the active participation of undergraduates of the faculty. The resource person, Eng. Dr. Indira Samarasekara, is an internationally recognized senior engineering professional and administrative consultant who lives in Canada. She was born in Sri Lanka and graduated from the University of Sri Lanka, specializing in mechanical engineering.She is internationally recognized as one of Canada’s leading metallurgical engineers for her groundbreaking work on process engineering of material.She has consulted widely for industry worldwide, which has adopted the results of her research discoveries. Dr. Samarasekara served as Vice President (Research) at the University of British Columbia and held the Dofasco Chair in Advanced Steel Processing. She is the first woman and the first engineer to serve as the Vice Chancellor and President of the University of Alberta, Canada. Furthermore, Dr. Smarasekara is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and a fellow of the CIM|Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum. Currently, she serves on the board of directors of Magna International, TC Energy, Intact Financial Corporation, and Stelco. She is one of the most esteemed directors and corporate governance experts in Canada, with a long record of service on some of the country’s most influential boards.
During the webinar, she shared her valuable life experience and lessons learned in her professional life to guide engineering undegraduates on how they can overcome their weaknesses and identify their potential. She has mentioned many strategies for undergraduates to enhance their skills for the future advancement of their professional lives.In addition to that, she highlighted the importance of the English language,communication skills, public speaking skills, and problem-solving skills that everyone should have. She shared her experience of how important these things are to her in Canada. Also, she mentioned the significance of the time management, reading, research, experience in committees and other outside activities. Furthermore, she requested from students to update with the latest trends in the engineering field and the world and asked them to learn with questioning. Also, she explained the importance of having a good connection with people who are always encouraging you. Hence, it was a productive session for the students, allowing them to learn from an internationally recognized renowned engineer in Canada to drive their professional journeys into success. Six talented engineering undergraduates in 2nd year played the following role to make it a successful webinar.
Moderator:. Sithumika Jayasiri & Irasha Senarathna.
Zoom Masters: Thanujaya Tennekoon.
Flyer Designs: Malith Wijayathilake
Content Writer: Irushi Sewmini
PR Manager: Anupama Thilina
