Vibrant scientific community requires the contribution of various scientific institutions. As the speed of scientific advances accelerates, scientists are often at the forefront of a country’s development. But most often, they are being thwarted by the relentless struggle and burden felt by them when stepping out from their comfort zones. The Institute of Biology Sri Lanka (IOBSL), therefore promote, support and foster scientific endeavor, creating new opportunities for biologists and researchers.
Institute of Biology Sri Lanka is the premier organization for Biologists in Sri Lanka which was established with a greater vision in bringing together professionals of different fields of biology to one platform. At present, it owns a member base of over 500, representing almost all disciplines of science. IOBSL has a great history and was formulated in 1981 as a small group of Sri Lankan biologists led by late Emeritus Prof. B.A. Abeywickrama.
The 40th Annual Sessions
The inaugural ceremony of the 40th Annual Sessions of IOBSL was successfully held on 25th September 2020 at Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. It was followed by the technical sessions held on 26th September 2020 as 4 parallel sessions, where 67 peer-reviewed abstracts were presented by authors of Zoological Sciences, Plant & Environmental Sciences, Molecular Biology & Biotechnology and Microbiology & Chemical Biology streams.
Living in an era, where climate change is regarded as one of the greatest challenges we face today, this year’s theme was focused on “Using the resilience of nature to face the reality of climate change”. Highlighting the collective effort and responsibility shared by all of us to combat and prepare to face the uncertainties of climate change, Dr Iroja Caldera, President of IOBSL (2019/2020) addressed the inaugural session. She further shared the possible impacts on plants due to climate change with a focus on both natural ecosystems and agricultural crops.
The Keynote address of the event was given by Emeritus Professor Nimal Gunatilleke, one of the eminent biologists who has greatly contributed to research in on tropical forest ecology, plant reproductive biology, conservation biology and restoration ecology. Emeritus Professor Gunatilleke addressed on, the new conservation Trilemma – Reconciling conservation & development trade-offs in changing climate in the sri Lankan Perspective.
The scientific excellence and commendable service extended to the nation by Emeritus Professor M.J.S. Wijeyaratne was felicitated at the inauguration Sessions of IOB. Emeritus Professor Wijeyaratne is a great scholar, an exemplary administrator, a dedicated researcher in the field of Zoology and Environmental Management, who sets an example to future generations of scientists in Sri Lanka.
IOB thematic publication: ‘Adapting to climate change: A Sri Lankan perspective’
Focusing on researchers, policy makers, students and general public, an online book named ‘Adapting to climate change: A Sri Lankan perspective’ was published at the session. It contained chapters on different aspects of this subject with a Sri Lankan context and they were written by experts in the field.
Inter-University Biology Quiz Competition
As a part of IOBSL activities, the Inter-University Biology Quiz Competition was organized for the third consecutive time for the Biological Sciences stream undergraduates of state universities in Sri Lanka. The competition was held in two rounds and out of the participated 200+ participants, Famidha Faiz of University of Kelaniya secured the first-place while D.G.A. Karunarathna of University of Colombo and E.M.N.K. Ekanayaka of University of Peradeniya were placed the first and second runners up respectively. Certificates and cash awards were given to the winners at the inaugural session.
Inter-university Biology Challenge
Promoting and advancing biology and its applications in Sri Lanka is an important objective of IOBSL. In this light, the Inter-University Biology Challenge was introduced by the President of the IOB during the COVID-19 lockdown period. The theme of the inaugural challenge was – “Sustainable solutions to face the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis and beyond” which aimed at inspiring and challenging university undergraduates to find solutions to current issues with their knowledge on biology.
Out of the 71 registered teams from 12 state universities, 64 teams submitted white papers for the first stage of the competition and five teams were selected for stage 2 of the competition after a double-blind evaluation process. The five finalists were University of Sri Jayawardenapura, Uva Wellassa University, University of Kelaniya, University of Sabaragamuwa and University of Peradeniya and they presented their papers in a Zoom based final competition. University of Kelaniya was able to win the competition while Uva Wellassa University team and University of Sri Jayawardenapura secured the second and third places respectively. A trophy, certificates and cash awards were given to the winning teams at the inauguration session.
Providing a common platform, IOBSL creates a wholesome experience and opportunities for all Sri Lankan biologists and researchers to gain new insights, create new knowledge and keep track of all types of updating biological research carried out in the past and present in Sri Lanka in determining the gaps that needed to be addressed in the future.
Pics by: Uditha Weerasinghe, Hiranjan Perera & Subash De silva
