Projects

Current activities of the Colombo University Faculty of Science Alumni Association of North America (CUFSAA).

Current Projects

  1. Launch Pad – Student Grant Program (Estimated Cost $360/student/year) (Total Raised: $14,049.37 as of June 24, 2024) [April 2024 – Current] CUFSAA launched the “Launch Pad” student grant program to help science faculty students who are navigating grave economic hardships as they complete their studies. The Grants are annual, and each is worth US $ 360. Thirty-six grants will be given yearly to the Faculty of Science’s most needy special degree students. You can either sponsor a specific number of grants or contribute to the grant fund. CUFSAA has committed to providing grants for three years to the Faculty of Science, and the first session of the Launch Pad program will start in June 2024. (Please see the project page for additional details).
  2. Physics Equipment Donation Project (Estimated Cost $27,620) (Total Raised: $3,160.30 as of March 31, 2024) [February 2023 – Current] – In the Department of Physics, over the years, classic experimental laboratory apparatus have provided essential learning experiences to undergraduates. However, some of the cherished experiments (e.g., Zeeman effect experiment, Determination of e/m ratio, Fabry-Perot interferometer, etc.) are no longer in usable/repairable condition. After receiving a request from the Head of the Department of Physics through the Dean, Science Faculty, CUFSAA decided to accept the request to donate physics equipment. The physics equipment donation subcommittee identified several equipment to be donated based on the UoC prioritization, considering the usage and the current status of the specific items. Equipment list we would like to send to UoC can be viewed via this link. If you are willing and able to support this project, please send your donation to the CUFSAA.
  3. Faculty of Science – Centennial Book Project (Cost $6,594.41) – [December 2022 – Current] CUFSAA-NA embarked on supporting the printing of Faculty of Science Century Volume History Book in support of the Faculty. CUFSAA-NA has received few copies of the Centennial Book as a goodwill gesture by the Science Faculty. We are giving away copies to the membership for any donation of $100 or more to support CUFSAA projects and activities.
  4. Synthetic Chemistry Lab Proposal (Estimated Cost $100,000) (Total Raised: $20,559.68 as of June 24, 2024) [December 2022 – Current] (Cost Basic infrastructure budget – $75,000 + Equipment Budget – $100,000) – The project proposal is linked here and is in the process of evaluation and implementation. As of now, CUFSAA-NA plans are to support this project partially at the Equipment Cost level ONLY.
  5. STEP UP Student Financial Assistance (Supported 19 students as of May 01, 2024) – [November 2021 – Current] – The STEP UP Program is instituted to support students of the Faculty of Science in need of financial assistance due to personal or financial hardship. The program matches students with donors who are willing to support the student financially. Each financial assistance commitment is currently set at minimum of $35 per month for 12-months.

Gold Medals & Scholarships

Each scholarship commitment is currently set at $35 per month or more for 12-months. CUFSAA is a  volunteer organization and make no payments to its members or executive board. 100% of  donations were (and will be) allocated to the projects. The CUFSAA overhead costs of these activities have always been the bank transfer fees and any third party fees ONLY.

  1. Professor M L T Kannangara Scholarship & Gold Medal (Total Raised $6,097.28; Total Disbursed $2,171.15 as of March 31, 2024) [Started in June 2022] – We are glad to inform that CUFSAA Executive Committee officially approved the proposal to establish two Scholarships to be given to Physics Special students each year (a third-year scholarship and the continuation of the third-year scholarship during the fourth year), and a gold medal to be awarded to the outstanding Physics Special Graduate with a First Class Honors at the Convocation. The scholarships and the gold medal will honor Prof. M L T Kannangara, a former head of the department of Physics at the University of Colombo (UoC) who was an excellent instructor and who was also instrumental in establishing the UoC-Uppsala joint research project among various other services to the Physics program at UoC. Given the situation in Sri Lanka, several of those students are in dire need of financial support. Therefore, we plan to award a scholarship for the year 2022-2023. If you are willing and able to support this project, please send your donation to the CUFSAA.
  2. The Endowments to Honor Professor L.M.V. Tillekeratne (Total Raised $11,030.80; Total Disbursed $2,711.05 as of March 31, 2024) [Started in July 2020] – In July, 2020 number of Professor L.M.V. Tillekeratne’s students and friends came together and formed a team (Prof LMVT Students & Friends) with the sole purpose of establishing a gold medal and a scholarship to benefit students at the Science Faculty, University of Colombo to honor their beloved teacher and friend, Professor L.M.V. Tillekeratne.  CUFSAA-NA received $9,030.80 from the team and provided the logistical support to establish the endowments through the Science Faculty Board, the Senate, and the Bursar’s Office of the University of Colombo with support from Dean and the Head of the Chemistry Department.
  3. Gold Medal for Special Degree Program in Computational Chemistry  (Total Cost $1,675) [Started in January 2020] – The Department of Chemistry (U of C) is of the view that the award of a gold medal for Special Degree in Computational Chemistry would not only motivate these students but would also assist them in securing positions for postgraduate studies. The Colombo University Faculty of Science Alumni Association of North America (CUFSAA-NA), in consultation with the Faculty of Science, has decided to fill this void by sponsoring a gold medal in computational chemistry. The award was named the ‘CUFSAA Gold Medal for Computational Chemistry’ and shall be awarded annually from the academic year 2019/2020 for the best performance with either a First or Second Class (Upper Division) in the Honours degree examination in Computational Chemistry.
  4. Professor Valentine Joseph Memorial Scholarship and Gold medals project (Total Raised $13,032.67; Total Disbursed $5,842.77 as of March 31, 2024) [Started in May 2018] – In 2018, CUFSAA-NA launched a fundraiser to immortalize late Professor Valentine Joseph’s name through a project consisting of scholarships and gold medal presentations to outstanding students. The Gold Medal and cash award is given to the Best Mathematics student graduating from the Department of Mathematics at the Annual convocation. The premium scholarships are aimed at paying around Rs. 5,000 each to two mathematics majoring students taking both academic achievement and economic needs into consideration. In the last three years, CUFSAA raised an amount of US$ 13,032.67 for this project. Gold Medals and Scholarships are being awarded since 2019 convocation of the University of Colombo. The fund raising portion of this project is completed. The dispersion of funds for the Scholarship and Gold Medal is on going.
  5. CUFSAA Student Grants/Stipends (Dispersed  over $6,000 as of October 28, 2022) – [Started in May 2018] – Since inception CUFSAA has been supporting student needs via Grants and Stipends.

Events

  1. North America Inter-University Alumni Softball Cricket Tournament: September 22, 2024 (9am-3pm) at Warminster Community Park, PA (1100 Veterans Way Warminster, PA 18974 USA). This event is jointly organized by Colombo University Faculty of Science Alumni Association – North America (CUFSAA-NA) and University of Peradeniya Alumni Association – USA (UPAA-USA).
  2. Tamasha 2025: We intend to hold the Tamasha Dinner/Dance sometime during the summer of 2025.

Programs

  1. CUFSAA Distinguished Speaker Series is organized by the Speaker Series subcommittee of CUFSAA-NA in association with the Faculty of Science, University of Colombo.  Please visit the page to find out about the speaker series, currently scheduled talks, and recordings of previously delivered talks., If you would like to suggest speakers or contact the subcommittee provide your input, please write to the subcommitee at speaker-series@cufsaa.org. We are particularly interested in hearing from our members with topic and speaker suggestions.
  2. CUFSAA-NA “Take a Book Program” – How about carrying a book for the department of your choice when you go to Sri Lanka next? If you are willing to help, please email us at info@cufsaa.org for further information. In addition to carrying a book (or more if you wish to) when you visit Sri Lanka, we collect books and ship them to Sri Lanka. If you have books that you would like to donate, please ship them to Dr. Saliya de Silva at 393 Valley Road, River Edge, NJ 07661.
  3. Guest Lecture Program – You can present your research and scientific work to an enthusiastic audience at the Science Faculty of Sri Lanka.
    Let us know when you travel with an abstract, we can arrange it for you. Contact us via info@cufsaa.org. We would like to list activities of note performed by CUFSAA members towards the general goal of supporting the Science Faculty of the University of Colombo. If you know of any note worthy activity/event, please send it to us.
  4. CUFSAA Mentoring Program – Be a North American Mentor to a new UofC Graduate – CUFSAA has created a mentor list of our alumni who live in different cities in North America so that, if a new UoC graduate arriving for graduates studies or for a job is looking for a friendly face in the city or the state, we can, with your permission, get this young person in contact with you. If you are willing to help out the next generation of UoC alumni in North America, please send your name, location, and contact information to us at info@cufsaa.org.

Funds

In addition to project specific donation requests listed above, CUFSAA maintains three funds to support its activities. Please visit the Donation page or click on the links below to visit the webpage to donate. These finds will be utilized to support CUFSAA activities that falls on each of these categories.

Any excess funds received for a specific CUFSAA activity will be deposited into the CUFSAA General Fund at the conclusion of that project or activity. Any shortfalls of funds required for the successful completion of a specific CUFSAA activity will also be provided by the General Fund as needed.

    1. CUFSAA General Fund – CUFSAA General Fund is to accept donations for funding activities of CUFSAA in general. Your donation to CUFSAA General Fund can help us tremendously to support projects of high importance.
    2. Science Faculty Emergency Fund – (Total Donations: $2,000 as of April 30, 2023) When we receive notification of U of C science faculty, students, or staff needing immediate assistance, we utilize this fund to support their urgent financial needs.
    3. Science Faculty Projects Fund – We are collecting funds to support urgent infrastructure needs of the Science Faculty that are otherwise not funded by available resources or organizations.

Thank you!