IChem hosts the Australian National Chemistry Quiz Competition
Miss Intercontinental is one of the oldest international beauty pageants and I was delighted to be invited to be Creative Director of the event by Mr. Roshan Perera, new President of the Rotary Club Colombo West. He and I were in full agreement about everything being totally above board, 100% fair with zero favoritism and that it be conducted on par with the best of international beauty pageants. I was very privileged to meet with the Global Director, a German national what was very pleased about how we planned to do it. The host hotel was the Colombo Hilton and we began with the preliminary process through which contestant numbers were reduced to 15.
How were these 15 contestants prepared?
The training process included rehearsals every week, starting with twice a week but increasing to daily as we moved closer to the pageant. CW Nutrition & Fitness oversaw the overall fitness and diet of the young women.
What were your responsibilities at the pageant?
I was the Creative Director of the overall event (preliminaries and grand finale) which included handling choreography, overseeing the talent and the musical acts, the lighting, sounds and the overall “look” of the event. The Grand Finale worked out beautifully and Thanuja Perera performed fabulously as always. Misty was the fantastic band for the night and I am delighted to nota that the Hilton was very much supportive, as were all of our sponsors.
Buddhi Batiks provided beautiful sarees for the 15 princesses, Rum Punch provided the swimwear, and Odel provided the evening wear. I’m a firm believer that we have to teach [the young women] life lessons through activities like this. Young women are very vulnerable, very impressionable and need to know that this is a process. This is one step in their lives, and though it contributes to their learning, it does not define who they ultimately are. Mr. Perera and I decided that whoever won would also get an additional two weeks of training from me, which was post event.
What are your views on pageants such as this?
I think they are a wonderful platform. Beauty pageants need to be understood for their positivity. Through my involvement I know that there are a lot of pluses in terms of self-confidence, improving your body, improving general knowledge, understanding camaraderie and learning teamwork through to building great friendships.
Raffles students were involved in the pageant. What role did they play?
The students were an integral part of our backstage support. Raffles is a design college and a group of young women from Fashion Design played a part in getting the young ladies ready, especially if they felt a contestant was a little insecure, Our students were there to support them and they were ready with needle and thread if something needed fixing.
What kind of exposure does events such as this give to the students?
Raffles as a group understands that we are preparing young people for the industry. When a student decides to join the col- lege, the end result of their years of education is to perform very well in the industry. We provide them with live projects and real industry experience so Raffles students experience projects like this while still studying at Raffles.
Dinesh Chandrasena is primarily a Fashion Designer and an Educator. Chandrasena is a Program Coordinator for external events and a fulltime Fashion Design lecturer at Raffles Design Institute. Chandrasena has creative directed a number of projects and has designed for a number of contestants including Miss America 2008, Miss USA 2007 and , a number of Miss California’s and Miss Georgia’s. Dinesh designed Halle Berry’s wedding dress, the wardrobe for the film “Miss Congeniality” starring Sandra Bullock and “Princess Diaries” with Dame Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway.
A firm believer of healthy living and fitness Chandrasena adheres to the mantra that a person’s outsides reflect his or her inside.
The Australian National Chemistry Quiz is a very unique, standard educational activity that is conducted in numerous countries by the Royal Australian Chemistry Institute (RACI). This Chemistry Quiz was introduced to Sri Lanka in the year 1997 by the RACI via Institute of Chemistry Ceylon (IChemC). The initial step was taken by the late Prof. J. N. O. Fernando, the former Honorary Rector of IChemC, upon the invitation of Prof. Charles Fogliani from the Charles Steurt- Mitchell University in Barthust, NSW, Australia, who has been the Australian National Organizer of this competition for many years.
In Sri Lanka, this contest is extended to students of both junior grades and senior grades in all schools. During the year 1997, nineteen schools participated where 1271 students sat the examination. This year the chemistry quiz is to be held on the 23rd July, Saturday. Islandwide, there are 98 schools through which there is an overwhelming participation of 4292 juniors and 3384 seniors are competing this year. There are 33 examination centers dispersed in Sri Lanka. In Colombo, Ms. D. Attanayaka; in Kandy, Prof. Swarna Wimalasiri and in Matara, Prof. Hema Pathirana are the chief organizers of the contest respectively.
The best performers are awarded with certificates of excellence and plaques from Australia and prizes from Institute of Chemistry Ceylon.
The sole purpose of this extra ordinary competition is to promote Chemistry in Sri Lanka and its prime rationale of the subject in the society and as a profession. It provides a major focus for secondary school students on the relevance of chemistry in an exciting and stimulating way.