NADEESHA FROM GALLE SELECTED FOR COURSE AT NASA

First Sri Lankan chosen to the Singularity University of NASA in USA.

”I wanted to become a bus conductor, as it was the job I liked most. When I was accompanied to school by my father, I had pleaded with him to allow me to travel on the foot board, but he discouraged me saying that it is how the boys travel. I liked cricket, but unfortunately my school at that time had no cricket team. I loved to sit alone on the Ramparts of the Galle Fort and day-dream. But my future was not all what I thought,” so said Nadeesha Chandrasena, the first Sri Lankan selected to the Singularity University of NASA in USA. This University houses, the outer space research station and various other research faculties. Daughter of Vineeshiya de Silva, a teacher resident at Werellana, Hikkaduwa in the

Galle district, and Dadimuni Chandrasena who was a reputed author of scientific matters.

Nadeesha now 33-years of age has another younger sister called Dinesha.

She had her primary education at Sacred Heart Convent in Galle and did her higher studies at Sirimavo Bandaranaike College in Colombo. Being unsuccessful at two attempts in the science stream at A/L she opted to do art subjects and qualified for University entrance, and joined the Moratuwa University and successfully completed her degree in Town and Country Planning. She obtained a scholarship in South Asian Consortium for the Water Resources Studies Fellowship presented by the government of Netherlands and qualified for a post graduation in Water Resources Management at the University of Peradeniya in 2013. Later she joined the Petronas University of Technology in Malaysia for her Doctorate.

While being deeply involved in her studies for her doctorate, Nadeesha with Nadeesha with her family the assistance of four of her Face Book friends designed a model of a sewerage system, which she presented to the Engineering System Plans Exhibition in Malaysia. The guest speaker at this exhibition, Faizal Arif suggested to her about a special course at the NASA research Park and the strategies in the selection of new creative work. Having made a thorough study of the subject she decided to present her creative work. Submission of the application and its process was highly competitive as it was an internationally recognised methodology that was adhered to. She was fortunate in having being selected at the first round after the NASAResearch Centre had studied three of her earlier projects.Acost cutting in the Electricity bill at the Panagoda Army Camp with the implementation of a project designed by her received special consideration for her prospective course at the NASA.

Her project on a new Sewerage System had now won the acclaim of the research institute, and Nadeesha had been fortunate being a beneficiary to further her prospects in this field. Nadeesha considers this great opportunity as a blessing and hopes to implement these projects in Sri Lanka.

While being deeply involved in her studies for her doctorate, Nadeesha with the assistance of four of her Face Book friends designed a model of a sewerage system, which she presented to the Engineering System Plans Exhibition in Malaysia.