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Prof. Atula Abeysekara, professor of practice in risk management at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom, delivered a guest lecture on “Managing Black Swans”, to final-year undergraduate students of the Department of Civil Engineering. The session was held at the Civil Engineering Auditorium on 2nd May 2024. Prof. Atula started the lecture by providing a brief introduction to Imperial College, his career and the world in 2050. Then, he continued with the lecture by describing the construction journey and risk management process and extreme risks, what black swans are and why they are difficult to predict, how to manage black swans, and advice to the UK government on managing them. This guest lecture was organized by the Civil Engineering Society (CES) as a part of the “Civil Engineering Career Fair 2024”.

Prof. H. R. Pasindu, one of the esteemed professors in the Department of Civil Engineering at the ����ͷ��, was elected as the Vice President of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Sri Lanka at their 40th Annual General Meeting held on 28th March 2024.

On April 1st, 2024, 19th batch students participated in a field visit as a part of the Highway Construction and Maintenance Management module in Semester 8. During the visit, students had the chance to visit an asphalt plant, concrete batch plant, quarry and crusher plant, M-sand plant, concrete block plant, and emulsion production process, and also visited a construction machinery yard. This experience provided students with invaluable insights into the practical aspects of highway construction and maintenance, enhancing their understanding of the industry. Special thanks to W.A. Perera & Company and JN Lanka Holdings for facilitating the field visit.

The Department of Civil Engineering at the ����ͷ�� organized an intensive Equipment Camp at the Construction Equipment Operator Training College in Galkulama on April 27th and 28th for final year civil engineering undergraduates. The event, coordinated by Dr. L.L. Ekanayake and Mr. W.R.A.N. Jayantha under the guidance of the Head of the Department of Civil Engineering, aimed to provide students with practical insights into various construction machinery. The program, attended by enthusiastic students, featured hands-on sessions with a range of equipment including backhoe loaders, motor graders, hydraulic excavators, vibrating rollers, and wheeled loaders. These sessions were designed to familiarize students with industrial applications and operational techniques crucial to the field of civil engineering.

Second year undergraduate students from the Civil Engineering Department had the opportunity to explore the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport and Southern Expressway on March 17th, 2024. This field visit was organized as part of their Fundamentals of Transportation Engineering module in Semester 4, where they got to experience the operation and maintenance strategies of Transportation Infrastructure.

The Annual General Meeting of the Civil Engineering Society (CES) of ����ͷ�� was successfully held on 4th April 2024 at the Civil Engineering Department Auditorium. During the meeting, new office bearers were appointed from second- and third-year students. The appointed chief office bearers are Mr. Supun Madushanka (President), Mr. Dulanga Perera (Secretary) and Mr. Dashenu Preeth (Junior Treasurer). At the meeting, heartfelt appreciation was expressed by Prof. (Mrs.) Chintha Jayasinghe, the Head of the Department, Dr. Sampath Hewage, the Students' Advisor, and Dr. Pasindu Weerasinghe, the Senior Treasurer, as they acknowledged the remarkable achievements of the society. They emphasized the invaluable contributions and services provided by the Civil Engineering Society to both the department and the broader community.

The Sinhala and Tamil New Year Festival program of the Department of Civil Engineering, “Civil Ape Avurudu 2024” was held on the 30th of April 2024 from 08.30 am onwards at the Department premises. This event was coordinated by the 22nd batch of the Civil Engineering Department with the guidance of the Head of the Department, Prof. (Mrs.) Chintha Jayasinghe, to commemorate the Sinhala and Tamil New Year Festival. The day-long celebration was filled with captivating activities and engrossing games, blending Sinhala and Tamil customs. In addition, the celebration was made even more special with traditional customs, decorations, and food. Undergraduates performed traditional dances and music, enhancing the cultural atmosphere of the event.

The Avrudu and Ramadhan festival celebrations were held on the 25th of April 2024 from 10.30 am onwards at the Civil Engineering Department. The celebration was organized as a part of the initiative by the Head of the Department, Prof. (Mrs.) Chintha Jayasinghe, to promote cultural understanding among various communities by disseminating information about various ethnic groups. Prof. (Mrs.) Chintha Jayasinghe addressed the gathering by wishing everyone a Happy Sinhala and Tamil New Year & Happy Ramadhan. The event was attended by both academic and non-academic staff members of the Civil Engineering Department, as well as postgraduate students.

In a ceremony held on February 29th, 2024, at the Institution of Civil Engineers UK headquarters in London, the ����ͷ�� and Access Engineering PLC alongside its global academic and industry partners, were awarded the prestigious Collaborate to Innovate Award 2023 by the Engineer Magazine UK. The team won the award after competing in a highly competitive category of “Information, Data and Connectivity” in which there were five shortlisted entries. This award recognized the project “Innovative Pre-Straining Tools and Brillouin Optical Frequency Domain Analysis (BOFDA) Technology Assessment: A Transnational Leap in Infrastructure Monitoring”. The objective of the project was to address gaps in the current understanding of workmanship factors essential for effective Fibre Optic Monitoring.

The Department of Civil Engineering recently conducted the meeting of its Department Industry Consultative Board (DICB) on February 14th, 2024. The meeting, held at the Civil Auditorium, aimed to obtain feedback and insights from industry experts to enhance the quality of both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. The meeting was attended by the department academic staff, including Prof. (Mrs.) Chintha Jayasinghe, Head of the Department, and several top industry representatives. Discussions revolved around various topics, including the performance of graduates, improvements to the curriculum, and the current industry trends. Key outcomes included plans to improve students' practical problem-solving skills, enhance their communication abilities, and promote sustainability in engineering practices. The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between academia and industry for the continuous improvement of engineering education.