Vidusara at 25 – web banner from Facebook Group
The weekly Sinhala science magazine Vidusara, a publication of Upali Newspapers Limited of Sri Lanka, completes 25 years this week.
Sustaining any publication for that long is no mean accomplishment, so everyone involved – journalists, editors, publishers – deserve congratulations.
The current editor has done an interview with me for the 25th anniversary issue, which is out today. In it, I discuss the challenges faced by all science communicators, but especially by science journalists working in the developing world. The interview is in Sinhala. Here it is, in pdf, in parts 1 and 2.
I had a marginal involvement in Vidusara at its very inception, in late 1987, which was within a few months of my entering journalism. I take no credit for what the publication has accomplished, and am sometimes exasperated when long-standing readers associate me with it. But after clarifying such nuances for years, I now accept the inevitable association!
As reader comments warranted, I responded as follows:
Vidusara 25th anniversary issue – cover 7 Nov 2012“Vidusara was launched in 1988 [correction: it really was in Nov 1987] by Upali Newspapers Limited as an experiment in popular science communication. I was at the time working as a science correspondent for that company’s English daily, The Island, and the managing director asked me to advise and guide the new publication. I welcomed this as I was a bilingual writer (Sinhala and English). However, the founder editor of Vidusara was extremely apprehensive about my association with his project and went out of his way to exclude me. I have never tried to understand or analyse the reasons for this; such insecure and insular mindsets are far too common in Sinhala language journalism, even today.
“All in all, I must have written no more than 10 – 12 Sinhala science articles to Vidusara during its first few months of publication in 1988. When I compare that to the several hundred I’ve published in The Island (1986-1995: none of it available online) and many dozens for other English language media outlets – print, broadcast and online – over the years, my writing in Vidusara represents only a very small proportion of my combined media output. However, I must have done a few things well in those articles for discerning readers to remember and refer to it more than two decade later. I’m naturally pleased with such reader recollections.
“It also reminds me that we who work in the public space don’t get to choose how we are remembered. Our audiences will form their own impressions, and select their own memories.”
Text of my ‘When Worlds Collide’ column published in Ceylon Today Sunday newspaper on 4 November 2012
Last Monday, I discussed the end of the world on a live TV talk show. The latest date for ‘imminent doom’ is 21 December 2012.
I do have better things to do on a Poya day afternoon, but this modern myth has become pervasive that we might as well use it as an opening to get people to pause and think.
That’s why retired astrophysicist Dr Kavan Ratnatunga (ex-NASA and Space Telescope researcher) and I joined Hiru TV alongside an astrologer (a maker of horoscopes, not to be confused with astronomers who study the night sky) and a Buddhist monk.
Kavan and I were ready for a good debate, and to have some fun in myth busting. Over the years, we’ve tackled assorted superstitions, urban legends and tall tales on public TV and…
News feature published in Ceylon Today newspaper on 4 Nov 2012:
Wanted: Young Lankans for Antarctica!
By Nalaka Gunawardene
Sir Robert Swan, polar explorer
Environmentally inclined young Lankan men and women have a new opportunity to broaden their horizons: by joining an international youth expedition to the Antarctica!
This open invitation came from the polar explorer, environmental leader and motivational speaker Sir Robert Swan, who is in Sri Lanka on a short visit.
“Going to the Antarctica – the last great wilderness of the world, twice the size of Australia – is a life changing experience. We want more young people to experience it, and be transformed about what is happening to our environment, and what we can do about it,” he told a packed audience at the Galle Face Hotel on Saturday morning.
British born Swan, the first person in history to walk to both the North and South poles, has dedicated his life to the preservation of Antarctica by the promotion of recycling, renewable energy and sustainability to combat the effects of climate change.
His non-profit foundation, 2041 (www.2041.com), operates the world’s first educational base (E-Base) in Antarctica. Since 2008, it serves as a resource for teachers and an inspiration to young people around the world.
Swan introduced Imalka de Silva, said to be the first Lankan woman to visit Antarctica, who was part of an international team of youth who spent two and a half weeks at E-Base in early 2010.
“I want more young people to have that amazing experience, so that they too can champion the local environmental initiatives in a global context,” Imalka said.
She will soon be launching a new project that seeks to link the business community and environment conservation. Already, MAS Holdings (which organized the Robert Swan talk), Coca Cola (which sponsored his visit to Sri Lanka) and Millennium IT are interested in supporting competitively chosen young Lankans to visit the Antarctica, she revealed.
“Our concern for the environment needs to be broadened into a business opportunity, and only then will society change its ways,” she said.
Robert Swan, who has been spending time with selected youth groups working on environmental issues in Sri Lanka, added: “Sri Lanka can show regional leadership in motivating young people to act on environment and sustainability.”
Sir Robert Swan giving a talk in Sri Lanka – image by 2041.com
In Sri Lanka, mass kidney failure during the past two decades has been followed by what I call a mass media failure. Most of our media have failed to understand, analyse and report adequately on this public health emergency. Instead of helping affected people and policy makers to work out solutions, some journalists have become amplifiers of extreme activist positions.
I talked about this at at the International Science Communication Leadership Workshop, held as part of Association of Academies & Societies of Sciences in Asia (AASSA) General Assembly in Colombo, 16-19 October 2012. An English article based on my talk appeared in Ceylon Today a few days ago:
Mass Kidney Failure & Mass Media Failure: Go ‘Upstream’ for Remedies!
I have just written up similar views (NOT a translation!) for my weekend Sinhala language column in Ravaya broadsheet newspaper:
CKDu infographic courtesy Center for Public Integrity, USA
Meteosat 7 weather satellite image of the Indian Ocean – 30 Oct 2012 at 6 UTC As Hurricane Sandy hammered the US East Coast earlier this week, we had our own meteorological worries. A tropical cyclone — belatedly named Neelam — swept past parts of Sri Lanka’s North and East. It then headed to southern India.
The two atmospheric turbulences were not comparable. Sandy was far more ferocious. But Neelam caused enough disruption as well — it wasn’t just a passing gust of wind.
As I followed the two disasters through print, TV and web media reporting, I wondered: how come we had more about Sandy in our own media than on Neelam?
Is it because, as some argue, the global media were so preoccupied with Sandy, and provided saturation coverage? Or are our own media outlets unable, or unwilling, to cover a local weather anomaly with depth and clarity?
This is the opening of my latest op-ed essay, Your Disaster is Not My Disaster, published in Ceylon Today newspaper, 1 Nov 2012.
Another excerpt:
“In today’s networked society, commercially operating news media are no longer the sole gatherers or distributors of news. Some members of their (formerly passive) audience are now mini news operations on their own.
“What does this mean for communicating in disaster situations that requires understanding and sensitivity? In which ways can we find synergy between mainstream and new/social media, so together they can better serve the public interest? What value-additions can the mainstream media still bring to the coverage of disasters? And what to do about ‘Chicken Little’ reporters who try to link everything to a looming climate catastrophe? I don’t have all the answers, but keep asking these necessary questions.”
Here’s the full text, saved from the e-paper:
Your Disaster is not My Disaster – by Nalaka Gunawardene, Ceylon Today 1 Nov 2012
Text of my ‘When Worlds Collide’ column published in Ceylon Today Sunday newspaper on 28 October 2012
I S W Karunathilaka, inventor of a wave/wakeless boat design, recently won the inaugural Ray Award for excellence in innovation and enterprise in Sri Lanka.
His invention, which saves fuel and protects river banks, would have wide ranging applications when developed to its full potential. It can also kick-start a long neglected mode of transport: using our numerous inland water bodies to move goods and people.
Karunathilaka, an accountant turned entrepreneur, received the Ray Award at a gala ceremony on 17 October 2012 in Colombo.
The Commercial Bank, which sponsors the award, will provide a grant worth LKR 1 million (USD 7,710 approx) to assist him to advance his invention for commercialisation. The University of Moratuwa, meanwhile, will help with technical support.
Six Lankan inventors, all of who had already won Presidential Awards…
When I first met Karunathilaka three years ago, when he was experimenting with a model that measured 40 inches by 12 inches (101.6 cm x 30.5 cm). I interviewed him on Siyatha TV, showcasing his work in progress and discussing its future potential. He has come a long way since.
Ceylon Today newspaper has just published my article titled: Mass Kidney Failure & Mass Media Failure: Go ‘Upstream’ for Remedies!
It is adapted from a paper I presented last week at the International Science Communication Leadership Workshop, held as part of Association of Academies & Societies of Sciences in Asia (AASSA) General Assembly in Colombo, 16-19 October 2012.
In Sri Lanka, mass kidney failure during the past two decades has been followed by what I call a mass media failure. Most of our media have failed to understand, analyse and report adequately on this public health emergency. Instead of helping affected people and policy makers to work out solutions, some journalists have become amplifiers of extreme activist positions.
As health officials and policy makers struggle with the prolonged humanitarian crisis, partisan media coverage has added to public confusion, suspicion and fear. As a science writer and journalist, I have watched this with growing concern.
This is a critique of the Lankan media sector to which I have belonged, in one way or another, for a quarter century. I hope this will inspire some much-needed self-reflection among our media, which I feel over overstepped the boundaries of advocacy journalism in this issue. As I suggest, a return to first principles can help…
Full article below. Constructive engagement is welcomed.
Mass Kidney Failure & Mass Media Failure – Nalaka Gunawardene – Ceylon Today 25 Oct 2012
I S W Karunathilaka, winner of the ‘Ray Award’ 2012. Photo by Mevan Peiris/Snap Photography
I S W Karunathilaka, inventor of a waveless boat design that saves fuel and protects river banks, won the inaugural Ray Award for nurturing innovation excellence in Sri Lanka.
An accountant turned entrepreneur, he received the award at a gala awards ceremony held on 17 October 2012 at the Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel, Colombo, amidst an international audience.
The Commercial Bank has offered a grant worth LKR 1 million to assist Karunathilaka to prepare his invention for commercialisation, while the University of Moratuwa will provide technical advice and guidance.
Six Lankan inventors, already honoured with Presidential Awards for Innovation in recent years, were shortlisted for the award. Coming from diverse backgrounds and training, each had designed or produced a practical solution to an everyday need.
The Ray Award is a biennial, life-time award given in memory of the late Ray Wijewardene, the foremost inventor produced by Sri Lanka, to help a state recognised inventor to commercialise his or her invention. It is administered and presented by the Ray Wijewardene Charitable Trust (RWCT) in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Inventors Commission (SLIC) and the Commercial Bank.
Prototype of waveless eco-boat designed by I S W KarunatilakeThe waveless boat is non-symmetric in shape: rectangular on the outside, but has curves facing the inside. It contains twin hulls, which allow water to travel through the hollow mid section and prevents waves being formed on the boat’s sides as it moves.
The boat is eco friendly in other ways too. It consumes less fuel as energy is not wasted in wave generation. Unlike conventional boats made from fibre glass, Karunathilaka’s vessel is made of steel and aluminium, with an anodic protection which reduces corrosion.
He has already built a prototype that can carry up to 50 passengers or 4,000 kg of cargo, which has been operating on the Kalu Ganga since late 2011.
“It was late Dr Ray Wijewardene’s vision and dream to see Sri Lanka develop economically through inventiveness and innovation,” said Dr Tissa Vitarana, Senior Minister of Scientific Affairs, who was chief guest. “The Ray Award celebrates what he stood for.”
“Our inventors need state recognition, society’s appreciation and funding to commercialise their ideas. We really need a good venture capital bank in Sri Lanka to support our inventors – this is what had made a difference in advanced economies like the United States,” he added.
Dr Vitarana noted that only 2 per cent of Sri Lanka’s exports received a high technology input at the moment. He underlined the need for Sri Lanka to develop its own technologies responding the country’s particular needs and powered by the country’s own innovative and enterprising people.
He hoped that RWCT would help Sri Lanka to achieve what the late Ray Wijewardene had in mind: for Sri Lanka to become a developed country without the problems of poverty.
Deepal Sooriyaarachchi, Commissioner of the Sri Lanka Inventors Commission and member of the selection panel said the Ray Award is a celebration of Lankan inventiveness. Long-listed candidates were assessed on three criteria, or three ‘I’s: Invention, Innovation and Impact.
Professor Malik Ranasinghe, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of RWCT, said the Trust supports innovations in sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, engineering and aeronautics – disciplines and pursuits that were close to Ray’s heart. “We hope that ‘The Ray’ will help to create the next Ray Wijewardene in Sri Lanka.”
All past winners of the Presidential Awards for innovation, presented by SLIC, were eligible and invited to apply for the Ray Award. The Trust received a total of 56 applications, which were reviewed by an independent panel that interviewed 17 candidates.
The selection panel was chaired by Prof Uditha Liyanage, Director and Chairman of the Board of Management, Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) affiliated to University of Sri Jayawardenapura.
A documentary featuring the six shortlisted inventors, produced by Ray Wijewardene’s grandson Rehan Alexander Mudannayake, was screened during the awards ceremony.
Ray Award 2012 Winner and shortlisted candidates with Dr Tissa Vitarana, Senior Minister of Science
Open Minds! 