Sam Karunaratne
Encyclopedia
Emeritus Professor Samarajeewa "Sam" Karunaratne, FIET
, FIESL (born in 1937) is an Professor
of Engineering and a leading Sri Lanka
n academic
who is the founding & current Chancellor
of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology
and the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa
. He has held a number of other appointments in the field of higher education in Sri Lanka, Prof Karunaratne is a pioneer in the development of the use of computers in the field of engineering, and also played an important role in the development of IT
education and industry in Sri Lanka.
. He had his early education at Bandaranaike Maha Vidyalaya, Hettimulla and received his secondary education at St. Mary's College, Kegalle. He then went on to do his higher studies at the University of Ceylon
, where he gained a First class honours degree in electrical engineering
. He then achieved his M.Sc.
degree in engineering from the University of Glasgow
and a Diploma in Electrical Engineering from the University of London
.
He is a chartered engineer
of both Sri Lanka and UK, a fellow of the British Institution of Engineering and Technology
(IET), and the National Academy of Sciences Sri Lanka.
He went on to teach at the University of Moratuwa
, where he became the head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and helped establish the Department of Computer Engineering. Then became the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and later the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa
. He is considered to be the chief contributor towards the development of the Department of Electrical Engineering to its present status. This was one of the many notable reasons to award him with the DSc
.
Currently he is serving as the president of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology
, a leading research & higher education institute in the field of Information Technology. He is also a member of the board of directors at the Institute of Technological Studies, Colombo.
in July 1967, who became a renowned lecturer and Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo
. She is a pioneer in the field of Sinhalese Studies and the first female Dean in Sri Lanka.
They have two sons, Savant Kaushalya and Passant Vatsalya, both electrical engineers specializing in Image processing
. The elder, Savant Karunaratne has a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Sydney
, Australia
. The younger, Passant Karunaratne has a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Northwestern University
, Evanston, Illinois
, and is a Principal Research Engineer in United States
.
Institution of Engineering and Technology
The Institution of Engineering and Technology is a British professional body for those working in engineering and technology in the United Kingdom and worldwide. It was formed in 2006 from two separate institutions: the Institution of Electrical Engineers , dating back to 1871, and the...
, FIESL (born in 1937) is an Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Engineering and a leading Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n academic
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
who is the founding & current Chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology
Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology
Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology , is a public technological university in Sri Lanka mainly focused on information technology established by the Government of Sri Lanka.The main campus is located in Malabe, 16 km from Colombo. It also has a metropolitan campus in Colombo, the...
and the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa
University of Moratuwa
The University of Moratuwa, located on the banks of the Bolgoda Lake in Katubedda, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, is a technological university in Sri Lanka. Apart from the academics including the undergraduate and postgraduate studies, university of Moratuwa presents a variety of social and cultural...
. He has held a number of other appointments in the field of higher education in Sri Lanka, Prof Karunaratne is a pioneer in the development of the use of computers in the field of engineering, and also played an important role in the development of IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
education and industry in Sri Lanka.
Early life & education
Karunaratne was born as Samarajeewa Karunaratne to a family of land proprietors, Mr. and Mrs. T. Karunaratne in Makoora, KegalleKegalle
Kegalle is a town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. It is located on the Colombo - Kandy road. Its 48 miles/78 km away from Colombo and 24 Miles/40 km away from Kandy. It is the Capital City of the Kegalle District which is one of the two districts belonging to Sabaragamuwa province...
. He had his early education at Bandaranaike Maha Vidyalaya, Hettimulla and received his secondary education at St. Mary's College, Kegalle. He then went on to do his higher studies at the University of Ceylon
University of Ceylon
The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the University of Sri Lanka which existed from 1973 to 1978. In 1978 it was...
, where he gained a First class honours degree in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
. He then achieved his M.Sc.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in engineering from the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
and a Diploma in Electrical Engineering from the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.
He is a chartered engineer
Çeng
The çeng is a Turkish harp. It was a popular Ottoman instrument until the last quarter of the 17th century.The word comes from the Persian word "chang," which means "harp" ....
of both Sri Lanka and UK, a fellow of the British Institution of Engineering and Technology
Institution of Engineering and Technology
The Institution of Engineering and Technology is a British professional body for those working in engineering and technology in the United Kingdom and worldwide. It was formed in 2006 from two separate institutions: the Institution of Electrical Engineers , dating back to 1871, and the...
(IET), and the National Academy of Sciences Sri Lanka.
Career
Karunaratne took part in many major construction projects in Sri Lanka pioneering the use of computer aided designing.He went on to teach at the University of Moratuwa
University of Moratuwa
The University of Moratuwa, located on the banks of the Bolgoda Lake in Katubedda, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, is a technological university in Sri Lanka. Apart from the academics including the undergraduate and postgraduate studies, university of Moratuwa presents a variety of social and cultural...
, where he became the head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and helped establish the Department of Computer Engineering. Then became the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and later the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa
University of Moratuwa
The University of Moratuwa, located on the banks of the Bolgoda Lake in Katubedda, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, is a technological university in Sri Lanka. Apart from the academics including the undergraduate and postgraduate studies, university of Moratuwa presents a variety of social and cultural...
. He is considered to be the chief contributor towards the development of the Department of Electrical Engineering to its present status. This was one of the many notable reasons to award him with the DSc
DSC
-in academia:* D.Sc., Doctor of Science* Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine* Dalton State College, Georgia* Daytona State College, Florida* Deep Springs College, California* Dixie State College of Utah...
.
Currently he is serving as the president of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology
Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology
Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology , is a public technological university in Sri Lanka mainly focused on information technology established by the Government of Sri Lanka.The main campus is located in Malabe, 16 km from Colombo. It also has a metropolitan campus in Colombo, the...
, a leading research & higher education institute in the field of Information Technology. He is also a member of the board of directors at the Institute of Technological Studies, Colombo.
Personal life
Karunaratne married Kusuma Ediriweera JayasooriyaKusuma Karunaratne
Kusuma Karunaratne nee Ediriweera Jayasooriya is a Sri Lankan academic, university administrator, Professor and scholar of Sinhalese language and literature.-Personal life:...
in July 1967, who became a renowned lecturer and Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo
University of Colombo
The University of Colombo is a public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka...
. She is a pioneer in the field of Sinhalese Studies and the first female Dean in Sri Lanka.
They have two sons, Savant Kaushalya and Passant Vatsalya, both electrical engineers specializing in Image processing
Image processing
In electrical engineering and computer science, image processing is any form of signal processing for which the input is an image, such as a photograph or video frame; the output of image processing may be either an image or, a set of characteristics or parameters related to the image...
. The elder, Savant Karunaratne has a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The younger, Passant Karunaratne has a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
, and is a Principal Research Engineer in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Awards
- In 2006 Karunaratne was awarded an honorary DoctorateDoctor of ScienceDoctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
, also from the University of MoratuwaUniversity of MoratuwaThe University of Moratuwa, located on the banks of the Bolgoda Lake in Katubedda, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, is a technological university in Sri Lanka. Apart from the academics including the undergraduate and postgraduate studies, university of Moratuwa presents a variety of social and cultural...
.