for sub with intro1

Hi everyone, welcome to the talk lab

with scientist podcast channel and

YouTube channel.

I am a Sri Lankan science journalist and

I am a Sri Lankan PhD student in biology

currently studying at University of

Florida, USA. Today joining with Syoc

Lab is another eminent scientist from

Sri Lanka who is actually one of my

personal role models as well. A

scientist that I have always looked up

to and also one of my own teachers who

have always um

inspired me in my research. When I first

entered University of Kalania as an

undergraduate, uh when I was enrolling

at the faculty of science, uh my father

mentioned to me that there is this

particular senior professor in

University of Kalania who has achieved

uh something that is very rare for Sri

Lankan scientists. He said there is this

senior professor called professoral Amra

Singha who has been awarded a doctor of

science a DSC from University of Banga

in the UK and and he also for for his

significant contribution to Sri Lankan

research for his research in the in his

field and also has a very high edge

index I don't remember the number now

but a very high number back then I was

just an undergraduate just starting off

and I had no idea what an H index was or

what uh DSC was. I just it just gave me

the idea that it is something great to

achieve. uh but then when I came to my

third year I got the chance to uh be

actually meet professor Muras Singha and

be one of his students and that's when I

actually realized professor Singha is a

great researcher indeed

not because not just because of his

achievements and the index but also

because of the depth of knowledge he had

about his subject about his research and

also because of the passion he showed

for his research. Uh so it is my great

honor to bring to you professoral

singing, professor amarita supali

singing today on site talk lab. Thank

you very much sir for joining with us

today joining with me today to share

your research journey to uh other to the

younger generation of Sri Lanka. Can you

can we start off by telling actually who

you are and what your work actually

involves?

>> Yeah, thank you very much uh Moni thanks

for the introduction. I'm a retired

academic from the University of Kalania.

Well, you know I I have uh been

graduated from the University of Kalania

in 1978.

I studied

uh biological in biological stream and

specialized in in zoolology from 1974 to

1978.

And after my graduation when uh uh I

worked in the university as a uh um

academic support staff as an

administrator and then I joined the

national science council at that time

you know now it is called national

well national yeah in national science

council that time you know it was name

was changed later on now it is national

science foundation then after a few

months

uh I joined the ministry of fisheries

that was in 1980.

So from 1980 well when I was uh when I

joined the ministry of fisheries after a

couple of month a couple of years the

research division of the ministry of

fisheries and the postra fishing gear

sorry no fish technology division the

institute of fish technology you know

those two divisions of the ministry of

fisheries were

uh converted to a autonomous body called

nara national aquatic resources agency

to which all the scientists were

absorbed. So then I became a scientist

of uh the national aquatic resources

research and development agency. So from

there I have worked uh several years you

know 13 years or so you know until 1992

then in 1992 I joined the University of

Kenya as an academic staff member. So

there are there were reasons for that

because you know

uh when I was working as a scientist you

know research officer at NAR in 1989 or

so in late 1980s the government at that

time decided to stop state patronage for

the inland fisheries development

and agriculture development in the

country for various reasons you know

politically inspired reasons and Then

you know my field of research I was

working on inland fisheries and it you

know it had a very low priority. Then uh

you know I was you know my uh research

grant applications were rejected and uh

you know the the ministry of fisheries

of NAR have given very low priorities

for Indian fisheries. Then I decided to

leave Narpit Nar and then I talked to my

professors in the University of Kalania

and uh

they were willing to uh take me as a

lake. Then I applied for a senior le

position and I joined the minist uh

university of Kalan in 19 uh 92. So

until I retired in my 2020, I worked as

a as an academic in the University of

California.

>> Thank you. Yes. Thank you very much sir.

That is that is a great um introduction

to the kind of work you do. So like you

said you work your research involves

mainly fisheries and um uh fishing

technology which I believe being uh for

Sri Lanka has a very significant both

economic as well as social aspect for

the country. Can you tell me why you

your research? So you do this, you first

did this research affiliated to a

research institution and then you

continued that research as an academic

in the university in a university. How

does this research that you do as a

scientist uh important for the

development of our country and then how

how is it important for the development

of the for for the region as a whole and

then as the world as a whole? Oh well uh

you know I I believe that I conduct

research actually you know uh the reason

why I I have chosen this field you know

fisheries field you know it is it is

only that I wanted a job after

graduation. So I have applied for

different positions and in fact uh when

I was an undergraduate but for my

undergraduate graduate research I have

done a research project on entomology

but I uh I did not get a position you

know a job in the field of enmology and

perhaps uh the university of Huna wanted

you know they have professor uh in the

professor of zology in the university of

Huna wanted to recruit me as a lecturer

in Rahul University where I I was

supposed to be assigned to teach

enmology. But anyway uh for some reasons

uh I was not uh taken

uh as a lecturer to the university. Not

because of the uh uh you know although

the professor wanted me to take me you

know some other people in the the

university did not want me to be joining

the university because for some reasons

why which I don't want to mention

because you know my during my uh

university career you know undergraduate

uh period you know I was uh somewhat

like rebellion so that people did not

want me to be in that kind of staff in

the room you know some people so that is

why you know I had to you know I was

looking for some other jobs then uh

national like science council where I I

joined as a scientific officer I was

assigned to work on the soil algae and

fungi in the Mahavari H area that is

Rajanga Kalava area which I did not like

because I I have done zology but why

should I work on and fungi. So then I I

was not very happy about the job that I

got and then I applied for the uh

research office of position in the

ministry of fisheries where I have been

selected. So then that is the reason why

I have I have uh got into the fisheries

field that is only to find a job. Once

once I got this job

you know I thought of learning the

subject you know because I have the

background knowledge from the from my