LAcNet Members

Coming soon ... LAcNet Forum which is the online meeting place for LAcnet members to discuss ideas, meet other members and share experiences and interests

Member Biographies

If you wish to include your biography here, please email us.

L.S. Bhathiya H. Pathirathna

Bhathiya is a human resources executive and resides in Yogiyana, Sri Lanka. Bhathiya joined LAcNet in 2005. He is a member of the Wired group and has helped to distribute computers for LAcNet projects in four rural areas. His interests include reading, music and photography.

Daya Atapattu

Daya is a senior research scientist in the field of computer science residing in Connecticut, USA. Daya has been a member of LAcNet since 1991. He assists with the publication of The Lanka Academic (TLA) and has served as LAcNet’s treasurer.

Dayananda Weerakkody

Dayananda is an information technology analyst at the World Bank living in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. Daya joined LAcNet in 2000. He is an active member of the Wired group and currently serves as LAcNet’s treasurer. Daya negotiated with the World Bank to secure a donation of 197 computers for distribution to 20 LAcNet-sponsored computer centers in Sri Lanka. While in Sri Lanka, Daya helped to open and develop a computer syllabus for many of these centers. Daya has also taken an active role in coordinating LAcNet’s tsunami relief projects. His interests include playing badminton, bird watching and travel.

Feroz Ghouse

Feroz is an IT Director residing in Wisconsin, USA. Feroz joined LAcNet in 1985. Feroz was a founding director of LAcNet and has served as LAcNet’s treasurer. His interests include amateur radio, flying airplanes, making music and electronics.

Ishika Lokuge

Ishika Lokuge is a graduate student in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Ishika joined LAcNet in 2002 and has helped to posted news for The Lanka Academic (TLA).

Jagath Samarabandu

Jagath is an Assistant Professor in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Western Ontario in Ontario, Canada. Jagath has been a member of LAcNet since its inception and his volunteer activities include hosting and managing LAcNet servers, providing IT assistance to LAcNet members, helping new members adjust to LAcNet, and driving across the U.S./Canada border disguised as a moose to pick up computers (old joke). Jagath served on the board of directors from 1996 to 1998. Jagath’s hobbies include photography, chess (level: just above woodpusher), computer games (strategy, flight sims, racing), tinkering around the house and hanging around usenet.

Kavan U. Ratnatunga

Kavan is an astrophysicist living in Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka. Kavan has been a member of LAcNet since 1991. He helped to manage the SLNet daily wire news service and is a member of the Wired group. He was been a member of the board of directors, was president of LAcNet from 1998 to 2000, and currently serves as LAcNet’s Secretary. Kavan’s interest include maintaining his Lakdiva website (http://lakdiva.org), coin collecting (http://lakdiva.org/coins), and rare books on Sri Lanka (http://lakdiva.org/books).

Louiqa Raschid

Louiqa is a professor of Decision and Information Technology (DIT) in the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD, USA. Louiqa joined LAcNet in 1993. She has helped in hosting the LAcNet server and mailing list and with fundraising for a LEARN Engineer to support LAcNet projects in Sri Lanka. Louiqa served as President of the board of directors from 1995-1998.

Emmanuel (Manny) Teitelbaum

Manny is Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the George Washington University and resides in Virginia, USA. Manny joined LAcNet in 2000 to start a computer center at the Malay Vocational Center in Colombo. Since then, he has become an active member of the Wired group and, more recently, in maintaining LAcNet’s website. Manny has served on the board of directors and is currently the Vice President of LAcNet. His interests include classical music, juggling, playing racquetball, skiing (or just sort of tumbling down the mountain--that’s fun too) and (occasionally) camping.

Nishantha Illangasekare

Nishantha is a senior scientist/NMR spectroscopist in the vaccines/pharmaceuticals industry and resides in New Jersey, USA. Nishantha joined LAcNet in 1990 to help with SLNet. He has served as the SLNet relay operator for the US Midwest, a SLNet news poster, a TLA volunteer, a Wired project volunteer and has taken an active role in organizing LAcNet’s Tsunami relief efforts. Nishantha has served as a director and LAcNet’s secretary on several occasions. Nishantha is LAcNet’s resident news junkie and his many other interests include politics, international affairs, Linux-based projects (MythTV), comics, North Indian classical music, high-end video/audio gear, etc.

Sarith Mahanama

Sarith resides in Maryland, USA. He joined LAcNet in 2000 and assists with the publication of The Lanka Academic (TLA). Sarith enjoys spending time with his son, martial arts, and auto repair (fixing the old car).

Thilaka Sumanaweera

Thilaka is a scientist who resides in the San Francisco Bay Area, USA. Thilaka joined LAcNet in 1987 and is a volunteer for SLNet and TLA. He has served on the board of directors as LAcNet’s president on several occasions. His main hobby is luging.

Thushara Dharmawickrama

Thushara is LAcNet's project manager in Sri Lanka. He resides in Yogiyana. Thushara joined LAcNet in 1999 and has led groups of volunteers in assisting with a series of Wired projects and workshops. Thushara enjoys photography and helping others. Thushara says: "LAcNet makes my life better because I can care for and help others. Do you have that feeling? Help someone find his/her happiness."

Tilak Hewagama

Tilak is a scientist living in Maryland, USA. Tilak joined LAcNet in 1999. He is an active member of the Wired group, assists with SLNet, provides LAcNet with server admin support, and currently serves as LAcNet’s mailing list administrator. Tilak has also served as the Wired group coordinator.

Varuni Jayamaha

Varuni is a senior software developer for an investment bank residing in London, UK. Varuni joined LAcNet in 2000 and is currently the Wired group coordinator. She is also a TLA volunteer and has taken an active role in coordinating LAcNet’s tsunami relief efforts, including the LAcNet-sponsored Sudheera Daruwo project. Varuni’s interests include playing chess (since she was five!), ancient history, archeology, trekking/fell walking and camping.

Vasantha Saparamadu

Vasantha lives in Australia. He is not good at remembering dates, and thinks he joined LAcNet in 1992. Apart from a small thing or two done for LAcNet a long time ago, he can't recall doing anything worth mentioning here. One of his hobbies is collecting emails with a weird sense of humour like this sample from LAcNet mailing lists.