Award Name : 2023 ForestGEO Research Grants Program

Awarding Institute : ForestGEO Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute,

Website : ForestGEO | (si.edu)

Postgraduate Unit of UWU is pleased to announce that the proposal entitled “Role of interspecific and intraspecific variations in leaf traits in determining the community structure in a diverse tropical rainforest,” which was submitted by two dedicated MPhil students, Ms. H.A.S. Madhubhani and Ms. H.K.M. Lakmali, has been chosen to receive an award from the 2023 ForestGEO Research Grants Program. The ForestGEO Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute bestows this esteemed award to honor and encourage creative research in the field of tropical forest ecology. The proposal has received recognition for its high scientific value, especially for its clearly stated study goals that will further our knowledge of how different species react to environmental gradients and shape the community structure of tropical forest tree ecosystems.

We would especially like to thank Prof. E.P.S.K. Ediriweera of Uva Wellassa University and Prof. Liza Comita of Yale University for their invaluable advice in helping them receive this award. Their research is validated by this award, which also encourages them to investigate the dynamics of tropical rainforests even more. Based on this recognition, the researchers are eager to further explore the subject and offer significant new insights to the field.