After the talk, I felt a little bamboozled and confused as to which project I should do. They all seemed so alluring and very interesting. However, I felt I had to do something that was true to what I believed in and what I am passionate about.
It was clear from the talk that much of the opportunity, science, technology and innovation was afforded to white men of middle and upper-classes. Yet the irony is that polytechnics and universities are opportunities for increased social mobility. There was a distinct lack of women and people of different ethnic backgrounds, as well as people with disabilities.
I admired the science, what grabbed me most was the ability of the scientists to problem solve and that was the most important lesson I learned from the talk. To overcome problems. The greatest challenge I had with this project is to articulate what I wanted to convey and how to convey this. I wasn't even sure what I wanted to convey.
Instead of procrastinating, I decided to do what struck me most about the talk and that was the lack of equality, diversity and inclusion. I always look to incorporate my Sri Lankan heritage in my work because it's a fundamental part of who I am. In addition to this, at the time when the polytechnic was opened, Sri Lanka (or Ceylon as it was known at the time) was under colonial rule of the British.
The irony is not lost on me that the polytechnic as a place of innovation, science and technology is an opportunity for individuals to progress economically, and also institutions like the polytechnic are a vehicle for social mobility. This opportunity for social progression was not afforded to people under colonial rule.
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