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Close Encounter with Cosmic Icon Datuk Dr Mazlan Othman

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Close Encounter with Cosmic Icon Datuk Dr Mazlan Othman FEATURE Close Encounter with Cosmic Icon Datuk Dr Ir. Sharifah Azlina Mazlan Othman Raja Kamal Pasmah rofessor Emerita Datuk Dr Mazlan Othman has a long list of firsts. She graduated as Malaysia’s first astro-physicist and, on completion of her doctorate degree, she became the first woman in PUniversity of Otago’s 120-year history to get a PhD in physics. She returned to Malaysia to be a lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in the Physics department. In 1990, she was seconded to the Prime Minister’s Department to establish the Planetarium Division, later known as Space Studies Division (1993), and thereafter became its head. As its first Director-General, she led in the designing and manufacturing of Malaysia’s first remote-sensing satellite, TiungSAT-1, which was launched in 2000. In 1999, she was appointed the first female director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), based in Vienna, Austria. In 2002, at the request of the then United Nation’s office in Vienna, in focused on housing, i n f r a s t r u c t u re , Prime Minister of Malaysia, she 2011. transportation, electrical & returned to serve as the founding-and- Today, the remarkable Datuk Dr electronics and the environment. first Director-General of the Malaysian Mazlan still has a similar impact on • Third phase: Mega Science National Space Agency (ANGKASA) me. Short of her retirement, she was 3.0 (started in 2015) is more and spearheaded the Angkasawan contemplating about “taking it easy industry-focused, namely furniture, Programme which successfully launched and enjoying life’ but soon, the tireless automotive, creative, tourism and the country’s first astronaut, Datuk scientist was back in Malaysia, pouring plastics & composite. Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, into her energy into advisory committees The project aspires to build a the International Space Station (ISS) and boards involving science and prosperous, harmonious and in 2007. ANGKASA is responsible for space, teaching as a visiting professor sustainable nation and population, the development, research and and became the Project Director for maximising on STI. The success and dissemination of space science Mega Science 3.0 at the Academy of realisation of this project also entails programme including formulating Sciences, Malaysia. Science, Technology, Engineering policies and regulation, coordinating, and Mathematics (STEM) talents to be implementing and monitoring all MEGA SCIENCE 3.0 the key drivers of research, innovation activities related to space. Mega Science is a project and enterprise through transformative In 2007, as she “hadn’t quite championed by the Academy of thinking and integrated actions. finished her task”, she was re- Sciences Malaysia to position Science, appointed Director of UNOOSA in Technology and Innovation (STI) as Vienna, followed by an appointment the key driver for socio-economic 14 Professor Emerita as the first female Deputy Director- transformation. The project looks at Datuk Dr Mazlan General of United Nations Office, global mega trends with projections Othman Vienna in 2009. Datuk Dr Mazlan into the year 2050 and aims to position retired from the UN in 2013. Malaysia within these future scenarios. I was in awe when, as an alumni, Under the programme, a total of 15 she visited our alma mater, Tunku sectors are covered: Kurshiah College, back in the early • First phase: Mega Science 1980s. She was already well ahead 1.0 (2010-2012) focused on then in charting her career, while I the water, energy, health, was still a teenager who hadn’t a clue as agriculture and biodiversity APRIL 2018 to what I would be. Three decades addressing energy for the ● later, I was still in admiration, listening future. to her inspiring achievements when • Second phase: Mega she granted me a courtesy call at her Science 2.0 (2013-2014) JURUTERA THE INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS, MALAYSIA FEATURE As the Project Director for Mega STEM has been set at university level, Science 3.0, Datuk Dr Mazlan has we subsequently find that barely 10% ensured that common futures are are qualified to go into the Science projected in all 15 sectors. In addition, stream in the first place. There is an she is spearheading the Malaysia anomaly of prevailing pre-requisite Foresight 2050 study. The findings of requirements against the policy, this study and of Mega Science will an area that should have been re- be the launching pad and game- examined had there been sufficient changer in achieving the aspirations data. Research culture must be set out. In the course of doing so, instilled and made as an agenda risks are simultaneously identified towards formulating realistic and and the risk-management framework achievable goals. developed. As for the prevailing decline in STEM enrolment which is phenomenal OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM in Malaysia, several factors have There is growing concern that our been found to contribute to this. They current education system may not include: be creating enough thinkers for the • Science is not taught interestingly future. Datuk Dr Mazlan opined that enough to attract students in to produce thinkers, both creativity schools. and arts must also be encouraged. • Remunerations and rewards for Building knowledge on STEM alone is a scientist and retaining scientists insufficient and there should also be must commensurate with effort; the inclusion of arts and culture to make promotion to administrator’s role the system holistic. Japan, France and is thought to be the only route to Italy are among countries in which the better remuneration and in the element of culture is very strong and course, the best minds are no ingrained in their education systems. longer retained for their science Innovation comes from creativity roles. and unless creativity is consciously • A new generation is brought up and structurally encouraged and to expect instant gratification, motivated in schools, a country may while science is known to require continue to produce generations rigorous thinking, time-consuming of workers, not thinkers. The nation research processes and often may lose out in building its long-term slow discovery before reward is competitive edge because of the recognised. lack of thinkers. She advocated that • There may simply be insufficient our education system teach students career opportunities in science how to think and to have foresight. and one will not embark on any On another concern, while discipline if statistics show there are Malaysia may have the facilities few job prospects in it. and human resources, it is equally An individual will typically take pertinent to invest in technology, 12-16 years to complete his/ lest good talent leaves. Without her education prior to entering 15 structured programmes and with the the workforce. Education policies absence of aspirational targets, the must be formulated to take this best minds will ultimately leave. This will into consideration. Malaysia’s subsequently create a gap and impair demography indicates strength in our our capability and capacity. Often young population and our leaders an industry is sustainable only when need to be forward-thinking and people are intrigued and inspired by visionary in motivating this young big and noble goals, some bigger than generation in preparing the country themselves or their companies. for the future. APRIL 2018 ● BIGGEST CONCERNS UNIVERSE VS MULTIVERSE One of Malaysia’s handicaps is the lack Datuk Dr Mazlan introduced the of relevant data to form the basis for concept of “multiverse” as opposed policy making. For example, while to “universe”, taking the word “multi” JURUTERA a goal for 60% of students to go into to a higher level. She prompted me THE INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS, MALAYSIA FEATURE to imagine that the Universe we in space and co-ordination of space observe, from end-to-end, as a drop law among countries. When asked in the cosmic ocean (which I did, but what the most valuable experience A Nehemiah Group of Companies my simple mind seemed incapable of was during her tenure in the UN office, Formerly Neusynthetics Sdn. Bhd. perceiving such). her reply was nothing celestial but We are a supplier of high quality Beyond what we can see and simply the down-to-earth capability geosynthetic products used for soft soil observe, there is more space, to exercise her diplomacy skills when stabilization, slope reinforcement, coastal erosion protection, river bank protection, more stars and more galaxies for dealing with so many nations, each landfills, drainage, road and railway innumerable billions of light years with its own background, resources construction. farther than we will ever access. Further and local national agenda. Our Products: on there are, again, infinite more Her challenge was to keep Universes similar to this. Our universe is abreast of each country’s affair and NEXTILE NON-WOVENS believed to be at least 10 billion light to remain politically mindful in her NEXFORCE HIGH-STRENGTH WOVENS years in diameter and to contain a course of facilitating, mediating and NEXGRID GEOGRIDS vast number of galaxies; it has been negotiating issues with the countries, expanding since it was created in the in their best interests. The spectrum We also provide design, specification, bill of Big Bang about 13 billion years ago. of the issues was astronomically large quantities, cost estimate and drawings free-of-charge. This concept of multiverse is simply and the gap between each country overwhelming and equally daunting often wide. “That is what the UN is about, to my earthling mind. a culture of 193 nations in the world,” Space travel is another topic she said. that fascinates Datuk Dr Mazlan. She Datuk Dr Mazlan is also one who relates the discovery of water on the values diversity. Having worked in the UN, planet Mars, indicating the possibility she is grateful to have collaborated of lifeforms there.
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