THE key to being flexible is to open your mind to new knowledge, says forest management expert Associate Professor Dr Roslan Ismail.

“You have to enjoy the process of learning and be genuinely curious.“

He sadly observes that Malaysia is lacking in risk takers and urges young people to “take chances".

“Think big — it’s important because it pushes you to set targets and meet them. When you focus on the macro view, you are less obsessed with the small things. Then you can enjoy the process of discovering new things.“

Roslan, dean of Universiti Kuala Lumpur’s Malaysian Institute of Information Technology (MIIT), is the embodiment of an academic who takes the road less travelled.
Roslan has gained knowledge, experience and intuitive understanding, along with the ability to apply these in his professional life.

That qualifies him to pass on words of wisdom to young Malaysians.

When he joined UniKL last year, Roslan was mindful of the fact that many IT courses available today do not prepare graduates for the working world.

That goaded him into action — he proceeded to craft programmes that were up to date and relevant to industry needs.

The result is a dynamic and effective curriculum.

Roslan is no stranger to creative thinking. His passion for IT and forestry has led him on a journey to perfect his capacity to explore the linkage between IT and other disciplines.

“Learning about the two fields has made me very flexible, which is important in consultancy work. You need to be knowledgeable,“ says Roslan, a respected figure in the international and domestic forestry circles.

He sits on various international and national committees on the environment and IT. He is also an adviser on numerous forestry and IT-related projects including a World Bank project in Cambodia.

Roslan started his career in IT at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) in 1979 as a forest biometrician system analyst responsible for computerising FRIM’s forest management systems in the early 1980s.

All in all he had spent 16 years there — his last position was director of the technoeconomic division — before moving to New York to become a senior officer for the Division of Sustainable Development at the Secretariat of the United Nations.

Roslan brought a great wealth of knowledge in IT and forestry to MIIT.

Roslan’s doctoral degree in computer science from the University of Glasgow — he was among the first few Malaysians to be awarded a PhD in this area in the late eighties — was on artificial intelligence system on protein structure.

“Computers were new in Malaysia at the time. Being naturally curious, I was fascinated by them. I was motivated to pursue a doctorate in computer science.“

Roslan admits to choosing computer science partly for its glamour.

“I also did it because I love a good challenge — this is why I joined UniKL after my stint abroad. I thrive on hard work and the challenges of choosing the path less taken.“

As a child, Roslan displayed an intellectual curiosity that belied his age.

“I read books which were far more advanced for my age — for instance, history books which belonged to my older siblings and cousins — because I was hungry for knowledge,“ says the third child of six siblings.

Little surprise then that Roslan was accepted into Sekolah Alam Shah, Kuala Lumpur, a prestigious boarding school, in 1971.

After school education, Roslan was offered a place to study statistics at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. He graduated in 1979 with an honours degree.

The Malacca-born wants his students to be versatile because that will boost their employment chances.

“Students have to learn the art of marrying their IT skills up with other interests. In this day and age, one degree won’t impress potential employers. But they will notice those who have a competitive edge over others,“ he says.