The Pakistanis students interested in space and breeding crops in space have been invited to write descriptive letters to Chinese astronauts for winning certificates and cash prizes, WealthPK reports.

The contest titled “Descriptive letter writing competition to Chinese astronauts” is being organised by Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) in collaboration with the Embassy of China in Pakistan. PSF, the premier organisation for the promotion and popularisation of science in the country, conducts such competitions on regular basis to drum up students’ interest in various fields of science.

Institute of Crop Sciences (ICS), Beijing, is China’s leading institute working under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences for the development of new seed varieties for increased yield and enhanced resistance against diseases and viruses.

ICS is also running the National Centre of Space Mutagenesis for Crop Improvement. The main function of the centre is to send seeds for short trips to space to help scientists in developing new crop varieties that can thrive in the changing climate and help feed the world’s growing population.

“In May 2022, more than 12,000 seeds of several types of grass, oats, fungi, alfalfa and others including some from the University of Karachi were sent to spacecraft for breeding while orbiting our planet, where they are under microgravity and are bombarded by cosmic rays, which trigger the plants to mutate — a process known as space mutagenesis. After six months, the seeds and bred plants are coming back from space in December 2022,” said an official of PSF.

About the requirements for the descriptive letter writing competition, he said that the descriptive letter should be not more than 500 words. The letter should contain Pak-China friendship, prevailing technologies about plant breeding, space mutagenesis by plants, effects of gravity on plant growth, question and suggestion and other related information.

The official said that the complete name of the student, father’s name, name of school, class, date of birth, email, mobile phone number and address should be provided on a separate sheet.

The medium of competition is English while the students from government and private schools of HSSC/SSC levels are eligible to participate in the competition. The entries should be signed/stamped by the head of the school. The letters should reveal students’ interest in space and the breeding of crops in space.

After evaluation by the PSF’s expert committee, the selected letters will be sent to Chinese researchers. The winning students will be awarded certificates and cash prizes.

Female students are encouraged to participate in the competition. The related information can be obtained from the internet and websites of the Chinese Institute of Crop Sciences, the National Centre of Space Mutagenesis for Crop Improvement, China and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

The entries can be submitted till September 20 at the address: Director (Science Popularisation), Pakistan Science Foundation, 1-Constitution Avenue, G-5/2, Islamabad, 051-9202294. The queries can be addressed at rauf.psf@gmail.com or fbkayani@gmail.com, or phone number 051 9203186, according to the information available with WealthPK.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk