The national award ceremony for science and technology was held by the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council of China in Beijing on Jan. 8th. Representatives of the winners were awarded by the Party and state leaders Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Gaoli, Wang Huning. The project “Research and Application on Key Technology of Ruins Protection in an Arid Environment” with LZU as the second unit, and the project “Excavation and Breeding Application on Distinguished Wild Grass Germplasm Resources in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau” with LZU as the fourth unit both won the second prize of National Award for Science and Technology Progress (NASTP).
The project “Research and Application on Key Technology of Ruins Protection in an Arid Environment” was jointly completed by the Dunhuang Research Academy, Lanzhou University, Northwestern University, Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage and Service Center of Cultural Relics Protection Technology of Dunhuang Research Academy. In view of the status quo of damage and rapid disappearance and lack of scientific and effective protection of earthen ruins in arid region in China, members of the project have established the basic theory of earthen ruins protection in arid environment and built a theoretical framework and a technical system of earthen ruins protection over the past twenty years. With their continuous R&D and problem-solving effort in technique, they’ve formed a set of key technologies to protect the independent intellectual property rights, and tackled many technical problems, which gradually promote earthen ruins protection in China to go global.
Among the 10 members, 8 of them obtained relevant degree in geology engineering in LZU. And the first researcher in the project Wang Xudong received his bachelor, master and doctor degree all from LZU. Now he is the party secretary and Dean of Dunhuang Research Academy, and he also serves as an adjunct professor and a doctoral supervisor in LZU.
Prof. Guo Xusheng from School of Life Sciences of LZU served as the fourth accomplished researcher of the project “Excavation and Breeding Application on Distinguished Wild Grass Germplasm Resources in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau”. He verified the adaptability of native herbs at high altitudes and cold circumstances and the formation rule of nutrition character. And he also found that the quality and digestibility of wild grass improved with the increasing of the altitude, which made up for the gap that livestock has insufficient grass to eat since the grasses’ growing season only lasts four to five months in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This research result has provided an important scientific basis for co-evolution of herbs and livestock and screening of breeding materials of high-quality grass with cold-resistance feature in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
(Translated by Li Rui; proofread by Song Rong)
