Photo not related to article [Getty Images Bank]
Photo not related to article [Getty Images Bank]

High school students played rice DNA detectives, using genetic analysis to verify whether branded rice products actually contain the varieties listed on their labels. The students extracted DNA from rice plants, identified the varieties, and worked through a forensic science exercise — modeled on crime-scene investigation — to determine whether branded rice was genuine.

The Korea Seed & Variety Service announced Wednesday that it ran a program called "CSI Stories in the Seed War" for students from general high schools in North Gyeongsang Province on Monday and Tuesday.

The program was organized under an MOU signed in March between the service's International Seed and Life Education Center and the North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education for the operation of a "Nobel Science Dream Campus." The education center develops and runs the curriculum while the provincial education office recognizes it as an out-of-school course and awards academic credit.

The curriculum emphasized hands-on practice over theory. Students extracted DNA from rice plants, used genetic analysis to distinguish between varieties, and then applied their findings to identify the variety of a target branded rice. They worked through the problem by analyzing evidence, much like an actual forensic investigation rather than a standard laboratory exercise.

The Korea Seed & Variety Service said variety-identification technology is a core tool used not only to protect plant varieties but also to resolve seed disputes and verify the origin and variety of agricultural products.

Students said the program gave them a chance to experience firsthand a genetic variety-identification technology they had previously only encountered in news reports, calling it a meaningful opportunity to explore potential careers in the seed and biotech sectors.

The International Seed and Life Education Center said it plans to expand hands-on, school-linked educational programs to support the development of future talent for the seed and life-sciences industries.

The center's director said the program would continue to grow. "We will keep expanding hands-on educational programs so that students can explore careers in the seed and life-sciences industries by experiencing cutting-edge biotechnology firsthand," the director said.


adastra@heraldcorp.com