World Soil Day (WSD) is celebrated annually on December 5th, to emphasize the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources. This year, the 8th WSD will be a special day for all scientists in the Soil Science Society of China (SSSC), and also a memorable day for the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISSCAS).

On 5 December 2021, a naming ceremony for the Asteroid “ISSCAS” was held by the ISSCAS and SSSC in Nanjing, China. The event is part of a series of celebrations to acknowledge the 8th WSD. Asteroid ISSCAS (530721), approved by the International Astronomical Union, was discovered by the Purple Mountain Observatory, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on September 11, 2007. Prof. Xiaoyuan Yan, Vice Director of ISSCAS and General Secretary of SSSC, hosted the ceremony. Prof. Jiabao Zhang, President of SSSC, and Prof. Renfang Shen, Director of ISSCAS and Honorary President of SSSC, together received the certificate for Asteroid ISSCAS. Dr. Laura Bertha Reyes Sánchez, International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) President, also gave a congratulatory speech via a virtual meeting. Asteroid ISSCAS is testament to the achievements of ISSCAS, and a gesture from the natural science community who wish to recognize the contributions of soil science to the progress and development of human civilization.