U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat representing Illinois’ eighth Congressional District, visited the University’s Soybean Innovation Lab Tuesday as part of a series of events focused on discussing affordability and federal funding across the state. Since then, the lab received donations, funding a smaller research team to continue their work. Krishnamoorthi began by asking the research team about the importance of their research on soy, after which they detailed the various uses of the crop. “What I often tell scientists and researchers is, ‘You’re doing great work, but nobody knows it,’” Krishnamoorthi said. These funds also fuel SIL research based in four African countries, where researchers utilize the Shire Valley Transformation Program’s irrigation infrastructure to increase soybean growth in the region.