Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski Hosts Agricultural Advisory Council Roundtable at SIUE’s NCERC
On May 6, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski of the Illinois 13th Congressional District held her quarterly Agricultural Advisory Council roundtable at National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Budzinski shared the bipartisan efforts in Washington, D.C. pertaining to the Farm Bill, Farm Aid and Fertilizer Transparency Act, of which she is an original co-sponsor. The Council, which included farmers, agricultural educators, researchers, policy advisors and global consultants, participated in the conversation around agricultural legislation and industry news.
The Congresswoman currently serves as Vice Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit.
“One good thing for Madison County is having a nationally recognized and premier research institute, NCERC, right here, where Congresswoman Budzinski can hear directly from her constituents,” said NCERC Executive Director, Praveen V. Vadlani, PhD, MBA. “Beyond research, NCERC receives active support from a number of stakeholders. Our commitment to biofuel innovation is evident when we have the opportunity to host roundtable discussions such as this one.”
NCERC at SIUE is a nationally recognized research center dedicated to the development and commercialization of biotechnologies. Their unique research laboratories house bench- to demonstration-scale bioreactors and pretreatment and downstream processing equipment, making it the perfect partner to companies in the biotechnology industry. Through their contractual research services, NCERC has played an instrumental role in commercializing more than 80 products that are now used in the commercial marketplace. In addition to its research and development services, NCERC leverages its experienced staff and unique facility to provide a variety of workforce training and education initiatives to train the next generation of bioeconomy professionals. For more information, contact Rebecca Damuth at RDamuth@EthanolResearch.com or visit www.EthanolResearch.com.
PHOTO: Yanhong Zhang, PhD, NCERC Director of Research, Justin Moore, IL Corn Growers Association (ICGA) New Uses Research and Biofuels Manager, Rod Weinzierl, ICGA Executive Director, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, Christopher Slaten, PhD, SIUE Associate Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, Praveen V. Vadlani, PhD, MBA, NCERC Executive Director
