Chippewa Valley Times

Dr. Lauren Wentz, professor of biology at UW-Eau Claire – Barron County, will be leading the upcoming Thursdays at the U lecture at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire – Barron County. The presentation titled “Something’s Burning: Waste Incineration” will delve into the process of waste incineration and its role in generating renewable energy.

During the lecture scheduled for 12:30-1:30 p.m. on April 25, Dr. Wentz will discuss various types of waste incinerators and provide insights into how they operate, from waste collection to steam generation and air pollution control mechanisms. She will also shed light on the regulations surrounding incinerators and the implications of sending household waste to a solid waste incinerator instead of a landfill.

Dr. Wentz, who has been teaching a course for the state’s solid waste combustor operators for the past five years, will share anecdotes from participants and introduce the individuals behind Barron County’s Waste to Energy Facility.

The Thursdays at the U series, which is free and open to the public, is made possible by the support of the UW-Eau Claire – Barron County Foundation. Attendees can join the lecture in person at the Blue Hills Lecture Hall in Ritzinger Hall or watch the livestream on ricelaketv.com.

For those unable to attend, the lectures are livestreamed and archived for later viewing on the Thursdays at the U webpage. The upcoming lectures in the series include Gail Francis presenting “Bliss(ters): Hiking Mexico to Canada” on April 18 and Andy Gaertner discussing “Who Am I? Researching Ancestry” on May 2.

To learn more about the Thursdays at the U series, interested individuals can contact the campus at 715-788-6244 or email Dr. Linda Tollefsrud, the series organizer, at tollefla@uwec.edu.

In related events, Dr. Steve Ackerman will be discussing the 1975 catastrophe on April 11 and St. Germaine will present “Ijidiwashikwe: Heroine of the Northwoods, 1840s” on April 4 at UW-Eau Claire – Barron County.