Operator School – Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Registration and more information will be available shortly.

Each ABC Operator School event we offer is unique and distinct from the next. What makes this one special is that you’re in-person and in the field with real operators. UW-Oshkosh not only has excellent teachers that specialize in anaerobic digestion with top-notch teaching facilities, they own two digesters that they operate, they run a commercial lab that digester owners, operators and designers from all over the country use, and they helped build this program.

The ABC has been holding Operator School here longer than anyone else. Former students love it for its hands-on style, authenticity, and summer camp vibe. We’ve also included the following with your registration: breakfast, lunch, and dinners at the main campus dining hall, and dorm style lodging. Past classes have been known to bond quickly, host informal happy hours and ping pong tournaments to wind down, and even request evening pizza parties to get more time with the instructors.

The digester tours are also special because while they are commercial operations, they’re owned and operated by the school which means that the operators giving you the tours are especially open and transparent about what works well and what doesn’t. They’re a teaching institution after all! As a bonus, when you visit the digesters, often the operators have delayed some recent maintenance so you can see first hand how they fix things and even get involved if you like. One year the class got to observe and assist the removal and overhaul of a manure pump. Another unique element is that you’ll get to visit both a dry urban digester handling food and landscaping waste and a wet dairy digester that’s co-digesting industrial food waste. You can read more about the systems you’ll visit plus the ERIC lab below.