A former steel mill worker pursuing a degree while working full-time in the U.S. ethanol industry is this year’s student scholarship attendee at the Renewable Fuels Association 23rd National Ethanol Conference this week.

Christopher Wense is a full time Ethanol Plant Operations Technician at the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and is working toward a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management and Applied Engineering at SIU in Carbondale, Ill.

Just last month, Wense told his story in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch op-ed, then he was encouraged to apply for the scholarship and received it. In this interview, he talks about the great opportunity that the ethanol industry offers for him. Interview with Chris Wense, NEC scholarship winner

2018 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album