The Biofuels Center is assisting with the development of a national biofuels curriculum by 4-H. The curriculum development is being led by North Carolina due to its strong program, good agricultural universities and extension services, and biofuels leadership as a result of programs already rolled out by the Biofuels Center and other organizations. 

The project to develop the middle school curricula is being led by Amy Chilcote, the Extension Associate Curriculum Lead and K-12 Outreach Coordinator for 4-H Youth Development and Family at N.C. State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Chilcote says that the goal of the Biofuels Curriculum Project is to develop a middle school level experiential curriculum. A goal of the project is to excite kids through their experiences to enjoy and appreciate science. Young people will perform experiments that use the same techniques and materials as scientists studying biofuels, prompting interest in agricultural and biofuels careers. Biofuels production careers will be explored in the production of biofuels. The curricula will be tested in North Carolina before being rolled out nationally.

The meeting was attended by extension agents, N.C. State University biofuels teaching staff, 4-H, curricula development specialists, and a representative from BP, which is helping fund the project. Biofuels Center staff spelled out to the first meeting of the group the programs the Biofuels Center has already put in place at high schools in North Carolina, community college biofuels programs, and other educational programs either already under way or being planned.

4-H is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the USDA with about 6.5 million members from ages 5-19 years of age in about 90,000 clubs. Its name represents four personal development areas of focus for the organization: head, heart, hands, and health.