The algae in agriculture education alliance (aaea) is a program of the algae foundation that aims to enhance the quality of secondary school instruction to help meet the current and future national…

The algae in agriculture education alliance (aaea) is a program of the algae foundation that aims to enhance the quality of secondary school instruction to help meet the current and future national food and agricultural science workplace needs through the creation and implementation of new, hands-on curriculum that approaches traditional agricultural topics using algae as the vehicle for innovation. Through the aaea, students will increase their understanding of agronomic aspects, while being introduced to sustainable forms of agriculture with a unique crop that can be food, feed, or fuel, and explore new career pathways in a previously unfamiliar industry. The aaea will mirror the national FFA organization's proven intra-curricular delivery model by focusing on three areas: classroom instruction (hands-on algae-based experiments and activities), experiential learning opportunities (student directed research and project-based learning), and leadership development (student mentorship by algae industry leaders and innovators). Over two years, aaea will develop and pilot curriculum in 15 schools (four in year one and twelve in year 2), serving approximately 1100 total high school students. Curriculum will be aligned to afnr standards with the assistance of the national FFA. The algae foundation has successfully developed and implemented novel k-12 curriculum that have rapidly grown to have national reach and have financially sustained that growth with additional grants and awards. The aaea will follow this model of success, quickly expanding passed the two-year grant period and offering a sustainable, impactful educational program that leverages an emerging crop to teach basic and applied agricultural principles.