SEC. 2. DEFINITION. 
In this Act— 
(1) the term ‘‘biofuel engineering’’ means the 
discipline concerned with utilization of harvested liv-
ing plant material to produce fuels; and 
(2) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Energy. 
SEC. 3. STUDY AND DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARDS. 
The Secretary shall make a grant to an appropriate 
standard-setting or other entity to conduct a study of, and 
develop appropriate standards for, accreditation of under-
graduate and graduate biofuel engineering programs at in-
stitutions of higher education, and to study and the needs 
of the biofuel industry for engineering support. Such study 
shall include— 
(1) a determination of subspecialty require-
ments for engineers who will concentrate on creating 
other products in addition to fuel, including animal 
feed and other consumer products; 
(2) consideration of the interaction of biological 
feedstock with the structural material in the produc-
tion and distribution systems, the carbon footprint 
of the production and distribution of biofuels, and 
related genetic challenges; and 
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(3) supplemental courses of study that could be 
used by experienced engineers for transition into the 
new biofuel engineering discipline. 
SEC. 4. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE FOR BIOFUELS RE-
SEARCH AND TRAINING. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish, 
through the Office of Science, Centers of Excellence for 
Biofuels Research and Training at institutions of higher 
education or consortia of such institutions across the 
country. 
(b) SELECTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 
grants for the establishment of Centers of Excellence 
to eligible institutions through a competitive applica-
tion process. 
(2) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall establish 
selection criteria for awarding grants under para-
graph (1). These criteria shall require participating 
institutions to— 
(A) effectively integrate biofuels research, 
training, and instruction; 
(B) bring together the study and practice 
of a broad range of disciplines with relevance to 
biofuel engineering; 
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(C) work with companies that are in the 
process of commercializing biofuels technology; 
and 
(D) work with local communities to assist 
with economic development and job creation in 
the biofuels sector. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for car-
rying out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2010 through 2014. 
SEC. 5. BIOFUEL ENGINEERING GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP 
PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE STUDENT.—In this 
section, the term ‘‘eligible student’’ means a student who 
attends an institution of higher education that offers a 
doctoral or masters degree in the biofuel engineering field. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish 
a graduate fellowship program for eligible students pur-
suing a doctoral degree in the biofuel engineering field. 
(c) SELECTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 
fellowships to eligible students under this section 
through a competitive merit review process, involving 
written and oral interviews. 
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(2) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall establish 
selection criteria for awarding fellowships under this 
section that require an eligible student— 
(A) to pursue a field of science or engi-
neering of importance to a mission area of the 
Department; 
(B) to demonstrate to the Secretary— 
(i) the capacity of the eligible student 
to understand technical topics relating to 
the fellowship that can be derived from the 
first principles of the technical topics; 
(ii) imagination and creativity; 
(iii) leadership skills in organizations 
or intellectual endeavors, demonstrated 
through awards and past experience; 
(iv) excellent verbal and communica-
tion skills to explain, defend, and dem-
onstrate an understanding of technical 
subjects relating to the fellowship; and 
(v) an understanding of how the many 
disciplines relevant to biofuel engineering 
interact in the biofuel engineering field; 
and 
(C) to be a citizen or legal permanent resi-
dent of the United States. 
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(d) AWARDS.— 
(1) AMOUNT.—A fellowship awarded under this 
section shall— 
(A) provide an annual living stipend; and 
(B) cover— 
(i) graduate tuition at an institution 
of higher education described in subsection 
(a); and 
(ii) incidental expenses associated 
with curricula and research at the institu-
tion of higher education (including books, 
computers, and software). 
(2) DURATION.—A fellowship awarded under 
this section shall be for up to 3 years of study within 
a 5-year period. 
(3) PORTABILITY.—A fellowship awarded under 
this section shall be portable with the eligible stu-
dent. 
(e) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary— 
(1) shall administer the program established 
under this section through the Office of Science; and 
(2) may enter into a contract with a nonprofit 
entity to administer the program, including the se-
lection and award of fellowships. 
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