2011-30095. President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Meeting

AGENCY:

Office of Science and Technology Policy.

ACTION:

Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY:

This notice sets forth the schedule and summary agenda for a conference call of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), and describes the functions of the Council. Notice of this meeting is required under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C., App. The purpose of this conference call is to discuss PCAST's report on undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.

DATES:

The public conference call will be held on Monday, December 12, 2011 (4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Time (ET)). To receive the call-in information, attendees should register for the conference call on the PCAST Web site, http://www.whitehouse.gov/​ostp/​pcast no later than 12 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, December 8, 2011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Information regarding the meeting agenda, time, and how to register for the meeting is available on the PCAST Web site at: http://whitehouse.gov/​ostp/​pcast. Questions about the conference call should be directed to Dr. Deborah D. Stine, PCAST Executive Director, at [e-mail], [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) is an advisory group of the nation's leading scientists and engineers, appointed by the President to augment the science and technology advice available to him from inside the White House and from cabinet departments and other Federal agencies. See the Executive Order at http://www.whitehouse.gov/​ostp/​pcast. PCAST is consulted about and provides analyses and recommendations concerning a wide range of issues where understandings from the domains of science, technology, and innovation may bear on the policy choices before the President. PCAST is administered by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). PCAST is co-chaired by Dr. John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, and Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President, The White House; and Dr. Eric S. Lander, President, Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard.

Type of Meeting: Open.

Proposed Schedule and Agenda: The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) is scheduled to hold a conference call in open session on December 12, 2011 from 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

During the conference call, PCAST will discuss its report on undergraduate STEM education. Additional information and the agenda, including any changes that arise, will be posted at the PCAST Web site at: http://whitehouse.gov/​ostp/​pcast.

Public Comments: It is the policy of the PCAST to accept written public comments of any length, and to accommodate oral public comments whenever possible. The PCAST expects that public statements presented at its meetings will not be repetitive of previously submitted oral or written statements.

The public comment period for this meeting will take place on December 12, 2011 at a time specified in the meeting agenda posted on the PCAST Web site at http://whitehouse.gov/​ostp/​pcast. This public comment period is designed only for substantive commentary on PCAST's work, not for business marketing purposes.

Oral Comments: To be considered for the public speaker list at the meeting, interested parties should register to speak at http://whitehouse.gov/​ostp/​pcast, no later than 12 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on December 8, 2011. Phone or email reservations to be considered for the public speaker list will not be accepted. To accommodate as many speakers as possible, the time for public comments will be limited to two (2) minutes per person, with a total public comment period of 10 minutes. If more speakers register than there is space available on the agenda, PCAST will randomly select speakers from among those who applied. Those not selected to present oral comments may always file written comments with the committee as described below.

Written Comments: Although written comments are accepted until the date of the meeting, written comments should be submitted to PCAST no later than 12 p.m. Eastern Time on December 7, 2011, so that the comments may be made available to the PCAST members prior to the meeting for their consideration. Information regarding how to submit comments and documents to PCAST is available at http://whitehouse.gov/​ostp/​pcast in the section entitled “Connect with PCAST.”

Please note that because PCAST operates under the provisions of FACA, all public comments and/or presentations will be treated as public documents and will be made available for public inspection, including being posted on the PCAST Web site.

Meeting Accommodations: Individuals requiring special accommodation to access this public meeting should contact Dr. Stine at least ten business days prior to the meeting so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Ted Wackler,

Deputy Chief of Staff,