2011-28500. National Medal of Technology and Innovation Nomination Evaluation Committee Meeting

AGENCY:

United States Patent and Trademark Office.

ACTION:

Notice of closed meeting.

SUMMARY:

The National Medal of Technology and Innovation (NMTI) Nomination Evaluation Committee will meet in closed session on Friday, November 18, 2011. The primary purpose of the meeting is to discuss the relative merits of persons, teams and companies nominated for the 2011 NMTI Medal.

DATES:

The meeting will convene Friday, November 18, 2011, at approximately 9 a.m., and adjourn at approximately 5 p.m.

ADDRESSES:

The meeting will be held at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Vikrum Aiyer, Program Manager, National Medal of Technology and Innovation Program, United States Patent and Trademark Office, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, VA 22314; telephone [phone], or by electronic mail: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 2, notice is hereby given that the NMTI Nomination Evaluation Committee, chartered to the United States Department of Commerce, will meet at the United States Patent and Trademark Office campus in Alexandria, Virginia.

The Secretary of Commerce is responsible for recommending to the President prospective NMTI Medal recipients. The NMTI Nomination Evaluation Committee evaluates the nominations received pursuant to public solicitation and makes its recommendations for the Medal to the Secretary. Committee members are distinguished experts in the fields of science, technology, business and patent law drawn from both the public and private sectors and are appointed by the Secretary for three-year terms.

The NMTI Nomination Evaluation Committee was established in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The Committee meeting will be closed to the public in accordance with FACA and 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(4), (6) and (9)(B), because the discussion of the relative merit of the Medal nominations is likely to disclose information of a personal nature that would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy; premature disclosure of the Committee's recommendations would be likely to significantly frustrate implementation of the Medal Program; and the meeting will include a Department of Commerce Ethics Division presentation and question and answer session which may be closed to protect the privileged and confidential personal financial information of Committee members.

The Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration, United States Department of Commerce, formally determined on October 26, 2011, pursuant to Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, that the meeting may be closed because Committee members are concerned with matters that are within the purview of 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(4), (6) and (9)(B). Due to closure of this meeting, copies of any minutes of the meeting will not be available. A copy of the determination is available for public inspection at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Dated: October 28, 2011.

Teresa Stanek Rea,

Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.