[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 150 (Thursday, August 5, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42727-42728]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-20147]
[[Page 42727]]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Notice of Intent To Seek Approval To Extend and Revise a Current
Information Collection
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Submission for OMB review; Comment request.
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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) has submitted the
following information collection requirement to OMB for review and
clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13.
This is the second notice for pubic comment; the first was published in
the Federal Register at 64 FR 29920 (June 3, 1999), and no comments
were received. NSF is forwarding the proposed renewal submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance simultaneously with
the publication of this second notice. Comments regarding (a) Whether
the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of
burden including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information
to be collected; or (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection
of information on those who are to respond, including through the use
of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or other forms of information
technology should be addressed to: Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for National Science
Foundation, 725--17th Street, NW, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, and
to Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, National Science
Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 295, Arlington, Virginia 22230
or send email to splimpto@nsf.gov.
DATES: Comments regarding these information collections are best
assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days of this
notification. Copies of the submission(s) may be obtained by calling
703-306-1125
X2017.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, NSF Reports
Clearance Officer at (703) 306-1125 X2017 or send email to
to@nsf.gov. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for
the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at
1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through
Friday.
NSF may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless
the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control
number and the agency informs potential persons who are to respond to
the collection of information that such persons are not required to
respond to the collection of information unless it displays a currently
valid OMB control number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title of Collection: Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates
in Science and Engineering.
OMB Approval Number: 3145-0062.
Proposed Project
Graduate students in science, engineering, and health fields in
U.S. colleges and universities, by source and mechanism of support and
by demographic characteristics. An electronic/mail survey, the Survey
of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering
originated in 1966 and has been conducted annually since 1972. The
survey is the academic graduate enrollment component of the NSF
statistical program that seeks to ``provide a central clearinghouse for
the collection, interpretation, and analysis of data on the
availability of, and the current and projected need for, scientific and
technical resources in the United States, and to provide a source of
information for policy formulation by other agencies of the Federal
government'' as mandated in the National Science Foundation Act of
1950.
The proposed project will continue the current survey cycle for
three to five years. The annual Fall surveys for 1999 through 2003 will
survey the universe of approximately 725 reporting units at
approximately 600 institutions offering accredited graduate programs in
science, engineering, or health. The survey has provided continuity of
statistics on graduate school enrollment and support for graduate
students in all science & engineering (S&E) and health fields, with
separate data requested on demographic characteristics (race/ethnicity
and gender by full-time and part-time enrollment status). Statistics
from the survey are published in NSF's annual publication series
Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering, in NSF
publications Science and Engineering Indicators, Women, Minorities, and
Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering, and are available
electronically on the World Wide Web.
NSF proposes to revise the questionnaire in 1999 to include the
Department of energy as a source of funding of graduate students and to
ask for the number of first-time full-time graduate students by race/
ethnicity. These changes are being proposed for purposes of planning,
policy formulation, and program evaluation and to provide consistency
with other NSF surveys (e.g., on R&D expenditures). Two redundant items
will be deleted from the questionnaire: the number of part-time
students and the number of women part-time students. In addition, the
names of the race/ethnicity categories will be changed to comply with
the new OMB guidelines. The new categories will be: Black or African
American; American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian or
Other Pacific Islander; Hispanic or Latino; and White. These changes
are expected to result in minimal change in burden. Overall burden is
expected to be reduced from 1999 to 2003 due to expansion of the Web-
based data collection.
The survey will be sent primarily to the administrators at the
Institutional Research Offices. To minimize burden, NSF instituted a
Web-based survey in 1998 through which institutions can enter data
directly or upload preformatted files. The Web-based survey includes a
complete program for editing and trend checking and allows institutions
to receive their previous year's data for comparison. Respondents will
be encouraged to participate in this Web-based survey should they so
wish. Traditional paper questionnaires will also be available, with
editing and trend checking performed as part of the survey processing.
In Fall 1997, the survey achieved a total response rate of 98.5%
for institutions and 98.3% for departments.
Estimate of Burden
Burden estimates are as follows:
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Total number
of Departments Burden hours
institutions
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FY 1995......................................................... 722 11,598 1.87
[[Page 42728]]
FY 1996......................................................... 722 11,592 1.95
FY 1997......................................................... 723 11,597 2.23
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Description of Respondents: Individuals.
Estimated Number of Responses: 11,597 (from the 1997 collection).
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 23,690 hours (from
the 1997 collection).
Frequency of Responses: Annually.
Dated: August 2, 1999.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-20147 Filed 8-4-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M
