[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 142 (Tuesday, July 23, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38228-38229]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-18560]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences 
Proposed Data Collection: Comment Request Comments Requested by 
September 17, 1996

    In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on 
proposed data collection projects, the National Science Foundation 
(NSF) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. To request 
more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the 
data collection plans and instruments, call the NSF Clearance Officer 
on (703) 306-1243.

[[Page 38229]]

    Comments are invited on (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology.
    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--A 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 1996 through 2000 will 
survey the universe of approximately 725 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 date 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 Academic Science and Engineering 
Graduates, 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.
    The survey will be mailed primarily to the administrators at the 
Institutional Research Offices. To minimize burden, the NSF is 
exploring possibilities for using an automatic survey questionnaire 
(ASQ) diskette, on which institutions would receive their previous 
year's data and a complete program for editing and trend checking. 
Respondents will be encouraged to participate in these initiatives 
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 1994, the survey achieved a total response rate of 98.9% 
for institutions and 96.0% for departments.
    Burden estimates are as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                      Total No. of                Burden
                                      institutions  Departments   hours 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY 1992.............................         727       10,981       1.76
FY 1993.............................         725       11,134       1.80
FY 1994.............................         724       11,411       1.97
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Send comments to Herman Fleming, Clearance Officer, National 
Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 485, Arlington, VA 
22230. Written comments should be received by September 17, 1996.

    Dated: June 17, 1996.
Herman G. Fleming,
NSF Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 96-18560 Filed 7-22-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M