[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 106 (Thursday, June 3, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29920-29921]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-14035]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Notice of Intent To Seek Approval To Extend and Revise a Current 
Information Collection

AGENCY: National Science Found.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans to 
request renewal of this collection. In accordance with the requirement 
of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. 
L. 104-13), we are providing opportunity for public comments on this 
action. After obtaining and considering public comment, NSF will 
prepare the submission requesting that OMB approve clearance of this 
collection for no longer than 3 years.

DATES: Writen comments on this notice must be received by August 2, 
1999, to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date 
will be considered to the extent practicable.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS: Contact Suzanne H. Plimpton, 
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson 
Boulevard, Suite 295, Arlington, Virginia 22230; telephone (703) 306-
1125 x2017; or send email to [email protected]. 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. You also may obtain a copy 
of the data collection instrument and instructions from Ms. Plimpton.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title of Collection: Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates 
in Science and Engineering.
    OMB Approval Number: 3145-0062.
    Expiration Date of Approval: November 30, 1999.
    Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to extend with revision an 
information collection for three years.

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.

[[Page 29921]]

    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
                                    institutions                 hours
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FY 1995...........................          722       11,598        1.87
FY 1996...........................          722       11,592        1.95
FY 1997...........................          723       11,597        2.23
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    Respondents: Individuals.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 11,597 (from the 1997 collection).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 23,690.
    Frequency of Responses: Annually.
    Comments: 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 on 
respondents; and (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.

    Dated: May 28, 1999.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-14035 Filed 6-2-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M