[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]] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 [email protected]. 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 [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. 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: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total number of Departments Burden hours institutions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FY 1995......................................................... 722 11,598 1.87 [[Page 42728]] FY 1996......................................................... 722 11,592 1.95 FY 1997......................................................... 723 11,597 2.23 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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