[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]



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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 [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:

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                                                                   Total number
                                                                        of          Departments    Burden  hours
                                                                   institutions
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FY 1995.........................................................             722          11,598            1.87

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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