[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 102 (Thursday, May 25, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33820-33823]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-13131]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement 00135]


Public Health Laboratory Sciences Training Program for Hispanic 
and Native American Students Notice of Availability of Funds

A. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of fiscal year (FY) 2000 funds for a cooperative agreement 
program for establishing a Public Health Laboratory Sciences Training 
Program for Hispanic and Native American Students. CDC is committed to 
achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of 
``Healthy People 2010'', a national activity to reduce morbidity and 
mortality and improve the quality of life. This announcement is related 
to the focus areas of Environmental Health, Nutrition and Overweight, 
Tobacco Use, Substance Abuse, Diabetes, Heart Disease and Stroke, 
Cancer, Maternal, Infant and Child Health, and Education and Community-
Based Programs. For the conference copy of ``Healthy People 2010'', 
visit the internet site: http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.
    The purpose of the program is to introduce Hispanic and Native 
American students to opportunities in public health and laboratory 
science through education and training, to include students from 
undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral levels.

[[Page 33821]]

B. Eligible Applicants

    Applications may be submitted by public and private universities or 
colleges from the United States and its territories, offering 
undergraduate and postgraduate academic programs in the physical and/or 
biomedical sciences, and leading to degrees at the bachelors, masters, 
and doctorate levels.

    Note: Public Law 104-65 states that an organization described in 
section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engages 
in lobbying activities is not eligible to receive Federal funds 
constituting an award, grant, cooperative agreement, contract, loan, 
or any other form.

C. Availability of Funds

    Approximately $150,000 is available in FY 2000 to fund one award. 
It is expected that the award will begin on or about September 30, 
2000, and will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project 
period of up to 5 years. Funding estimates may change.
    Continuation awards within an approved project period will be made 
on the basis of satisfactory progress as evidenced by required reports 
and the availability of funds.

Use of Funds

    Funds may be used for activities which support the goals and 
objectives of the fellowship program including travel expenses for 
program faculty and students for orientation and training, and to 
attend certain professional meetings for recruitment. Funds may be used 
for reporting results of fellowship research and the preparation and 
distribution of material to promote and announce the availability of 
this fellowship program. Funds may also be used to offset a portion of 
salaries of the recipient institution's faculty, staff, and graduate 
teaching assistants who spend time in support of the technical and 
administrative aspects of this program. Funds may be provided for 
student stipends, with payment scales determined by the recipient, 
based on the prior training, education and experience of the Fellow.
    Funds may not be used for the direct support of faculty research 
projects except for those aspects of such projects which directly 
benefit the specific training objectives of Fellows.

D. Programmatic Interest

    The mission of the funding agency includes the application of 
analytical laboratory procedures to measure substances in biological 
samples from humans. The purpose of these analyses is to assess human 
exposure to toxic substances, health effects from the exposure, risk 
factors for diseases, and effectiveness of public health interventions. 
In achieving this mission, the laboratory techniques and areas of 
scientific investigation include:
    1. Sample preparation techniques
    2. Liquid or gas chromatography
    3. Radio-immunoassay (RIA), enzyme linked immunoassay (EIA), or 
other immuno-assay techniques
    4. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and other molecular biology 
techniques
    5. Atomic absorption and atomic emission techniques
    6. Mass spectroscopic techniques
    7. Wet chemistry and UV-Visible and Infared spectroscopic 
techniques
    8. Analytical method development and evaluation procedures
    9. Routine analytical procedures and quality control
    10. Environmental chemistry, environmental health, and toxicology
    11. Nutritional Biochemistry, Diabetes, Cancer, Smoking and health 
l2. Introduction to epidemiology from a laboratory perspective
    13. Other laboratory techniques and scientific disciplines as 
appropriate and necessary

E. Program Requirements

    In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of this program, 
the recipient will be responsible for the activities under 1. Recipient 
Activities, and CDC will be responsible for the activities under 2. CDC 
Activities.

1. Recipient Activities

    a. Establish and manage a comprehensive program to recruit, select, 
compensate, mentor, and guide Native American and Hispanic students in 
the sciences for participation in a public health laboratory sciences 
training program. (The target number of students for this project is up 
to 6 per year. Typical fellowships at the undergraduate level will be 
for a maximum of 4 months. At the post-baccalaureate level (including 
the post-Masters and the post-Doctorate levels) typical fellowships 
will be for one year, renewable annually for a maximum of three years. 
Appointments of less than one year may be made under special 
circumstances).
    b. Provide a senior staff or faculty member to serve as fellowship 
director, who will be responsible for establishing and/or maintaining 
close working relationships with students.
    c. Identify students with interest and aptitude in specific 
scientific disciplines such as: chemistry and all sub-specialties of 
chemistry (clinical, analytical, and organic, etc.), biochemistry and 
all related sub-specialties (toxicology, neurotoxicology, biosensors, 
etc.), molecular biology, genetics, biostatistics, and data acquisition 
and instrument control systems design.
    d. Develop new, or modify existing, undergraduate and graduate 
level curricula in relevant academic departments of the recipient 
institution to complement this fellowship program.
    e. Establish working relationships with community colleges and 
secondary schools that serve significant populations of Native American 
and Hispanic students.
    f. Develop curricula that provide training in Environmental 
Chemistry and Environmental Health.
    g. Provide guidance to the project mentors on the unique cultural 
or educational needs of potential Fellows since these needs may have an 
impact on the success and retention of the students in this program.
    h. Provide preliminary training to potential Fellows in chemical 
and biological laboratory safety, including universal precautions for 
working with biological samples, use of protective equipment, work-site 
performance expectations, presentation skills, basic principles of 
laboratory quality control, and other training which helps build 
student confidence for encountering the differences between academic 
settings and the high-throughput laboratory setting they will encounter 
during the CDC-based portion of their fellowship and in future 
employment in the sciences.

2. CDC Activities

    a. Provide assistance, if needed, in the development of relevant 
curricula.
    b. Provide practical and relevant laboratory training, and work 
experience opportunities at the CDC Environmental Health Laboratory 
facilities in Atlanta, Georgia.
    c. Provide training oversight, coordination, and guidance for the 
Fellows and their selected research projects. (Refer to Programmatic 
Interest section of this announcement.)

F. Application Content

    Use the information in the Program Requirements, Other 
Requirements, and Evaluation Criteria sections to develop the 
application content. The applicant should include as part of the 
narrative or as a two to five page report at the beginning addressing 
the following information:
    1. Serve local populations of at least 100,000 Native Americans 
and/or Hispanics.
    2. Annually enroll a total of at least 10,000 graduate and 
undergraduate students, with total enrollment by

[[Page 33822]]

Hispanic, and Native Americans constituting at least 40% of the total 
undergraduate student body.
    3. Have a demonstrated record of success in recruiting and 
retaining minority undergraduate science students through completion of 
their bachelors degree and continuation of post graduate training. 
(Please provide recent historical data on matriculation, retention, 
graduation, and post-graduate placement of minority students where 
available).
    4. Evidence of past successful activities which illustrate 
creativity and originality in establishing relationships with local 
community colleges serving Native American and Hispanic populations.
    5. An academic program and supporting faculty recognized in 
analytical, biomedical, and/or environmental chemistry.
    6. Provide plans for recruitment and outreach for Fellows to 
include the process of establishing partnerships with community(ies) 
and recognition of mutual benefits beyond those already demonstrated.
    7. Present estimates of the level of participation in the program 
in the first year and projections for future years.
    Your application will be evaluated on the criteria listed, so it is 
important to follow them in laying out your program plan. The narrative 
should be no more than twenty double-spaced pages printed on one side, 
with one inch margins, and unreduced font plus pre-printed attachments. 
The application must be submitted unstapled and unbound.

G. Submission and Deadline

    Submit the original and two copies of PHS-5161-1 (OMB Number 0937-
0189). Forms are in the application kit.
    On or before July 21, 2000, submit the application to the Grants 
Management Specialist identified in Where to Obtain Additional 
Information section of this announcement.
    Deadline: Applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline 
if they are either:
    (a) Received on or before the deadline date; or
    (b) Sent on or before the deadline date and received in time for 
submission to the Objective Review Panel. (Applicants must request a 
legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark or obtain a legibly dated 
receipt from a commercial carrier or U.S. Postal Service. Private 
metered postmarks shall not be acceptable as proof of timely mailing.)
    Late Applications: Applications which do not meet the criteria in 
(a) or (b) above are considered late applications, will not be 
considered, and will be returned to the applicant.

H. Evaluation Criteria

    Each application will be evaluated individually against the 
following criteria by an independent review group appointed by CDC.
    1. Understanding of the Objectives of the Project (20 percent)
    The extent to which the applicant demonstrates an understanding of 
the nature of the problem to be addressed. This specifically includes 
description of the unique training needs of Native American and 
Hispanic science students at the undergraduate and graduate levels and 
cultural barriers which may discourage them from pursuing academic 
programs in the sciences, and cultural or other factors which may 
affect the retention of Fellows in the program. Applicant should 
provide estimates (and sources of estimates) of the demographics of 
Native American and Hispanic enrollment in scientific higher education 
in the geographic areas served by the applicant and factors which may 
affect the validity of such estimates.

2. Technical Approach (25 percent)

    The extent to which the applicant describes in detail the academic 
institution's component of the proposed Fellowship program including, 
but not limited to a description of:
    a. An overview of the goals and objectives of the fellowship 
program.
    b. A comprehensive program to recruit, select, compensate, mentor, 
and guide Native American and Hispanic students in the sciences for 
participation in a public health laboratory sciences training program.
    c. Activities to establish close working relationships with 
students.
    d. The institution's undergraduate and graduate level curricula in 
relevant academic departments that may be reasonably expected to 
integrate with the purpose of this fellowship program.

3. Ability To Carry Out the Project (25 percent)

    The extent to which the applicant provides evidence of ability to 
carry out the proposed project and the extent to which the applicant 
demonstrates capability to achieve the objectives of the proposed 
program. This may include plans, time-lines, approaches, methods for 
conducting such a fellowship program, and may include collaborating 
with other universities or other health research agencies.

4. Personnel (15 percent)

    The extent to which professional personnel involved in this project 
are qualified, including evidence of experience similar to this 
project.

5. Collaboration (5 percent)

    The extent to which the applicant demonstrates the ability to 
collaborate and/or form partnerships with community colleges and 
secondary schools serving significant populations of Hispanic and 
Native American students.

6. Plans for Administration (10 percent)

    The extent to which the applicant describes the plans for 
administering the project.

7. Budget (Not Scored)

    The extent to which the applicant provides a detailed budget 
justification which is reasonable and consistent with the objectives of 
this program.

I. Other Requirements

Technical Reporting Requirements

    Provide CDC with original plus two copies of
    1. semi-annual progress reports, no more than 30 days after the end 
of the report period.
    2. financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of 
the budget period; and
    3. final financial and performance reports, no more than 90 days 
after the end of the project period. Send all reports to the Grants 
Management Specialist identified in the ``Where to Obtain Additional 
Information'' section of this announcement.
    The following additional requirements are applicable to this 
program. For a complete description of each, see Attachment I in the 
application kit.

AR-10 Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements
AR-11 Healthy People 2010
AR-12 Lobbying Restrictions
AR-16 Security Clearance Requirement

    Additional information can be attained as follows:

Executive Order 13021--Tribal Colleges--http://www.aipc.osmre.gov/EO13021.htm
Executive Order 12900--Excellence in Education for Hispanic Americans--
http://www.ioc.army.mil/others/minority/ex12900.HTML

J. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is authorized under the Public Health Service Act, 
Section 301(a) and 317 [42 U.S.C. 241(a) and

[[Page 33823]]

247(b) as amended]. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number 
is 93.283.

K. Where To Obtain Additional Information

    This and other CDC Announcements can be found on the CDC homepage 
Internet address--http://www.cdc.gov. Click on ``Funding'' then 
``Grants and Cooperative Agreements''. To receive additional written 
information and to request an application kit, call 1-888-Grants4 (1-
888-472-6874). You will be asked to leave your name and address and 
will be instructed to identify the Announcement number of interest.
    If you have questions after reviewing the contents of all the 
documents, business management technical assistance may be obtained 
from: Mattie B. Jackson, Grants Management Specialist, Grants 
Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC),Room 3000, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, 
GA 30341-4146, Telephone: (770) 488-2718, Email address: [email protected].
    For program technical assistance, contact: Dayton T. Miller, Ph.D., 
National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, NE (F-18), Atlanta, Georgia 30341-
3724, Telephone: (770) 488-4452, Email address: [email protected].

    Dated: May 19, 2000.
John L. Williams,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 00-13131 Filed 5-24-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P