[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 154 (Friday, August 9, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51835-51838]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-20220]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Docket No. 990810211-2169-03]
RIN 0648-ZA69


National Marine Fisheries Service--Sea Grant Joint Graduate 
Fellowship Program in Population Dynamics and Marine Resource 
Economics: Request for Applications for FY 2003

AGENCY: National Sea Grant College Program, National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of request for applications.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to advise the public that the 
National Sea Grant College Program (Sea Grant) is seeking applications 
for one of its fellowship programs to fulfill its broad educational 
responsibilities and to strengthen the collaboration between Sea Grant 
and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The NMFS--Sea Grant 
Joint Graduate Fellowship Program in Population Dynamics and Marine 
Resource Economics (Program), which is available to US citizens who are 
graduate students enrolled in PhD degree programs in academic 
institutions in the United States and its territories, with required 
institutional matching funds, expects to support four or five new 
Fellows in FY 2003. Fellows will work on thesis problems of public 
interest and relevance to NMFS and have summer internships at 
participating NMFS Science Centers or Laboratories under the guidance 
of NMFS mentors.

DATES: Applications must be received by 5 p.m. (local time) on December 
3, 2002 by a state Sea Grant Program [or by the National Sea Grant 
Office (NSGO) in the case of an academic institution in a non-Sea Grant 
state]. Note that applications arriving after these deadlines will be 
accepted for review only if the applicant can document that the 
application was provided to a delivery service that guaranteed delivery 
(see ADDRESSES below) prior to the specified closing date and time; in 
any event, applications received by the NSGO or the state Sea Grant 
Programs later than two business days following the closing date will 
not be accepted. Facsimile transmissions and electronic mail submission 
of applications will not be accepted.

ADDRESSES: Applications originating from academic institutions in Sea 
Grant states must be submitted to the state Sea Grant Program. 
Applications originating elsewhere may be submitted either to the 
nearest state Sea Grant Program or directly to the NSGO. Sea Grant's 
Web site lists the addresses of the state Sea Grant College Program 
directors (http://www.nsgo.seagrant.org/SGDirectors.html) and the 
participating NMFS Facilities (http://www.nsgo.seagrant.org/research/
rfp/NMFS__Labs.html), or those addresses may also be obtained by 
contacting the NSGO. Applications submitted to the NSGO should be 
addressed to: National Sea Grant Office, R/SG, Attn: Mrs. Geraldine 
Taylor, Proposal Processing, Room 11732, NOAA, 1315 East-West Highway, 
Silver Spring, MD 20910 (telephone number for express mail applications 
is 301-713-2445).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information may be obtained from Dr. 
Emory D. Anderson, National Sea Grant College Program, 1315 East-West 
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910; tel: (301) 713-2435 ext. 144; e-mail: 
[email protected]; from any state Sea Grant Program (see 
ADDRESSES); or from any participating NMFS facility (see ADDRESSES).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: National Marine Fisheries Service--Sea Grant 
Joint Graduate Fellowship Program in Population Dynamics and Marine 
Resource Economics.

I. Program Authority

    Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1127(a).


[[Page 51836]]


(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 11.417, Sea Grant 
Support)

II. Description of Program

    The National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) and the National Marine 
Fisheries Service (NMFS) established a new Graduate Fellowship Program 
in Population Dynamics and Marine Resource Economic (Program) in 1999. 
The intent of the Program is to award fellowships to about four new 
students each year who are interested in careers related to (1) the 
population dynamics of living marine resources and the development and 
implementation of quantitative methods for assessing their status, and 
(2) the economics of the conservation and management of living marine 
resources. At least two new fellowships are to be awarded each year in 
each of the Program's two disciplines resulting in about six students 
per discipline to be supported annually when the Program is at its 
maximum level.
    For the FY 2003 competition now being announced, it is anticipated 
that funds will be available to award five new fellowships in the two 
disciplines combined.
    The goals of the Program are to (1) encourage qualified applicants 
to pursue careers in (a) population dynamics and stock assessment 
methodology or (b) marine resource economics; (2) increase available 
expertise related to (a) the population dynamics and assessment of the 
status of the stocks of living marine resources or (b) economic 
analysis of living marine resource conservation and management 
decisions; (3) foster closer relationships between academic scientists 
and NMFS; and (4) provide real-world experience to graduate students 
and accelerate their career development.
    The fellowships will provide support for up to three years for 
highly qualified graduate students working towards a PhD in population 
dynamics or related fields of study and for up to two years for highly 
qualified graduate students working towards a PhD in marine resource 
economics, natural resource economics, or environmental economics. 
Continued support after the first year will be contingent upon the 
availability of Federal funds and satisfactorily performance by the 
Fellow. In addition to his/her faculty adviser, each Fellow will be 
required to work closely with an expert (mentor) from NMFS who will 
provide data for the Fellow's thesis, serve on the Fellow's committee, 
and host an annual summer internship at the participating NMFS 
facility.
    Mentors will be from participating NMFS Science Centers or 
Laboratories. Each Fellow will be required to work as a summer intern 
at the participating NMFS facility either on his/her thesis or on 
appropriate related problems. Remuneration for the summer internship 
will be part of the annual, award along with the support the Fellow 
receives during the academic year. Population Dynamics Fellows will 
also be expected to spend 10-20 days at sea per year learning, about 
sampling techniques and problems, commercial fishing, fishery biology, 
and local and regional issues of importance to fisheries management. 
Fellows may also work, as necessary, at the participating NMFS facility 
during some or all of the academic year at the mutual discretion of 
mentor, faculty adviser, and Fellow.
    Newly-selected Fellows must submit a one-page description of their 
thesis research or assignment based on discussions involving mentor, 
faculty adviser, and Fellow to the Fellowship Program Manager by April 
30, 2003. The thesis research or assignment description must reflect a 
clear mutual understanding of the substantive dimensions of the project 
and its expected results.
    Fellows must, for each year of their fellowship, provide a written 
summary of their accomplishments and activities during the preceding 
year to the Fellowship Program Manager. This summary must accompany the 
request for each additional year's funding. Fellows will be expected to 
present a review of their research during the Annual Graduate Fellows 
Seminar held each spring at the NOAA facilities in Silver Spring, MD.
    The award for each Fellowship, contingent upon the availability of 
Federal funds, will be in the form of a grant or cooperative agreement 
of $38,000 per year, 50 percent ($19,000) of which will be contributed 
by NMFS, 33\1/3\ percent ($12,667) by the NSGO, and 16\2/3\ percent 
($6,333) by the academic institution as the required 50 percent match 
of NSGO funds; the involvement of NMFS in cooperative agreements is 
described above. The portion of the award provided to each Fellow for 
salary (stipend), living expenses (per diem), tuition (unless waived), 
health insurance and other institution fees, and travel necessary to 
carry out the proposed thesis research and to attend the Annual 
Graduate Fellows Seminar each spring in Silver Spring, MD will be 
determined and distributed by the institution in accordance with its 
guidelines.

III. Eligibility

    Any student may apply who is a United States citizen. At the time 
of application, prospective Population Dynamics Fellows must be 
admitted to a PhD degree program in population dynamics or a related 
field such as applied mathematics, statistics, or quantitative ecology 
at an academic institution in the United States or its territories, or 
submit a signed letter from the institution indicating provisional 
acceptance to a PhD degree program conditional on obtaining financial 
support such as this fellowship. At the time of application, 
prospective Marine Resource Economics Fellows must be in the process of 
completing at least two years of course work in a PhD degree program in 
natural resource economics or a related field at an academic 
institution in the United States or its territories.

IV. Evaluation Criteria

    Evaluation criteria will include (1) relevant academic ability and 
achievement, particularly quantitative skills (35 percent); (2) 
demonstrated research ability in the discipline and appropriateness/
importance of proposed thesis topic (30 percent); (3) expertise of 
major professor (20 percent); and (4) additional relevant experience 
(15 percent).

V. Selection Procedures

    Applications will be ranked in accordance with the above criteria 
and their assigned weights by a single, independent, national review 
panel consisting of government and academic experts for each of the two 
disciplines. The panel members will provide individual evaluations of 
each applicant, but there will be no consensus advice. Their 
recommendations and evaluations will be considered by the NSGO in the 
final selection. Only those applications receiving a minimum score of 
50 percent by the panel will be eligible for funding. For those 
applications, the NSGO will (1) ascertain which best meet the 
objectives of the Program; (2) give priority to NMFS Fisheries Science 
Centers which do not currently have Fellows; and (3) select the 
applications to be funded. Accordingly, awards may not necessarily be 
made to the highest-scoring applications in each discipline. Applicants 
may be asked to modify objectives, work plans, or budgets prior to 
final approval of the award. Subsequent grant administration procedures 
will be in accordance with current NOAA grants procedures. A summary 
statement of the review of the

[[Page 51837]]

application by the review panel will be provided to each applicant.

VI. Timetable

    December 3, 2002, 5 p.m. (local time)--Applications must be 
received by state Sea Grant Program or by NSGO (only if application is 
from an academic institution in a non-Sea Grant state).
    December 10, 2002, 5 p.m. EST--Applications due at NSGO from state 
Sea Grant Programs.
    June 1, 2003 (approximate)--Funds awarded.
    Note that applications arriving after the above deadlines will be 
accepted for review only if the applicant can document that the 
application was provided to a delivery service that guaranteed delivery 
(see ADDRESSES above) prior to the specified closing date and time; in 
any event, applications received by the NSGO or the state Sea Grant 
Programs later than two business days following the closing date will 
not be accepted. Facsimile transmissions and electronic mail submission 
of applications will not be accepted.

VII. Application Instructions

A. General Guidelines

    All printed pages in the application must be on either metric A4 
(210 mm  x  297 mm) or 8.5"  x  11" paper with at least a 10-point 
font. Applications must include the items listed below.
    1. Signed Title Page: The title page must identify the prospective 
Fellow, be signed by the Faculty Advisor and the institutional 
representative, and provide complete contact information. The program 
area being addressed should be clearly identified by starting the 
project title with ``NMFS--Sea Grant Graduate Fellowship''. The total 
amount of Federal and matching funds being requested for each project 
year must be listed.
    2. Project Summary: The project summary should concisely describe 
the activity being proposed and the impact that would result from its 
successful completion, in a form suitable for publication. Applicants 
are encouraged to use the Sea Grant Project Summary Form 90-2, but may 
use their own form as long as it provides the same information as the 
Sea Grant form. The project summary should include: a. Title: Use the 
exact title as it appears in the rest of the application. b. 
Investigators: List the names and affiliations of each investigator who 
will significantly contribute to the project, starting with the faculty 
advisor. c. Funding request for each year of the Fellowship, including 
matching funds. d. Project Period: Start and completion dates. 
Applications should request a start date of June 1, 2003, e. Project 
Abstract: This should include the rationale for the proposed activity, 
the scientific or technical objectives and/or hypotheses to be tested, 
and a brief summary of the work to be completed.
    3. Budget and Budget Justification: There should be a separate 
budget for each year as well as a cumulative annual budget for the 
entire period of the proposed fellowship. The Sea Grant Budget Form 90-
4 should preferably be used, but the institution may use its own form 
as long as it provides the same information as the Sea Grant form. 
Subrecipients or contractors, if any, should have a separate budget 
page. Indirect costs are not allowable for either the fellowship or for 
any costs associated with the fellowship (15 CFR 917.11(e), 
``Guidelines for Sea Grant Fellowships'').
    Matching funds equivalent to 50 percent of the NSGO funds must be 
provided by the Fellow's institution. Allocation of matching funds must 
be specified in the budget and may consist of up to one/half month's 
salary for the faculty adviser, waived tuition, equipment and supplies, 
and any other costs typically used as matching funds. In addition to 
stipend and tuition for the applicant, the budget should include funds 
for equipment, supplies, and travel (see ``Description of Program'' 
above).
    4. Curriculum vitae of the student, the faculty advisor, and the 
NMFS research mentor (2-page maximum per investigator).
    5. Signed letter of commitment from the prospective NMFS mentor.
    6. Official copies of all undergraduate and graduate student 
transcripts.
    7. Education and career goal statement (not to exceed two pages) 
from the student indicating the number of years for which fellowship 
support is being sought and the student's interest in (a) marine 
population dynamics or the development and implementation of 
quantitative methods for assessing stock status of living marine 
resources, or (b) in marine resource economics (a summary of the 
proposed thesis or the general intended area of study should be 
included, if available).
    8. Three signed letters of recommendation, including one from the 
student's faculty adviser.
    9. Proof of application, acceptance, provisional acceptance, and 
enrollment (only for Population Dynamics applicants) in the case of 
students entering graduate school (i.e., who have not yet completed one 
semester of graduate work) if they are selected for a fellowship.

VIII. How To Submit

    Ten (10) copies of applications must be submitted to the state Sea 
Grant Programs or to the NSGO according to the schedule outlined above 
(See ADDRESSES and ``Timetable''). The addresses of the state Sea Grant 
College Programs may be found at the following Internet Web site: 
(http://www.nsgo.seagrant.org/SGDirectorws.html). Applications sent to 
the NSGO should be addressed to: National Sea Grant Office, R/SG, Attn: 
Mrs. Geraldine Taylor, Applications Processing, Room 11732, NOAA, 1315 
East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (telephone number for 
express mail applications is 301-713-2445). Facsimile transmissions and 
electronic mail submission of applications will not be accepted.

IX. Other Requirements

    The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for 
Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register 
notice of October 1, 2001 (66 FR 49917) are applicable to this 
solicitation. However, please note that the Department will not 
implement the requirements of Executive Order 13202 (66 FR 49921), 
pursuant to guidance issued by the Office of Management and Budget in 
light of a court opinion which found that the Executive Order was not 
legally authorized. See Building and Construction Trades Department v. 
Allbaugh, 172 F. Supp. 2d 138 (D.D.C. 2001). This decision is currently 
on appeal. When the case has been finally resolved, the Department will 
provide further information on implementation of Executive Order 13202. 
The Federal Register notice also lists the forms required to complete 
the standard Department of Commerce grant application package, but 
those forms will be required only for those applicants who have been 
recommended for funding. For projects selected in Sea Grant states, the 
Sea Grant Program will prepare and submit these forms on behalf of all 
projects selected from that state.
    Unsuccessful applications will be held in the National Sea Grant 
Office for a period of five (5) years and then destroyed. Applications 
under this program are not subject to Executive Order 12372, 
``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
    Pursuant to Executive Orders 12876, 12900, and 13021, the 
Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
(DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed to broadening the participation of

[[Page 51838]]

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Hispanic 
Institutions (HSI), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) in its 
educational and research programs. The DOC/NOAA vision, mission, and 
goals are to achieve full participation by Minority Servicing 
Institutions (MSI) in order to advance the development of human 
potential, to strengthen the nation's capacity to provide high-quality 
education, and to increase opportunities for MSIs to participate in and 
benefit from Federal Financial Assistance programs. DOC/NOAA encourages 
all applicants to include meaningful participation of MSIs. 
Institutions eligible to be considered MSIs are listed at the following 
Internet Web site: 
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCR/minorityinst.html.
    This notice contains collection-of-information requirements subject 
to the Paperwork Reduction Act. The use of NOAA Forms 90-2 and 90-4, or 
equivalents, has been approved by OMB under the control number 0648-
0362. Public reporting burden for these collections of information is 
estimated to average 20 minutes for a NOAA Form 90-2 and 15 minutes for 
a NOAA Form 90-4. These response times include the time for reviewing 
instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and 
maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the 
collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden 
estimate, or any other aspect of this data collection, including 
suggestions for reducing the burden, to the National Sea Office (see 
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section).
    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required 
to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure 
to comply with, a collection of information subject to the Paperwork 
Reduction Act, unless that collection displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.

X. Classification

    It has been determined that this notice is not significant for 
purposes of Executive Order 12866. It has been determined that this 
notice does not contain policies with Federalism implications as that 
term is defined in EO 13132.

    Dated: August 5, 2002.
Louisa Koch,
Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

    Dated: August 2, 2002.
John E. Herring,
Acting Director, Office of Science and Technology, National Marine 
Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 02-20220 Filed 8-8-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-KA-M