[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 84 (Wednesday, April 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23473-23475]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-9541]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Brain Power! The NIDA 
Junior Scientist Program and the Companion Program, Brain Power! 
Challenge

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, the National Institute of Dental and 
Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 
has submitted

[[Page 23474]]

to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for review and 
approval of the information collection listed below. This proposed 
information collection was previously published in the Federal Register 
on February 26, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 38, Page 10262) and allowed 60-
days for public comment. One public comment was received. The purpose 
of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment. 
The National Institutes of Health may not conduct or sponsor, and the 
respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection 
that has been extended, revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 
1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
    Proposed Collection: Title: Brain Power! The NIDA Junior Scientist 
Program, for grades K-5, and the companion program for Middle School, 
the Brain Power! Challenge. Type of Information Collection Request: 
This information collection request is for an extension of a previously 
approved OMB clearance (OMB Control number 0925-0542 that was obtained 
in 2005, and is requested until April 30, 2010. Need and Use of 
Information Collection: This is a request to evaluate the effectiveness 
of the Brain Power! Program's ability (1) increase children's knowledge 
about the biology of the brain and the neurobiology of drug addiction, 
(2) increase positive attitudes toward science, careers in science, 
science as an enjoyable endeavor, and the use of animals in research; 
and stimulate interest in scientific careers; and (3) engender more 
realistic perceptions of scientists as being from many races, ages, and 
genders. The secondary goals of the evaluation are to determine the 
Program's impact on attitudes and intentions toward drug use. NIDA's 
mission is to lead the Nation in bringing the power of science to bear 
on drug abuse and addiction. There are 2 critical components to this 
mission: 1. the strategic support and conduct of research across a 
broad range of disciplines; 2. ensuring the rapid and effective 
dissemination and use of the results of that research to significantly 
improve the prevention of drug abuse and addiction, its treatment, and 
policy. The Brainpower! Challenge project is one of NIDA's many 
dissemination projects that is anticipated to improve the prevention of 
drug abuse and addiction among children and youth. These dissemination 
and diffusion projects complement NIDA's research projects to identify, 
develop, and refine effective efficient methods, structures, and 
strategies that test models to disseminate and implement research-
tested health behavior change interventions and evidence-based 
interventions in prevention and treatment.
    Secondly, from its research NIDA knows that in order for prevention 
efforts to be effective educational programs must involve teachers, 
peers, parents, and the entire community. In 1996 NIDA convened a 
national prevention research conference on preventing drug use among 
children and adolescents. From it a research-base guide was prepared to 
provide prevention principles that a school or community can use to 
implement a prevention program specifically tailored to meet each 
community's particular needs. And the public response to the guide is 
evident from the continued requests for the guide--an average of about 
20,000 per month, and more than 200,000 copies distributed to date. The 
Brainpower! Challenge project provides a tool for science education 
that involves teachers, peers, parents and the entire community, and 
adds to any prevention programs implemented in the community.
    Thirdly, while education for the prevention of drug abuse may be a 
worthy function for the Department of Education to conduct, Executive 
Order 12862 directs federal agencies to provide significant services 
directly to the public. To provide services from NIDA's research 
findings, the 1993 the Science Education Abuse Partnership Award 
Program was conceptualized to ``* * *encourage the development and 
evaluation of programs that foster an understanding of neuroscience and 
the biology of drug abuse and addiction among K-12 students * * *.'' 
NIDA's current Science Education Program to increase scientific 
literacy and interest in science careers, continues this purpose. The 
Brainpower! Challenge project will bring a service to the schools and 
to parents, for laying the foundation for drug prevention among 
children and youth, and to educate them in the biology and neurobiology 
of the brain and addiction. Its anticipated achievement will be three-
fold--prevention of drug abuse among youth, fostering positive 
attitudes towards science careers, and service provision that 
translates research findings into practice among a vital population 
group.
    The findings will provide valuable information concerning the goals 
of NIDA's Science Education Program of increasing scientific literacy 
and stimulating interest in scientific careers. In order to test the 
effectiveness of the evaluation, information will be collected from 
students before and after exposure to the curriculum with pre- and 
post-test self-report measures. Surveys will also be administered to 
teachers after the completion of the program to examine ease and 
fidelity of implementation, as well as impact in knowledge and 
understanding of the neurobiology of addiction. Surveys will be 
administered to parents to obtain parental reaction and opinion on the 
materials and the degree to which parents find the curriculum 
informative and appropriate. Frequency of Response: On occasion. 
Affected Public: Elementary and middle school students, teachers, and 
parents. Type of Respondents: Students, Teachers, and Parents. The 
reporting burden is as follows: Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,337; 
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 2; Average Burden Hours 
Per Response: .25; Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours Requested: 
640.5. There are no Capital Costs to report. There are no Operating or 
Maintenance Costs to report. The estimated annualized burden is 
summarized below.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                          Estimated
                                                             Estimated    number of      Average      Estimated
                    Type of respondents                      number of    responses   burden hours  total annual
                                                            respondents      per      per response  burden hours
                                                                          respondent                  requested
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Students (K-grade 5)......................................          640            2           .25         320
Students (grades 6-9).....................................          560            2           .25         280
Parents (K-grade 5).......................................           56            1           .25          14
Parents (grades 6-9)......................................           56            1           .25          14
Teachers..................................................           25            1           .5           12.5
                                                           -----------------------------------------------------
    Total.................................................        1,337  ...........          1.5          640.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 23475]]

    Request for Comments: Written comments and/or suggestions from the 
public and affected agencies are invited on one or more of the 
following points: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the function of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) The 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used; (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) Ways to minimize 
the burden of the collection of information on those who are to 
respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.
    Direct Comments to OMB: Written comments and/or suggestions 
regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding 
the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be 
directed to the: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory 
Affairs, [email protected] or by fax to 202-395-6974, 
Attention: Desk Officer for NIH. To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and 
instruments, contact Dr. Cathrine Sasek, Coordinator, Science Education 
Program, Office of Science Policy and Communications, National 
Institute on Drug Abuse, 6001 Executive Blvd, Room 5237, Bethesda, MD 
20892, or call non-toll-free number (301) 443-6071; fax (301) 443-6277; 
or by e-mail to [email protected].
    Comments Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection 
are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30-days 
of the date of this publication.

    Dated: April 25, 2008.
Mary Affeldt,
Associate Director for Management, National Institute for Drug Abuse.
 [FR Doc. E8-9541 Filed 4-29-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P