[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 58 (Friday, March 26, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14565-14567]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-6749]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket Number: 100311133-0142-01]


NIST Summer Institute for Middle School Science Teachers; 
Availability of Funds

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 
announces the availability of Federal assistance for educational 
institutions to provide limited support for middle school science 
teachers to attend the NIST Summer Institute for Middle School Science 
Teachers. Teachers from qualified applicants should be involved in 
teaching areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics 
(STEM) at the middle school level (grades 6-8), including, but not 
limited to, earth science, physical science, chemistry, physics, and/or 
biology. This program responds to a need for these targeted teachers to 
receive instruction and activities that will encourage them to inspire 
students to pursue careers in STEM fields.

DATES: Proposals must be received at the address listed below no later 
than 5 p.m. Eastern Time on April 26, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Hard copies of proposals must be submitted to: Dr. Susan 
Heller-Zeisler, Office of International and Academic Affairs, National 
Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Mailstop 8190, 
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-1090. Electronic submissions of full 
proposals may be uploaded to http://www.Grants.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A paper copy of the Federal Funding 
Opportunity (FFO) announcement may be obtained by calling (301) 975-
3111. Technical questions should be addressed to: Dr. Susan F. Heller-
Zeisler at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section above, or at 
Tel: (301) 975-3111; E-mail: [email protected]. Grants Administration 
questions should be addressed to: Grants and Agreements Management 
Division; National Institute of Standards and Technology; 100 Bureau 
Drive, Stop 1650; Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1650; Tel: (301) 975-6328. For 
assistance with using Grants.gov contact [email protected] or call 
800-518-4726.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 278g-2a, 15 U.S.C. 272(b)(4)
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Name and Number Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.609.
    Program Description: The National Institute of Standards and 
Technology (NIST) is soliciting applications from qualified public 
school districts or accredited private educational institutions that 
are teaching students in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering 
and Mathematics (STEM) at the middle school level (Grades 6-8). This 
includes, but is not limited to, earth science, physical science, 
chemistry, physics and/or biology. NIST will award funding that will 
support the attendance of middle school teachers in the NIST Summer 
Institute for Middle School Science Teachers (NIST SI), to be held July 
6-19, 2010 to be held at the NIST Gaithersburg, Maryland, campus. 
Please see additional information about this program in the 
corresponding Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO).
    Electronic access: Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the 
Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) available at http://www.grants.gov 
for complete information about this program, all program requirements, 
and instructions for applying by paper or electronically.
    Funding Availability: NIST anticipates spending $40,000 this year 
for awards to support a total of twenty teachers to attend the NIST SI 
from July 6-19, 2010. Publication of this announcement does not oblige 
NIST or the Department of Commerce to award any specific project or to 
obligate any available funds.
    Award start dates for new grants are expected to be June 25, 2010. 
NIST plans to fund the awards as cooperative agreements.
    Eligibility: The NIST Summer Institute for Middle School Science 
Teachers grant program is open to public school districts and private 
educational institutions teaching at the middle school level. Such 
schools may offer instruction in general science fields including earth 
science, physical science, chemistry, physics, and/or biology. 
Participating teachers from the applicant school districts or private

[[Page 14566]]

educational institutes must be U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. 
residents.
    Teachers proposed within the applications for participation in the 
NIST SI must be employed for the 2010-2011 school year to teach middle 
school science or math (grades 6, 7, and/or 8) in a public or private 
school. The topics taught may include earth science, physical science, 
chemistry, physics, and/or biology.
    Please note that no support will be offered for transportation or 
housing costs accrued by the participating teachers.
    Cost Sharing or Matching: The NIST SI does not require any cost 
sharing or matching funds.
    Review and Selection Process:
    Upon receipt of an application submitted by an eligible 
institution, NIST will assign each teacher proposed for participation 
in the NIST SI an identification code without bias. NIST will fill the 
20 available slots for the Summer Institute by randomly selecting from 
the assigned codes using a blind selection process. The amount of the 
grant awarded to an institution will be determined by the number of 
teachers who are selected from that institution's application.
    The final selection of institutions and awarding of grants will be 
made by the NIST Grants Officer in Gaithersburg, Maryland, based on 
compliance with application requirements, as published in this notice, 
and applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Unsatisfactory 
performance on any previous Federal award may result in an application 
not being considered for funding. Applicants may be asked to provide 
supplemental information required by the agency prior to award. The 
decision of the Grants Officer is final. Applicants should allow up to 
45 days processing time.
    The decision of the Grants Officer is final.
    The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for 
Grants and Cooperative Agreements: The Department of Commerce Pre-Award 
Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements, which 
are contained in the Federal Register Notice of February 11, 2008 (73 
FR 7696), are applicable to this notice. On the form SF-424 items 8.b. 
and 8.c., the applicant's 9-digit Employer/Taxpayer Identification 
Number (EIN/TIN) and 9-digit Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal 
Numbering System (DUNS) number must be consistent with the information 
on the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) (http://www.ccr.gov) and 
Automated Standard Application for Payment System (ASAP). For complex 
organizations with multiple EIN/TIN and DUNS numbers, the EIN/TIN and 
DUNS number MUST be the numbers for the applying organization. 
Organizations that provide incorrect/inconsistent EIN/TIN and DUNS 
numbers may experience significant delays in receiving funds if their 
proposal is selected for funding. Please confirm that the EIN/TIN and 
DUNS number are consistent with the information on the CCR and ASAP.
    Use of NIST Intellectual Property: If the applicant anticipates 
using any NIST-owned intellectual property to carry out the work 
proposed, the applicant should identify such intellectual property. 
This information will be used to ensure that no NIST employee involved 
in the development of the intellectual property will participate in the 
review process for that competition. In addition, if the applicant 
intends to use NIST-owned intellectual property, the applicant must 
comply with all statutes and regulations governing the licensing of 
Federal government patents and inventions, described at 35 U.S.C. 200-
212, 37 CFR part 401, 15 CFR 14.36, and in Section B.21 of the 
Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements 73 FR 7696 
(February 11, 2008). Questions about these requirements may be directed 
to the Office of the Chief Counsel for NIST, 301-975-2803.
    Any use of NIST-owned intellectual property by a proposer is at the 
sole discretion of NIST and will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis 
if a project is deemed meritorious. The applicant should indicate 
within the statement of work whether it already has a license to use 
such intellectual property or whether it intends to seek one.
    If any inventions made in whole or in part by a NIST employee arise 
in the course of an award made pursuant to this notice, the United 
States government may retain its ownership rights in any such 
invention. Licensing or other disposition of NIST's rights in such 
inventions will be determined solely by NIST, and include the 
possibility of NIST putting the intellectual property into the public 
domain.
    Paperwork Reduction Act: The standard forms in the application kit 
involve a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction 
Act. The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, 424 (R&R), SF-LLL, and 
CD-346 have been approved by OMB under the respective Control Numbers 
0348-0043, 0348-0044, 0348-0040, 4040-0001, 0348-0046, and 0605-0001.
    Notwithstanding any other provision of the 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 
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of 
information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.
    Research Projects Involving Human Subjects, Human Tissue, Data or 
Recordings Involving Human Subjects: Any proposal that includes 
research involving human subjects, human tissue, data or recordings 
involving human subjects must meet the requirements of the Common Rule 
for the Protection of Human Subjects, codified for the Department of 
Commerce at 15 CFR part 27. In addition, any proposal that includes 
research on these topics must be in compliance with any statutory 
requirements imposed upon the Department of Health and Human Services 
(DHHS) and other federal agencies regarding these topics, all 
regulatory policies and guidance adopted by DHHS, the Food and Drug 
Administration, and other Federal agencies on these topics, and all 
Presidential statements of policy on these topics.
    NIST will accept the submission of human subjects protocols that 
have been approved by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) possessing a 
current registration filed with DHHS and to be performed by 
institutions possessing a current registration filed with DHHS and to 
be performed by institutions possessing a current, valid Federal-wide 
Assurance (FWA) from DHHS. NIST will not issue a single project 
assurance (SPA) for any IRB reviewing any human subjects protocol 
proposed to NIST.
    President Obama has issued Executive Order No. 13,505 (74 FR 10667, 
March 9, 2009), revoking previous Executive Orders and Presidential 
statements regarding the use of human embryonic stem cells in research. 
On July 30, 2009, President Obama issued a memorandum directing that 
agencies that support and conduct stem cell research adopt the 
``National Institutes of Health Guidelines for Human Stem Cell 
Research'' (NIH Guidelines), which became effective on July 7, 2009, 
``to the fullest extent practicable in light of legal authorities and 
obligations.'' On September 21, 2009, the Department of Commerce 
submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a statement of 
compliance with the NIH Guidelines. In accordance with the President's 
memorandum, the NIH Guidelines, and the Department of Commerce 
statement of compliance, NIST will support and conduct research

[[Page 14567]]

using only human embryonic stem cell lines that have been approved by 
NIH in accordance with the NIH Guidelines and will review such research 
in accordance with the Common Rule and NIST implementing procedures, as 
appropriate. NIST will not support or conduct any type of research that 
the NIH Guidelines prohibit NIH from funding. NIST will follow any 
additional policies or guidance issued by the current Administration on 
this topic.
    Research Projects Involving Vertebrate Animals: Any proposal that 
includes research involving vertebrate animals must be in compliance 
with the National Research Council's ``Guide for the Care and Use of 
Laboratory Animals'' which can be obtained from National Academy Press, 
2101 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20055. In addition, such 
proposals must meet the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act (7 
U.S.C. 2131 et seq.), 9 CFR parts 1, 2, and 3, and if appropriate, 21 
CFR part 58. These regulations do not apply to proposed research using 
pre-existing images of animals or to research plans that do not include 
live animals that are being cared for, euthanized, or used by the 
project participants to accomplish research goals, teaching, or 
testing. These regulations also do not apply to obtaining animal 
materials from commercial processors of animal products or to animal 
cell lines or tissues from tissue banks.
    Limitation of Liability: Funding for the programs listed in this 
notice is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2010 
appropriations. The Department of Commerce and NIST will not be held 
responsible for application preparation costs. Publication of this 
announcement does not oblige NIST or the Department of Commerce to 
award any specific project or to obligate any available funds.
    Executive Order 12866: This funding notice was determined to be not 
significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866.
    Executive Order 13132 (Federalism): It has been determined that 
this notice does not contain policies with federalism implications as 
that term is defined in Executive Order 13132.
    Executive Order 12372: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs.''
    Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act: Notice and 
comment are not required under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 
U.S.C. 553) or any other law, for rules relating to public property, 
loans, grants, benefits or contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)). Because notice 
and comment are not required under 5 U.S.C. 553, or any other law, for 
rules relating to public property, loans, grants, benefits or contracts 
(5 U.S.C. 553(a)), a Regulatory Flexibility Analysis is not required 
and has not been prepared for this notice, 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.

    Dated: March 23, 2010.
Marc G. Stanley,
Acting Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. 2010-6749 Filed 3-25-10; 8:45 am]
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