[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 221 (Thursday, November 15, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57509-57510]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-24928]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Notice of Intent To Seek Approval To Extend an Information
Collection
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans to
request a new, one time data collection. The primary purpose of this
data collection is to provide critical evidence for the Evaluation of
the Centers for Chemical Innovation (CCI) Program. The National Science
Foundation (NSF) has submitted this information collection requirement
to OMB for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995. This is the second notice for public comment; the first was
published in the Federal Register at 83 FR 27354, and one comments was
received. NSF is forwarding the proposed new information collection
submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance
simultaneously with the publication of this second notice. The full
submission may be found at: http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
DATES: Comments regarding these information collections are best
assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days of this
notification.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 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
Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, National Science
Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314, 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, which is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, 365 days a year (including federal holidays).
Copies of the submission(s) may be obtained by calling 703-292-
7556.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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.
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; (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 the points
of contact in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
Title of Collection: 2019 National Survey of College Graduates.
OMB Number: 3145-0141.
[[Page 57510]]
Summary of Collection: The National Survey of College Graduates
(NSCG) has been conducted biennially since the 1970s. The 2019 NSCG
sample will be selected from the 2017 American Community Survey (ACS)
and the 2017 NSCG, providing coverage of the college graduate
population residing in the United States. The purpose of this repeated
cross-sectional survey is to collect data that will be used to provide
national estimates on the science and engineering workforce and changes
in their employment, education, and demographic characteristics.
The National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as subsequently
amended, includes a statutory charge to ``. . . provide a central
clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, and analysis of data
on scientific and engineering resources, and to provide a source of
information for policy formulation by other agencies of the Federal
Government.'' The NSCG is designed to comply with these mandates by
providing information on the supply and utilization of the nation's
scientists and engineers.
The U.S. Census Bureau, as in the past, will conduct the NSCG for
NCSES. The survey data collection will begin in February 2019 using web
and mail questionnaires. Non-respondents to the web or mail
questionnaire will be followed up by computer-assisted telephone
interviewing. The individual's response to the survey is voluntary. The
survey will be conducted in conformance with Census Bureau statistical
quality standards and, as such, the NSCG data will be afforded
protection under the applicable Census Bureau confidentiality statutes.
Use of the Information: NCSES uses the information from the NSCG to
prepare congressionally mandated reports such as Women, Minorities and
Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering and Science and
Engineering Indicators. A public release file of collected data,
designed to protect respondent confidentiality, will be made available
to researchers on the internet.
Expected Respondents: A statistical sample of approximately 148,000
persons will be contacted in 2019. This 148,000 sample is an 18,000
case increase over the sample size listed in the first notice for
public comment in the Federal Register at 83 FR 27354. The larger
sample size is needed to account for non-response in follow-up rounds,
to reduce the variance inflation caused when cases thought to be in
non-science and engineering (S&E) occupations turn out to be in S&E
occupations, and to increase the number of foreign-earned doctorate
recipients in the NSCG sample. NCSES estimates the 2019 NSCG response
rate to be 70 to 80 percent.
Estimate of Burden: The amount of time to complete the
questionnaire may vary depending on an individual's circumstances;
however, on average it will take approximately 30 minutes to complete
the survey. NCSES estimates that the total annual burden will be no
more than 59,200 hours (=148,000 sample persons x 80% response x 30
minutes) during the 2019 survey cycle.
Comments: As required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), comments on the
information collection activities as part of this study were solicited
through the publication of a 60-Day Notice in the Federal Register on
12 June 2018, at 83 FR 27354. NCSES received one comment on 13 August
2018 from a group representing several organizations. The commenters
requested that NCSES include measures of sexual orientation and gender
identity on the NSCG and on other NCSES surveys (specifically, the
Survey of Doctorate Recipients and the Survey of Earned Doctorates).
NCSES informed the commenters that it shares their interest in
improving federal data collections and providing reliable measures for
important segments of the population. Furthermore, NCSES described its
process for evaluating possible questionnaire additions, including the
extensive experimentation involved and the time and resources required.
Finally, NCSES informed the commenters that it is initiating research
to evaluate these measures and does not intend to include them in the
2019 NSCG.
Dated: November 9, 2018.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2018-24928 Filed 11-14-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P