[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