[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 123 (Thursday, June 25, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38161-38162]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-13680]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; NSF 
Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (INTERN) 
Program

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans to 
establish this collection. In accordance with the requirements of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are providing opportunity for 
public comment on this action. After obtaining and considering public 
comment, NSF will prepare the submission requesting Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) clearance of this collection for no longer 
than 3 years.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by August 24, 
2020 to be assured consideration. Comments received after that date 
will be considered to the extent practicable. Send comments to address 
below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports 
Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, 
Suite W18200, Alexandria, VA 22314; Email: [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, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year 
(including Federal holidays).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title of Collection: NSF INTERN Program Assessment.
    OMB Number: 3145-NEW.
    Expiration Date of Approval: Not applicable.
    Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to establish an 
information collection.
    Abstract: Fostering the growth of a globally competitive and 
diverse research workforce and advancing the scientific and innovation 
skills of the Nation is a strategic objective of the National Science 
Foundation (NSF). The Nation's global competitiveness depends 
critically on the readiness of the Nation's Science, Technology, 
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workforce and NSF seeks to continue 
to invest in programs that directly advance this workforce. As part of 
this effort, NSF invests in a number of graduate student preparedness 
activities to ensure they are well-prepared for the 21st century STEM 
Workforce, and a supplemental funding opportunity is available in 
fiscal year FY 2020 to provide support for graduate students through 
non-academic research internships (INTERN Program) in any sector of the 
U.S. economy.
    The goal of the INTERN program is three-fold:

1. To provide graduate students with the opportunity to augment their 
research assistantships with non-academic research internship 
activities and training opportunities that will

[[Page 38162]]

complement their academic research training
2. To allow graduate students to pursue activities aimed at acquiring 
professional development experience that will enhance their preparation 
for multiple career pathways after graduation
3. To encourage the participation of graduate students from groups that 
have traditionally been underrepresented and underserved in the STEM 
enterprise: Women, persons with disabilities, African Americans/Blacks, 
Hispanic Americans, American Indian, Alaska Natives

    In order to support the agency's mission and continue meeting the 
program's goals, we are asking the graduate students who participated 
in the INTERN program to report the following information:

 Logistics of the Internship
    [cir] Start and end date
    [cir] Principal Investigator supporting the internship
    [cir] Host organization
    [cir] Host mentor
 Internship Experience
    [cir] Hours worked
    [cir] Job Training
    [cir] Interaction with host mentor
    [cir] Location of the host organization
    [cir] Work environment
    [cir] Company culture
    [cir] Project scope
    [cir] Overall satisfaction
 Industry Best Practices & Skills Development
    [cir] Introducing industry best practices to academic environment
    [cir] Forthcoming Publications resulting from the internship
    [cir] Experiential learning and professional preparation
 Post-graduate/Career Plans
    [cir] General career direction after graduation
    [cir] Helpfulness of the internship experience in making career 
choices
    [cir] Likelihood of working at the host organization or similar 
organizations
    Since the agency will not be able to receive feedback from students 
by way of annual reports, being able to collect this information will 
help the managing Program Directors to assess whether the INTERN 
program helps participants in terms of workforce development, career 
decisions, and professional preparation, thereby ensuring the program 
goals are met. In addition, these data will also allow NSF to evaluate 
the intellectual merit of the program, its broader impact in developing 
the STEM workforce and its potential to enhance the participation of 
underrepresented and underserved STEM communities in such traineeships. 
Finally, in compliance with the Evidence Act of 2019, information 
collected will be used in satisfying congressional requests, responding 
to queries from the public, informing the NSF's external Committees of 
Visitors who serve to evaluate the foundation, working with the NSF's 
Office of the Inspector General, and supporting the agency's 
policymaking and internal evaluation and assessment needs.
    Information collected in this survey will include the name of the 
participants, their affiliated organizations, email addresses, and home 
states. These personal identifiable information (PII) are collected 
primarily for record tracking and organizing. In addition, questions 
pertaining to participants' gender, race, ethnicity, and disability 
status will also be asked but those questions will be marked as 
voluntary. These PII data will be accessed only by the managing Program 
Directors, NSF senior management, and supporting staff conducting 
analyses using the data as authorized by NSF. Any public reporting of 
data will be in aggregate form, and any personal identifiers will be 
removed.
    Use of the Information: The information collected is primarily for 
program assessment and agency internal evaluation.
    Estimate burden on the public: Estimated 15 minutes per survey for 
300 participants, for a total of 75 hours per year.
    Respondents: Graduate students who participate in the INTERN 
program.
    Estimated number of respondents: 300.
    Average Time per Reporting: 15 minutes.
    Frequency: Each participant will only be asked to submit the survey 
once.
    Comments: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the Agency, including whether the information shall 
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of 
the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information on 
respondents, including through the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology; and (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology.
    Please submit one copy of your comments by only one method. All 
submissions received must include the agency name and collection name 
identified above for this information collection. Commenters are 
strongly encouraged to transmit their comments electronically via 
email. Comments, including any personal information provided become a 
matter of public record. They will be summarized and/or included in the 
request for Office of Management and Budget approval of the information 
collection request.

    Dated: June 19, 2020.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2020-13680 Filed 6-24-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P