[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 147 (Wednesday, August 4, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41996-41997]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16638]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; 
Computer and Information Science and Engineering Research Experiences 
for Undergraduates Past Participant Survey

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Submission for OMB Review; comment request.

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) has submitted the 
following 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 and no comments were received. NSF is forwarding the proposed 
renewal submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
clearance simultaneously with the publication of this second notice.

DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAmain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 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). Comments regarding this information collection are 
best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days of 
this notification. Copies of the submission(s) may be obtained by 
calling 703-292-7556.
    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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title of Collection: CISE REU Past Participant Survey--2021 Impact 
of REU Participation on Career Pathways.
    OMB Approval Number: 3145-NEW.
    Type of Request: Intent to establish an information collection.
    Abstract: Every year the National Science Foundation (NSF) funds 
hundreds of Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) activities 
through its REU program. The Directorate of Computer and Information 
Science and Engineering (CISE) is seeking to evaluate the effectiveness 
of the CISE REU program.

[[Page 41997]]

    REUs provide undergraduate students at U.S. higher education 
institutions to work with a faculty on a research project. They can 
take the form of REU Sites or REU Supplements. REU Sites are based on 
independent proposals to initiate and conduct projects that engage a 
number of students in research, and REU Supplements are included as a 
component of proposals for new or renewal NSF grants or cooperative 
agreements or may be requested for ongoing NSF-funded research 
projects.
    By offering this opportunity to undergraduate students the REU 
program seeks to expand student participation in all kinds of 
research--both disciplinary and interdisciplinary--encompassing efforts 
by individual investigators, groups, centers, national facilities, and 
others. It draws on the integration of research and education to 
attract a diverse pool of talented students into careers in science and 
engineering, including teaching and education research related to 
science and engineering, and to help ensure that these students receive 
the best education possible.
    The data collection intends to assess the impact of REU 
participation on career pathways and will be done through an online 
survey. The researchers will collect data from past participants 
including the students and the mentors with a separate survey 
customized for each group. The specific evaluation objectives are:
    1. Identify the career trajectory of the REU participants since 
their participation in the REU program including degrees they received, 
institutions they attended, and their current status (e.g., employed, 
graduate students).
    2. Document the structure of the REU experience that the 
respondents participated in. These may include the type of REU (e.g., 
Site, Supplement), location of REU, and timing of REU.
    3. Describe the REU mentors' perceptions of the REU program on the 
student participants and the mentors' career development.
    4. Examine the skills the participants gained and experiences they 
had during their REU participation. These may include technical skills, 
information on graduate school application process, and research 
training.
    5. Analyze the relationships between REU participation and career 
pathways specifically focusing on whether these experiences are 
associated with the participants' interest in and ultimate selection of 
research careers in computing.
    Ultimately, the findings from the analysis of this data collection 
will be used to improve the impact of CISE REU Program in order to 
better reach its goals of providing meaningful research opportunities 
to undergraduate students and, in doing so, attracting a broad range of 
students to computing/STEM careers.
    Use of information: The information collected through this survey 
will be used to evaluate the NSF CISE REU Program.
    Expected Respondents: The survey will be sent to students and 
mentors who participated in the NSF CISE REU Program through an REU 
Site or a Supplement. Further, in order to obtain data from an 
appropriate comparison group, the researchers will also include 
participants of other REUs and similar activities. The CISE REU Program 
participant list will be obtained from NSF and comparison group 
participants will be culled from a list of individuals previously 
surveyed by the researchers. The estimated number of individuals who 
will be receiving this survey is 25,000. Based on an approximate 
response rate of 30%, there will be an estimated 7,500 respondents when 
the data collection is completed.
    Average time per respondent: The online survey is designed to be 
completed in 20 minutes or less.
    Frequency: Each respondent will be asked to complete this survey 
once during late summer/early fall 2021.
    Estimated burden on public: Based on 7,500 estimated responses and 
20 minutes per respondent, the estimate for this data collection is 
2,500 burden hours.
    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.

    Dated: July 30, 2021.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2021-16638 Filed 8-3-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P