81 FR 6894 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; Education and Human Resources Program Monitoring Clearance

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 26 (February 9, 2016)

Page Range		6894-6895
FR Document		2016-02520

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), and as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, the National Science Foundation invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this information collection. This is the second notice for public comment; the first was published in the Federal Register at 80 FR 69701 and no comments were received. NSF is forwarding the proposed 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.

Federal Register, Volume 81 Issue 26 (Tuesday, February 9, 2016)

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 26 (Tuesday, February 9, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6894-6895]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-02520]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; 
Education and Human Resources Program Monitoring Clearance

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 
(44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), and as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, the National Science Foundation 
invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this 
opportunity to comment on this information collection. This is the 
second notice for public comment; the first was published in the 
Federal Register at 80 FR 69701 and no comments were received. NSF is 
forwarding the proposed 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 by OMB within 30 days 
of publication in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Written comments regarding the information collection and 
requests for copies of the proposed information collection request 
should be addressed to Suzanne Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, 
National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Rm. 295, Arlington, VA 
22230, or by email to [email protected]. Copies of the submission may be 
obtained by calling (703) 292-7556.
    For Additional Information: Contact Suzanne Plimpton, the NSF 
Reports Clearance Officer, phone (703) 292-7556, 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).
    An agency 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: Education and Human Resources Program 
Monitoring Clearance.
    OMB Approval Number: 3145-0226.
    Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to renew an information 
collection.
    Abstract: The National Science Foundation (NSF) requests 
establishment of program accountability data collections that describe 
and track the impact of NSF funding that focuses on the Nation's 
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and 
STEM workforce. NSF funds grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements 
to colleges, universities, and other eligible institutions, and 
provides graduate research fellowships to individuals in all parts of 
the United States and internationally.
    The Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR), a unit 
within NSF, promotes rigor and vitality within the Nation's STEM 
education enterprise to further the development of the 21st century's 
STEM workforce and public scientific literacy. EHR does this through 
diverse projects and programs that support research, extension, 
outreach, and hands-on activities that service STEM learning and 
research at all institutional (e.g., pre-school through postdoctoral) 
levels in formal and informal settings; and individuals of all ages 
(birth and beyond). EHR also focuses on broadening participation in 
STEM learning and careers among

[[Page 6895]]

United States citizens, permanent residents, and nationals, 
particularly those individuals traditionally underemployed in the STEM 
research workforce, including but not limited to women, persons with 
disabilities, and racial and ethnic minorities.
    The scope of this information collection request will primarily 
cover descriptive information gathered from education and training 
(E&T) projects that are funded by NSF. NSF will primarily use the data 
from this collection for program planning, management, and audit 
purposes to respond to queries from the Congress, the public, NSF's 
external merit reviewers who serve as advisors, including Committees of 
Visitors (COVs), the NSF's Office of the Inspector General, and as a 
basis for either internal or third-party evaluations of individual 
programs.
    The collections will generally include three categories of 
descriptive data: (1) Staff and project participants (data that are 
also necessary to determine individual-level treatment and control 
groups for future third-party study or for internal evaluation); (2) 
project implementation characteristics (also necessary for future use 
to identify well-matched comparison groups); and (3) project outputs 
(necessary to measure baseline for pre- and post-NSF-funding-level 
impacts).
    Use of the Information: This information is required for effective 
administration, communication, program and project monitoring and 
evaluation, and for measuring attainment of NSF's program, project, and 
strategic goals, and as identified by the President's Accountability in 
Government Initiative; GPRA, and the NSF's Strategic Plan. The 
Foundation's FY 2014-2018 Strategic Plan may be found at: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2014/nsf14043/nsf14043.pdf.
    Since this collection will primarily be used for accountability and 
evaluation purposes, including responding to queries from COVs and 
other scientific experts, a census rather than sampling design 
typically is necessary. At the individual project level funding can be 
adjusted based on individual project's responses to some of the 
surveys. Some data collected under this collection will serve as 
baseline data for separate research and evaluation studies.
    NSF-funded contract or grantee researchers and internal or external 
evaluators in part may identify control, comparison, or treatment 
groups for NSF's E&T portfolio using some of the descriptive data 
gathered through this collection to conduct well-designed, rigorous 
research and portfolio evaluation studies.
    Respondents: Individuals or households, not-for-profit 
institutions, business or other for profit, and Federal, State, local, 
or tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 7,284.
    Burden on the Public: NSF estimates that a total reporting and 
recordkeeping burden of 58,449 hours will result from activities to 
monitor EHR STEM education programs. The calculation is shown in table 
1.

 Table 1--Anticipated Programs That Will Collect Data on Project Progress and Outcomes Along With the Number of
                              Respondents and Burden Hours per Collection per Year
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         Number of                                  Annual hour
                  Collection title                      respondents       Number of responses         burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Advancing Information STEM Learning (AISL)                       155  155.......................           1,921
 Monitoring System.
Centers of Research Excellence in Science and                     40  40........................           1,810
 Technology (CREST) and Historically Black Colleges
 and Universities Research Infrastructure for
 Science and Engineering (HBCU-RISE) Monitoring
 System.
Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12)                1,267  1,267.....................           3,529
 Monitoring System.
Integrative Graduate Education and Research                    3,307  3,307.....................          12,282
 Traineeship Program (IGERT) Monitoring System.
Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation                563  563.......................          12,949
 (LSAMP) Monitoring System.
Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation                 55  55........................           2,090
 Bridge to the Doctorate (LSAMP-BD) Monitoring
 System.
Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce)                 422  422.......................           5,908
 Monitoring System.
Research in Disabilities Education (RDE) Monitoring               12  12........................           1,368
 System.
Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering,                500  1,000.....................           6,000
 and Mathematics (S-STEM) Monitoring System.                          (500 respondents x 2
                                                                       responses/yr.).
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics                277  277.......................           6,648
 Talent Expansion Program (STEP) Monitoring System.
Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science,                 686  686.......................           2,744
 Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (TUES)
 Monitoring System.
Additional Collections not Specified................             900  900.......................           1,200
                                                     -----------------------------------------------------------
    Total...........................................           8,184  8,684.....................          58,449
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The total estimate for this collection is 58,449 annual burden 
hours. The average annual reporting burden is between 1.7 and 114 hours 
per ``respondent,'' depending on whether a respondent is a direct 
participant who is self-reporting or representing a project and 
reporting on behalf of many project participants.

    Dated: February 3, 2016.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2016-02520 Filed 2-8-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7555-01-P

Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 26 / Tuesday, February 9, 2016 / Notices 6895

United States citizens, permanent individual-level treatment and control design typically is necessary. At the
residents, and nationals, particularly groups for future third-party study or for individual project level funding can be
those individuals traditionally internal evaluation); (2) project adjusted based on individual project’s
underemployed in the STEM research implementation characteristics (also responses to some of the surveys. Some
workforce, including but not limited to necessary for future use to identify well- data collected under this collection will
women, persons with disabilities, and matched comparison groups); and (3) serve as baseline data for separate
racial and ethnic minorities. project outputs (necessary to measure research and evaluation studies.
The scope of this information baseline for pre- and post-NSF-funding- NSF-funded contract or grantee
collection request will primarily cover level impacts). researchers and internal or external
descriptive information gathered from Use of the Information: This evaluators in part may identify control,
education and training (E&T) projects information is required for effective comparison, or treatment groups for
that are funded by NSF. NSF will administration, communication, NSF’s E&T portfolio using some of the
primarily use the data from this program and project monitoring and descriptive data gathered through this
collection for program planning, evaluation, and for measuring collection to conduct well-designed,
management, and audit purposes to attainment of NSF’s program, project, rigorous research and portfolio
respond to queries from the Congress, and strategic goals, and as identified by evaluation studies.
the public, NSF’s external merit the President’s Accountability in Respondents: Individuals or
reviewers who serve as advisors, Government Initiative; GPRA, and the households, not-for-profit institutions,
including Committees of Visitors NSF’s Strategic Plan. The Foundation’s business or other for profit, and Federal,
(COVs), the NSF’s Office of the FY 2014–2018 Strategic Plan may be State, local, or tribal government.
Inspector General, and as a basis for found at: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/ Number of Respondents: 7,284.
either internal or third-party evaluations 2014/nsf14043/nsf14043.pdf. Burden on the Public: NSF estimates
of individual programs. Since this collection will primarily be that a total reporting and recordkeeping
The collections will generally include used for accountability and evaluation burden of 58,449 hours will result from
three categories of descriptive data: (1) purposes, including responding to activities to monitor EHR STEM
Staff and project participants (data that queries from COVs and other scientific education programs. The calculation is
are also necessary to determine experts, a census rather than sampling shown in table 1.

TABLE 1—ANTICIPATED PROGRAMS THAT WILL COLLECT DATA ON PROJECT PROGRESS AND OUTCOMES ALONG WITH
THE NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS AND BURDEN HOURS PER COLLECTION PER YEAR

Number of Annual hour
Collection title Number of responses
respondents burden

Advancing Information STEM Learning (AISL) Monitoring System ............................. 155 155 ................................ 1,921
Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) and Histori- 40 40 .................................. 1,810
cally Black Colleges and Universities Research Infrastructure for Science and En-
gineering (HBCU–RISE) Monitoring System.
Graduate STEM Fellows in K–12 Education (GK–12) Monitoring System .................. 1,267 1,267 ............................. 3,529
Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT) Moni- 3,307 3,307 ............................. 12,282
toring System.
Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Monitoring System .......... 563 563 ................................ 12,949
Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation Bridge to the Doctorate (LSAMP– 55 55 .................................. 2,090
BD) Monitoring System.
Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce) Monitoring System ................. 422 422 ................................ 5,908
Research in Disabilities Education (RDE) Monitoring System ..................................... 12 12 .................................. 1,368
Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S–STEM) 500 1,000 ............................. 6,000
Monitoring System. (500 respondents × 2
responses/yr.).
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program 277 277 ................................ 6,648
(STEP) Monitoring System.
Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and 686 686 ................................ 2,744
Mathematics (TUES) Monitoring System.
Additional Collections not Specified ............................................................................. 900 900 ................................ 1,200

Total ....................................................................................................................... 8,184 8,684 ............................. 58,449

The total estimate for this collection Dated: February 3, 2016. NUCLEAR REGULATORY
is 58,449 annual burden hours. The Suzanne H. Plimpton, COMMISSION
average annual reporting burden is Reports Clearance Officer, National Science
between 1.7 and 114 hours per Foundation. [NRC–2014–0198]
‘‘respondent,’’ depending on whether a [FR Doc. 2016–02520 Filed 2–8–16; 8:45 am]
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

respondent is a direct participant who is BILLING CODE 7555–01–P
Revisions to Radioactive Waste
self-reporting or representing a project Management Guidance for NRC Staff
and reporting on behalf of many project
participants. AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Standard review plan-final
section revision; issuance

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Document Created: 2018-02-02 14:30:25
Document Modified: 2018-02-02 14:30:25

Category		Regulatory Information
Collection		Federal Register
sudoc Class		AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106:
Publisher		Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
Section		Notices
Action		Notice.
Dates		Comments regarding these information collections are best assured of having their full effect if received by OMB within 30 days of publication in the Federal Register.
FR Citation		81 FR 6894