[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 121 (Wednesday, June 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36363-36364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-15465]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request
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, Public Law 104-13
(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). This is the second notice for public comment;
the first was published in the Federal Register at 79 FR 2014-18873
filed 11 August 2014, and no comments were received. Comments regarding
whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of
[[Page 36364]]
the functions of the NSF, including whether the information will have
practical utility; the accuracy of the NSF's estimate of the burden of
the proposed collection of information; ways to enhance the quality,
utility and clarity of the information to be collected, including
through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of
information technology; ways to minimize the burden of the collection
of information on those who are to respond, including through the use
of appropriate automated or other forms of information technology
should be addressed to: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of
OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for National Science Foundation, 725 7th
Street NW., Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, and to Suzanne H.
Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation, 4201
Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1265, Arlington, Virginia 22230 or send email
to [email protected]. Comments regarding these information collections
are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days
of this notification. Copies of the submission may be obtained by
calling 703-292-7556. 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).
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: 2015 Survey of Doctorate Recipients.
OMB Approval Number: 3145-0020.
Summary of Collection. The Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR) has
been conducted biennially since 1973 and is a longitudinal survey. The
2015 SDR will consist of a sample of individuals less than 76 years of
age who have earned a research doctoral degree in a science,
engineering or health field from a U.S. institution. The purpose of
this longitudinal survey is to collect data that will be used to
provide national estimates on the U.S.-educated doctoral 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.'' More recently, the National Center for Science and
Engineering Statistics (NCSES) was established within NSF by Section
505 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 and given a
broader mandate to collect data related to STEM education, the science
and engineering workforce, and U.S. competitiveness in science,
engineering, technology, and R&D. The SDR is designed to comply with
these mandates by providing information on the supply and utilization
of the nation's doctoral scientists and engineers.
The NSF uses the information from the SDR to prepare
congressionally mandated reports such as Women, Minorities and Persons
with Disabilities in Science and Engineering and Science and
Engineering Indicators. The NSF publishes statistics from the SDR in
many reports, but primarily in the biennial series, Characteristics of
Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the United States. A public
release file of collected data, designed to protect respondent
confidentiality, also will be made available to researchers on the
Internet.
Data will be obtained by web survey, mail questionnaire, and
computer-assisted telephone interviews beginning in September 2015. The
survey will be collected in conformance with the Confidential
Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002, and the
individual's response to the survey is voluntary. NSF will ensure that
all information collected will be kept strictly confidential and will
be used only for statistical purposes.
A statistical sample of approximately 120,000 individuals with
U.S.-earned doctorates in science, engineering or health will be
contacted in 2015. This sample will include approximately 106,000
individuals residing in the U.S. and 14,000 residing abroad. NSF
expects the overall response rate to be 70 percent.
Estimate of Burden: The amount of time to complete the
questionnaire may vary depending on an individual's circumstances;
however, on average it takes approximately 25 minutes. Assuming a 70
percent response rate (84,000 respondents), NSF estimates that the
annual burden for the 2015 SDR is estimated to be 35,000 hours.
Comment: On 11 August 2014, NSF published in the Federal Register
(79 FR 2014-18873) a 60-day notice of our intent to request
reinstatement of this information collection authority from OMB. In
that notice, NSF solicited public comments for 60 days ending 10
October 2014. No comments were received from the public notice.
However, the first notice stated, ``NSF estimates increasing the
current 47,000 sample size by no more than 70,000 for a total sample
size not to exceed 117,000 SEH doctorate holders'' and assumed a
response rate of 80%. After additional sample redesign work, the sample
size and estimated response rates were changed to those described
above: A sample of approximately 120,000 with a 70% response rate, and
a September, rather than February, start date. The later start date
reflects the time spent on the redesign efforts, and the additional
work required to select and locate new sample members.
Dated: June 18, 2015.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2015-15465 Filed 6-23-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P