Request for Comments on the Intent To Conduct an Evaluation of the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT), 72004-72005 [2011-29989]
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 224 / Monday, November 21, 2011 / Notices
• Evaluate the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
• Enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and
• 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, e.g., permitting
electronic submissions of responses.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to:
Matthew Birnbaum, Ph.D., Evaluation
and Research Officer, Institute of
Museum and Library Services, 1800 M
St., NW., Washington, DC 20036.
Telephone: (202) 653–4647, Fax: (202)
653–4611 or by email at
mbirnbaum@imls.gov or by or by
teletype (TTY/TDD) for persons with
hearing difficulty at 202/653–4614.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Institute of Museum and Library
Services is an independent Federal
grant-making agency authorized by the
Museum and Library Services Act,
Public Law 104–208 and is the primary
source of federal support for the nation’s
123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums.
The IMLS provides a variety of grant
programs to assist the nation’s museums
and libraries in improving their
operations and enhancing their services
to the public. Museums and libraries of
all sizes and types may receive support
from IMLS programs. In the Museum
and Library Services Act of 2010, IMLS
is charged with the responsibility of
identifying national needs for, and
trends of, museum and library services;
reporting on the impact and
effectiveness of programs conducted
with funds made available by the
Institute in addressing such needs; and
identifying, and disseminating
information on, the best practices of
such programs. This solicitation is to
develop plans to conduct a program
evaluation of the Laura Bush 21st
Century Librarian Grant Program which
began in 2003.
emcdonald on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
II. Current Actions
The Institute of Museum and Library
Services, in accordance with the
Museum and Library Services Act of
2010, is authorized to identify needs
and trends of museum and library
services, report on the impact and
effectiveness, and identify best practices
of programs conducted with funds made
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16:00 Nov 18, 2011
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available by the Institute. Current
research initiatives include analysis of
grants made to educational and training
programs by the Laura Bush 21st
Century Librarian Grant Program
between 2003 and 2007 to assess the
outcomes and impact of such grants on
the Nation’s librarian workforce,
institutions, and their communities.
IMLS proposes to collect qualitative and
quantitative information from grant
recipients and program participants via
interviews and a web-based survey.
Relevant information includes but is not
limited to: The planning process of the
grant program; recruiting methods;
challenges and lessons learned;
programmatic outcomes; and
placements of program participants. The
information IMLS collects will build on,
but not duplicate existing or ongoing
collections.
Agency: Institute of Museum and
Library Services.
Title: Laura Bush 21st Century
Librarian Grant Program Evaluation.
OMB Number: To be determined.
Agency Number: 3137.
Frequency: One time.
Affected Public: Libraries,
Educational Institutions, Grant
Recipients, and Program Participants.
Number of Respondents: To be
determined.
Estimated Time per Respondent: To
be determined.
Total Burden Hours: To be
determined.
Total Annualized capital/startup
costs: To be determined.
Total Annual costs: To be determined.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Matthew Birnbaum, Evaluation and
Research Officer, Office of Planning,
Research and Evaluation, Institute of
Museum and Library Services, 1800 M
St., NW., Washington, DC 20036, email:
mbirnbaum@imls.gov, telephone (202)
653–4760.
Dated: November 15, 2011.
Kim Miller,
Management Analyst, Office of Policy,
Research and Evaluation.
[FR Doc. 2011–29942 Filed 11–18–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7036–01–P
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Request for Comments on the Intent
To Conduct an Evaluation of the
Scientists and Engineers Statistical
Data System (SESTAT)
National Science Foundation.
Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
This notice announces the
intent of the National Center for Science
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00073
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and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) at
the National Science Foundation (NSF)
to conduct an evaluation of the designs
for two of the three surveys that
comprise the Scientists and Engineers
Statistical Data System (SESTAT). This
notice is in response to recent
improvements to the design of the
National Survey of College Graduates
(NSCG) that potentially offset the
further need for the National Survey of
Recent College Graduates (NSRCG).
As part of this evaluation, the NCSES
is: (1) Investigating the possibility of
discontinuing the information collection
for the NSRCG; (2) examining the use of
the American Community Survey (ACS)
to increase the sample of young
graduates within the NSCG; and (3)
studying the impact of providing data
on young graduates rather than recent
graduates.
SESTAT is a unique source of
longitudinal information on the
education and employment of the
college-educated U.S. science and
engineering (S&E) workforce. These data
are collected through three biennial
surveys: The NSCG, the NSRCG, and the
Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR).
The NSCG is the core of SESTAT
providing data from a nationally
representative sample of U. S. scientists
and engineers with at least a bachelor’s
degree. The NSRCG supplements
SESTAT with an inflow of recent
college graduates in S&E degree fields.
The SDR further supplements SESTAT
with the stock and inflow of U.S. earned
doctoral level scientists and engineers.
Prior to the recent improvements to
the NSCG, the NSRCG was the only
source of data for the inflow of recent
college graduates in S&E fields. Prior to
the 2010 survey cycle, the NSCG
selected its sample of college graduates
once a decade from the decennial
census long form and relied on the
NSRCG to maximize coverage of the
underlying S&E workforce. In the 2010
survey cycle, the NCSES redesigned the
NSCG as a nationally representative
rotating panel survey of college
graduates based on biennial samples
drawn from the ACS. The inclusion of
a field of degree question on the ACS
allows the NSCG to efficiently sample
college graduates in S&E degree fields.
In addition, the ongoing nature of the
ACS allows the NSCG to provide
coverage of the inflow of new college
graduates to each new panel. This
improvement in coverage allows the
NSCG to provide biennial estimates of
young college graduates in S&E degree
fields and, as a result, potentially offsets
the further need for conducting the
biennial NSRCG.
E:\FR\FM\21NON1.SGM
21NON1
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 224 / Monday, November 21, 2011 / Notices
emcdonald on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
It should be noted that the potential
design changes being considered for
SESTAT will not result in any change
in the population covered by SESTAT,
nor will it have an impact on race/
ethnicity and other diversity data
produced by SESTAT. The potential
design changes, however, could impact
the precision level for SESTAT
estimates of the recent graduates
population. Since the NSRCG sample
selection targets recent college graduates
and the NSCG sample selection targets
young college graduates, the evaluation
will examine the impact of providing
data on young graduates rather than
recent graduates.
The NCSES is interested in all
comments, especially from government
policy makers, academic researchers,
and NSRCG data users that specify
concerns related to the possibility of
discontinuing the NSRCG.
DATES: Send your written comments by
January 20, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Send your written
comments to Dr. Lynda T. Carlson,
Director, National Center for Science
and Engineering Statistics, National
Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd.,
Room 965, Arlington, VA 22230. Send
email comments to lcarlson@nsf.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Lynda T. Carlson, Director, National
Center for Science and Engineering
Statistics, National Science Foundation,
at (703) 292–7766, or email at
mailto:lcarlson@nsf.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
difficulty of tracking its highly mobile
target population. Nonetheless, without
the NSRCG, SESTAT would not have
been able to provide data for recent
college graduates in S&E degree fields.
In the 2008 National Academies
CNSTAT report, Using the American
Community Survey for the National
Science Foundation’s Science and
Engineering Workforce Statistics
Program, Recommendation 7.5 reads:
‘‘The NSF should use the opportunity
afforded by the introduction of the ACS
as a sampling frame to reconsider the
design of the SESTAT Program and the
contents of its component surveys.’’
Recommendation 7.5 stemmed from the
discontinuation of the decennial census
long form by the Census Bureau, the
availability of the ACS as a sampling
frame, and the addition of a question to
the ACS requesting respondents’ field of
bachelor’s degree.
The change to an ACS-based sample
design for the NSCG allows the NSF an
opportunity to rethink SESTAT,
particularly whether the NSRCG is the
most efficient and timely way to obtain
information on the inflow of new
graduates. Moving forward, a data
system that would no longer require the
NSRCG is a potential option. In place of
the discontinued NSRCG, one
possibility is to utilize an enhanced
NSCG with an increased sample of
young college graduates in S&E degree
fields.
A. Background
The NSF has been responsible for
providing information about the
nation’s scientists and engineers for
over 60 years. NSF’s Scientists and
Engineers Statistical Data System
(SESTAT) originally was developed in
response to recommendations from the
1989 National Academies Committee on
National Statistics (CNSTAT) report,
Surveying the Nation’s Scientists and
Engineers—A Data System for the
1990s. Prior to the 2010 survey cycle,
the NSCG selected its sample from the
decennial census long form to provide
a baseline for a longitudinal cohort
study of college graduates residing in
the United States over the decade. The
NSRCG was used to biennially update
the NSCG cohort over the decade with
more recent college graduates in S&E
degree fields. On a per case basis, the
NSRCG is the most expensive of the
three SESTAT surveys due to its twostage sampling design (stage 1 is a
sample of academic institutions and
stage 2 is a sample of S&E bachelor’s
and master’s graduates) and the
B. Request for Comments
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:00 Nov 18, 2011
Jkt 226001
NCSES is seeking additional
information from the public.
Governmental policy makers, academic
researchers, NSRCG data users, and
other interested parties are encouraged
to participate by submitting comments.
Official address, contact, and due date
for submitting comments are stated
above.
Dated: November 15, 2011.
Lynda Carlson,
Director, National Center for Science and
Engineering Statistics.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science
Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2011–29989 Filed 11–18–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555–01–P
PO 00000
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72005
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[NRC–2011–0265]
NUREG–1556, Volume 2, Revision 1,
‘‘Consolidated Guidance About
Materials Licenses Program-Specific
Guidance About Industrial
Radiography Licenses;’’ Draft
Guidance for Comment
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Notice of availability and
request for comments.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is revising its
licensing guidance for industrial
radiography licensees. The NRC has
issued for public comment a document
entitled: NUREG–1556, Volume 2,
Revision 1, ‘‘Consolidated Guidance
About Materials Licenses: ProgramSpecific Guidance About Industrial
Radiography Licenses, Draft Report for
Comment.’’
The document has been updated to
include safety culture, security of
radioactive materials, protection of
sensitive information, an appendix on
lay-barges and offshore radiography,
and incorporated changes in regulatory
policies and practices.
The NRC originally published
NUREG–1556, Volume 2, ‘‘Consolidated
Guidance About Materials Licenses:
Program-Specific Guidance About
Industrial Radiography Licenses’’ in
August 1998. This document is
intended for use by applicants,
licensees, and NRC staff and will also be
available to Agreement States.
DATES: Please submit comments by
January 13, 2012. Comments received
after this date will be considered if it is
practical to do so, but the NRC is able
to assure consideration only for
comments received on or before this
date.
SUMMARY:
Please include Docket ID
NRC–2011–0265 in the subject line of
your comments. For additional
instructions on submitting comments
and instructions on accessing
documents related to this action, see
‘‘Submitting Comments and Accessing
Information’’ in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this document.
You may submit comments by any one
of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web Site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for documents filed under Docket ID
NRC–2011–0265. Address questions
about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher,
telephone: (301) 492–3668; email:
Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov.
ADDRESSES:
E:\FR\FM\21NON1.SGM
21NON1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 224 (Monday, November 21, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72004-72005]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-29989]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Request for Comments on the Intent To Conduct an Evaluation of
the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT)
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice announces the intent of the National Center for
Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) at the National Science
Foundation (NSF) to conduct an evaluation of the designs for two of the
three surveys that comprise the Scientists and Engineers Statistical
Data System (SESTAT). This notice is in response to recent improvements
to the design of the National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG) that
potentially offset the further need for the National Survey of Recent
College Graduates (NSRCG).
As part of this evaluation, the NCSES is: (1) Investigating the
possibility of discontinuing the information collection for the NSRCG;
(2) examining the use of the American Community Survey (ACS) to
increase the sample of young graduates within the NSCG; and (3)
studying the impact of providing data on young graduates rather than
recent graduates.
SESTAT is a unique source of longitudinal information on the
education and employment of the college-educated U.S. science and
engineering (S&E) workforce. These data are collected through three
biennial surveys: The NSCG, the NSRCG, and the Survey of Doctorate
Recipients (SDR). The NSCG is the core of SESTAT providing data from a
nationally representative sample of U. S. scientists and engineers with
at least a bachelor's degree. The NSRCG supplements SESTAT with an
inflow of recent college graduates in S&E degree fields. The SDR
further supplements SESTAT with the stock and inflow of U.S. earned
doctoral level scientists and engineers.
Prior to the recent improvements to the NSCG, the NSRCG was the
only source of data for the inflow of recent college graduates in S&E
fields. Prior to the 2010 survey cycle, the NSCG selected its sample of
college graduates once a decade from the decennial census long form and
relied on the NSRCG to maximize coverage of the underlying S&E
workforce. In the 2010 survey cycle, the NCSES redesigned the NSCG as a
nationally representative rotating panel survey of college graduates
based on biennial samples drawn from the ACS. The inclusion of a field
of degree question on the ACS allows the NSCG to efficiently sample
college graduates in S&E degree fields. In addition, the ongoing nature
of the ACS allows the NSCG to provide coverage of the inflow of new
college graduates to each new panel. This improvement in coverage
allows the NSCG to provide biennial estimates of young college
graduates in S&E degree fields and, as a result, potentially offsets
the further need for conducting the biennial NSRCG.
[[Page 72005]]
It should be noted that the potential design changes being
considered for SESTAT will not result in any change in the population
covered by SESTAT, nor will it have an impact on race/ethnicity and
other diversity data produced by SESTAT. The potential design changes,
however, could impact the precision level for SESTAT estimates of the
recent graduates population. Since the NSRCG sample selection targets
recent college graduates and the NSCG sample selection targets young
college graduates, the evaluation will examine the impact of providing
data on young graduates rather than recent graduates.
The NCSES is interested in all comments, especially from government
policy makers, academic researchers, and NSRCG data users that specify
concerns related to the possibility of discontinuing the NSRCG.
DATES: Send your written comments by January 20, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Send your written comments to Dr. Lynda T. Carlson,
Director, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics,
National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Room 965, Arlington, VA
22230. Send email comments to lcarlson@nsf.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Lynda T. Carlson, Director,
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National
Science Foundation, at (703) 292-7766, or email at
mailto:lcarlson@nsf.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Background
The NSF has been responsible for providing information about the
nation's scientists and engineers for over 60 years. NSF's Scientists
and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT) originally was developed
in response to recommendations from the 1989 National Academies
Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) report, Surveying the
Nation's Scientists and Engineers--A Data System for the 1990s. Prior
to the 2010 survey cycle, the NSCG selected its sample from the
decennial census long form to provide a baseline for a longitudinal
cohort study of college graduates residing in the United States over
the decade. The NSRCG was used to biennially update the NSCG cohort
over the decade with more recent college graduates in S&E degree
fields. On a per case basis, the NSRCG is the most expensive of the
three SESTAT surveys due to its two-stage sampling design (stage 1 is a
sample of academic institutions and stage 2 is a sample of S&E
bachelor's and master's graduates) and the difficulty of tracking its
highly mobile target population. Nonetheless, without the NSRCG, SESTAT
would not have been able to provide data for recent college graduates
in S&E degree fields.
In the 2008 National Academies CNSTAT report, Using the American
Community Survey for the National Science Foundation's Science and
Engineering Workforce Statistics Program, Recommendation 7.5 reads:
``The NSF should use the opportunity afforded by the introduction of
the ACS as a sampling frame to reconsider the design of the SESTAT
Program and the contents of its component surveys.'' Recommendation 7.5
stemmed from the discontinuation of the decennial census long form by
the Census Bureau, the availability of the ACS as a sampling frame, and
the addition of a question to the ACS requesting respondents' field of
bachelor's degree.
The change to an ACS-based sample design for the NSCG allows the
NSF an opportunity to rethink SESTAT, particularly whether the NSRCG is
the most efficient and timely way to obtain information on the inflow
of new graduates. Moving forward, a data system that would no longer
require the NSRCG is a potential option. In place of the discontinued
NSRCG, one possibility is to utilize an enhanced NSCG with an increased
sample of young college graduates in S&E degree fields.
B. Request for Comments
NCSES is seeking additional information from the public.
Governmental policy makers, academic researchers, NSRCG data users, and
other interested parties are encouraged to participate by submitting
comments. Official address, contact, and due date for submitting
comments are stated above.
Dated: November 15, 2011.
Lynda Carlson,
Director, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2011-29989 Filed 11-18-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P
