[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 9, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13529-13530]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-04787]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

 Patent and Trademark Office


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; National 
Summer Teacher Institute

AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, invites comments 
on the extension and revision of an existing information collection: 
0651-0077 (National Summer Teacher Institute). The purpose of this 
notice is to allow 60 days for public comment preceding submission of 
the information collection to OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this information 
collection must be received on or before May 10, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
any of the following methods. Do not submit Confidential Business 
Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information:
    <bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#aae3c4ccc5d8c7cbdec3c5c4e9c5c6c6cfc9dec3c5c4eadfd9dadec584cdc5dc"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="cb82a5ada4b9a6aabfa2a4a588a4a7a7aea8bfa2a4a58bbeb8bbbfa4e5aca4bd">[email protected]</span></a>. Include ``0651-
0077 comment'' in the subject line of the message.
    <bullet> Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
    <bullet> Mail: Kimberly Hardy, Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, 
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to Joyce Ward, Education Director, Office of the 
Chief Communications, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. 
Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; by telephone at 571-272-8424; or 
by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6a200513090f443d0b180e2a1f191a1e05440d051c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="054f6a7c66602b5264776145707675716a2b626a73">[email protected]</span></a> with ``0651-0077 comment'' in the 
subject line. Additional information about this information collection 
is also available at http://www.reginfo.gov under ``Information 
Collection Review.''

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    Since 2014, the USPTO has conducted a program entitled ``National 
Summer Teacher Institute on Innovation, STEM, and Intellectual 
Property.'' The National Summer Teacher Institute (NSTI) is a multi-day 
professional development training opportunity open to all K-12 teachers 
nationwide. NSTI is designed to increase teachers' knowledge of making, 
inventing, creating, and protecting intellectual property so they can 
inspire the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs. This 
program accepts applications for participation in the NSTI. Interested 
individuals must submit an application requesting to participate in the 
program. In the application, applicants must certify that they are 
teachers with at least 3 years' experience; identify STEM related 
fields they have taught in the last year; identify STEM related fields 
they plan to teach in the upcoming year; and acknowledge their 
commitment to incorporate the learnings from the NSTI into their 
curriculum, where applicable, and cooperate with sharing lessons and 
outcomes with teachers and the USPTO.
    The NSTI participants have included teachers in STEM, innovation, 
entrepreneurship, and related fields who will learn about innovative 
strategies to help increase student learning and achievement in these 
fields together with elements of Intellectual Property (IP) and 
invention education. Outside scientists, engineers, inventors, 
creators, and entrepreneurs are among the presenters and workshop 
leads. Attendees participate in field trips (e.g. to NASA, Energy, 
National Labs) and have opportunities for networking with other 
educators and invited experts.
    The USPTO also conducts webinars and workshops for K-12 educators 
in conjunction with or subsequent to the NSTI to provide information on 
IP, invention, and STEM topics of interest to K-12 educators. In light 
of the pandemic, the NSTI and some of the workshops may take place in 
virtual environments. Workshops will be available for educators with 
less than 3 years of experience, pre-service teachers, higher education 
faculty, home school, and informal educators. USPTO plans to conduct 
surveys on the NSTI, workshops, and the webinars in order to gain 
useful feedback from program participants.

II. Method of Collection

    Items in this information collection are submitted via online 
electronic submissions.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0651-0077.
    Form Numbers: (NSTI = National Summer Teacher Institute)

<bullet> NSTI 1 (Summer Teacher Institute Application)
<bullet> NSTI 2 (Summer Teacher Institute Participant Survey)
<bullet> NSTI 3 (Summer Teacher Institute Webinar/Workshop Survey)

    Type of Review: Extension and revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 7,000 respondents per year.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 13,700 responses per year.
    Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that it takes the 
public from approximately 5 minutes (0.08 hours) to 30 minutes (0.5 
hours), depending on the complexity of the situation, to gather the 
necessary information, prepare the appropriate documents, and submit 
the information to the USPTO.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 2,999 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent (Hourly) Cost Burden: $116,032.

[[Page 13530]]



                                         Table 1--Total Hourly Burden for Individuals or Households Respondents
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                                                                                                                                             Estimated
                                                    Estimated       Estimated    Estimated time  for response     Estimated     Rate \1\      annual
      Item No.                  Item                 annual          annual                 (hour)              annual burden   ($/hour)    respondent
                                                   respondents      responses                                    (hour/year)                cost burden
                                                                            (a)  (b).........................     (a) x (b) =        (d)     (c) x (d) =
                                                                                                                          (c)                        (e)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1..................  Summer Teacher Institute             2,100           2,100  0.50 (30 minutes)...........           1,050     $38.69         $40,625
                      Applicants: Application
                      (NSTI 1).
2..................  Summer Teacher Institute               900             900  0.50 (30 minutes)...........             450      38.69          17,411
                      Participants: Application
                      (NSTI 1).
                     Survey (NSTI 2)...........  ..............             900  0.25 (15 minutes)...........             225      38.69           8,705
                     Webinar/Workshop Survey     ..............           1,800  0.13 (8 minutes)............             234      38.69           9,053
                      (NSTI 3).
3..................  Webinar/Workshop Survey              4,000           8,000  0.13 (8 minutes)............           1,040      38.69          40,238
                      (NSTI 3).
                                                --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total..........  ..........................           7,000          13,700  ............................           2,999  .........         116,032
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\1\ The USPTO expects that secondary schoolteachers will complete the applications and surveys. The professional hourly rate for secondary school
  teachers is $31.69, based upon the May 2019 Occupational Labor Statistics Report for secondary school teachers (25-2031); https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes252031.htm.

    Estimated Total Annual (Non-hour) Respondent Cost Burden: $0. There 
are no capital start-up, maintenance, postage, or recordkeeping costs.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.

IV. Request for Comments

    The USPTO is soliciting public comments to:
    (a) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (b) 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;
    (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (d) 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 
submission of responses.
    All comments submitted in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. USPTO will include or summarize each comment in the 
request to OMB to approve this information collection. Before including 
an address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying 
information in a comment, be aware that the entire comment--including 
personal identifying information--may be made publicly available at any 
time. While you may ask in your comment to withhold personal 
identifying information from public view, USPTO cannot guarantee that 
it will be able to do so.

Kimberly Hardy,
Information Collections Officer, Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2021-04787 Filed 3-8-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P


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