Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 197 / Friday, October 13, 2023 / Notices 71031 

submitted to the Division of Education 

Programs. 

15. Date: November 9, 2023 

This video meeting will discuss 

applications on the topic of U.S. 

History, for the Humanities Collections 

and Reference Resources grant program, 

submitted to the Division of 

Preservation and Access. 

16. Date: November 13, 2023 

This video meeting will discuss 

applications for the Humanities 

Connections Implementation Grants 

program, submitted to the Division of 

Education Programs. 

17. Date: November 13, 2023 

This video meeting will discuss 

applications on the topic of New World 

Archaeology, for the Archaeological and 

Ethnographic Field Research grant 

program, submitted to the Division of 

Research Programs. 

18. Date: November 14, 2023 

This video meeting will discuss 

applications on the topics of Art and 

Architectural History, for the 

Humanities and Reference Resources 

grant program, submitted to the Division 

of Preservation and Access. 

19. Date: November 20, 2023 

This video meeting will discuss 

applications on the topics of Old World 

Archaeology and Ethnography, for the 

Archaeological and Ethnographic Field 

Research grant program, submitted to 

the Division of Research Programs. 

20. Date: November 21, 2023 

This video meeting will discuss 

applications on the topics of U.S. 

History Regional, State, and Local, for 

the Humanities Collections and 

Reference Resources grant program, 

submitted to the Division of 

Preservation and Access. 

21. Date: November 27, 2023 

This video meeting will discuss 

applications for the Dynamic Language 

Infrastructure—Documenting 

Endangered Languages Fellowships 

grant program, submitted to the Division 

of Research Programs. 

22. Date: November 27, 2023 

This video meeting will discuss 

applications on the topic of 

Ethnography, for the Archaeological and 

Ethnographic Field Research grant 

program, submitted to the Division of 

Research Programs. 

23. Date: November 29, 2023 

This video meeting will discuss 

applications on the topics of U.S. 

History Regional, State and Local, for 

the Humanities Collections and 

Reference Resources grant program, 

submitted to the Division of 

Preservation and Access. 

24. Date: November 30, 2023 

This video meeting will discuss 

applications on the topic of Indigenous 

Studies, for the Humanities Collections 

and Reference Resources grant program, 

submitted to the Division of 

Preservation and Access. 

Because these meetings will include 

review of personal and/or proprietary 

financial and commercial information 

given in confidence to the agency by 

grant applicants, the meetings will be 

closed to the public pursuant to sections 

552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6) of Title 5, 

U.S.C., as amended. I have made this 

determination pursuant to the authority 

granted me by the Chair’s Delegation of 

Authority to Close Advisory Committee 

Meetings dated April 15, 2016. 

Dated: October 10, 2023. 

Jessica Graves, 

Paralegal Specialist, National Endowment for 

the Humanities. 

[FR Doc. 2023–22648 Filed 10–12–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7536–01–P 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Notice of Intent To Seek Approval To 

Establish an Information Collection 

AGENCY: National Science Foundation. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, and as part of its 

continuing effort to reduce paperwork 

and respondent burden, the National 

Science Foundation (NSF) is inviting 

the general public or other Federal 

agencies to comment on this proposed 

continuing information collection. 

DATES: Written comments on this notice 

must be received by December 12, 2023, 

to be assured consideration. Comments 

received after that date will be 

considered to the extent practicable. 

Send comments to address below. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 

Officer, National Science Foundation, 

2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite E7400, 

Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone 

(703) 292–7556; or send email to 

splimpto@nsf.gov. 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). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments: Comments are invited on: 

(a) whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

Foundation, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(b) the accuracy of the Foundation’s 

estimate of the burden of the proposed 

collection of information; (c) ways to 

enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 

of the information to be collected; and 

(d) ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

Title of Collection: NSF’s Safe and 

Inclusive Fieldwork (SAIF) Pilot in 

Biological Sciences (BIO) and 

Geosciences (GEO) PI Survey. 

OMB Number: 3145–NEW. 

Expiration Date of Approval: Not 

applicable. 

Type of Request: Intent to seek 

approval to establish an information 

collection. 

Abstract: The National Science 

Foundation (NSF) on 8 February 2018, 

in Important Notice No. 144 (8 Feb 

2018) to Presidents of Universities and 

Colleges and Heads of Other National 

Science Foundation Grantee 

Organizations, emphasized that the 

agency does not tolerate sexual 

harassment, or any kind of harassment, 

anywhere NSF-funded science and 

education are conducted. The memo 

elaborated that the NSF is committed to 

‘‘. . . promoting safe, productive 

research and education environments 

. . . ,’’ including those outside the 

organization, such as at field sites or 

facilities. Two NSF-wide policy changes 

quickly followed the memo to make 

clear that the agency was committed to 

safe research and learning 

environments. The first was a new Term 

and Condition that required awardee 

organizations to notify the NSF of any 

findings/determinations of sexual 

harassment, other forms of harassment, 

or sexual assault regarding an NSF 

funded Principal Investigator (PI) or coPI, or of the placement of the PI or coPI on administrative leave, or the 

imposition of any administrative action 

relating to harassment or sexual assault 

finding or investigator. The second was 

a new requirement for all NSF 

supported conferences to have a policy 

or code-of-conduct that addresses sexual 

harassment, other forms of harassment, 

and sexual assault, and that includes 

clear and accessible means of reporting 

violations of the policy or code-ofconduct. Proposers were not, however, 

required to submit that policy or codeVerDate Sep<11>2014 16:55 Oct 12, 2023 Jkt 262001 PO 00000 Frm 00112 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\13OCN1.SGM 13OCN1

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71032 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 197 / Friday, October 13, 2023 / Notices 

of-conduct for review. Additional policy 

changes have since followed, including 

this year (as of 30 January 2023) when 

all organizations submitting proposals 

to the NSF with off-site or off-campus 

research (i.e., fieldwork) were 

henceforth required to certify that they 

have a proposal-specific plan in place 

for safe and inclusive research (Chapter 

II.E.9 of the Proposal and Award Policy 

and Procedures Guide); however, the 

plan itself is not required to be 

submitted to the NSF or subject to 

review. 

Two of the NSF directorates 

[Biological Sciences (BIO) and 

Geosciences (GEO)] fund 

disproportinately large numbers of 

awards to researchers with significant 

fieldwork components, and because 

fieldwork is known to be particularly 

risky with respect to safety and 

inclusion (e.g., Clancy et al. 2014, 

Nelson et al. 2017, John and Khan 2018, 

Giles et al. 2020), BIO and GEO initiated 

a pilot program to require Principal 

Investigators (PIs) of submitted projects 

involving fieldwork to include a 2-page 

Supplementary Document summarizing 

how the project team would ensure a 

safe and inclusive working environment 

for all associated personnel. This plan is 

called the Safe and Inclusive Fieldwork 

(SAIF) Plan and is required for several 

solicitations in BIO and GEO, but not 

all. Importantly the SAIF Plans are 

subject to merit review as part of the 

NSF Broader Impacts criterion. 

Recent research has repeatedly 

demonstrated that fieldwork can be 

especially challenging, and uniquely so, 

with respect to inclusion (e.g., Demery 

and Pipkin 2020, Marin-Spiotta et al. 

2020, O’Brien et al. 2020, RamirezCastaneda et al. 2022; Yarincik et al. 

2023), and without inclusion, attrition 

from the STEM workforce is accelerated 

(NASEM 2018, 2019). To ensure that the 

United States leads the world in 

discovery and innovation, it is critical to 

broaden participation and empower all 

STEM talent to fully participate in 

science, and in fact this is one of NSF’s 

top stragegic goals (NSF 2022–2026 

Strategic Plan), along with the 

corresponding strategic objective—to 

ensure accessibility and inclusivity. In 

addition, broadening participation/ 

inclusion is a key component of NSF’s 

Broader Impacts review criterion. 

Because research proposals with 

fieldwork are common at the NSF, 

especially in BIO and GEO, the SAIF 

Pilot aims to (a) empower those 

scientific communities to develop 

promising practices and strategies to 

ensure safe and inclusive working 

environments, (b) collect and analyze 

the diversity of approaches used, and (c) 

speed culture change beyond what is 

accomplished by compliance (e.g., 

NASEM 2018). For solicitations 

participating in the SAIF Pilot, SAIF 

Plans will be associated directly with 

each submitted NSF proposal and 

subject to merit review. The lead PI of 

a submitted project that includes any 

off-campus or off-site research (i.e., 

fieldwork) must (a) describe the unique 

challenges for their teams; (b) provide 

information on the steps that will be 

taken to nurture an inclusive 

environment; (c) outline the 

communication processes within the 

field team and the organization, and (d) 

list the organizational mechanisms to be 

used for reporting, responding to, and 

resolving issues of harassment if they 

arise. All of these steps are based on 

best practices from the literature (see 

Yarnick et al. 2023). 

For all of the aforementioned reasons, 

the NSF BIO and GEO Directorates 

request the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) approval of this clearance 

to aid in the evaluation of NSF’s Safe 

and Inclusive Fieldwork (SAIF) Pilot. 

The approval would cover PI surveys 

and interviews as described below. 

—PI Survey. We seek approval to 

conduct a web-based survey of 

Principal Investigators (PIs) who have 

submitted proposals to the 

solicitations participating in the SAIF 

Pilot. The PI survey is to assess key 

information on the preparation of the 

plans (e.g., time and resources) and 

whether the NSF review criteria are 

clear. The survey data will help to 

enable the NSF to better assess the 

value of requiring PIs with proposals 

that have off-campus or off-site 

research (i.e., fieldwork) to include 

SAIF Plans as a Supplementary 

Document subject to merit review, in 

lieu of the PAPPG NSF 23–1 Chapter 

II.E.9 requirement that requires only 

that the AOR certify that the 

organization has a plan in place for 

safe and inclusive research but does 

not submit that plan to the NSF for 

review. 

—Interviews with PIs who have 

submitted and/or reviewed SAIF 

Plans. Interviews with PIs who have 

submitted proposals to solicitations 

participating in the SAIF Pilot, and/or 

have reviewed proposals that have 

included a SAIF Plan, are important 

to provide in-depth information about 

specific topics of interest to NSF (e.g., 

institutional support for the creation 

of the SAIF Plans; details on process 

and implementation; perceptions of 

value; etc.). The interviews will be 

conducted using a virtual meeting 

platform at a time convenient for the 

participants. An added purpose is to 

corroborate findings obtained through 

the PI surveys and to dive more 

deeply on selected areas that are of 

interest to BIO and GEO staff and 

other stakeholders. 

This data collection is necessary to 

provide NSF with timely and actionable 

information about the preparation, 

common strategies and activities, 

organizational involvement, clarity and 

value of merit review, and outcomes 

associated with SAIF Plans. We note 

that the U.S. Department of Energy now 

requires Promoting Inclusive and 

Equitable Research (PIER) Plans for 

every submission, regardless of whether 

the work is on- or off-campus. An early 

assessment of the NSF BIO and GEO 

SAIF Pilot will be important for 

understanding the (1) administrative 

burden required to write and review 

SAIF Plans, (2) their perceived value, 

and (3) promising strategies to creating 

safe and inclusive working 

environments. 

Use of the Information: Aggregate 

results from the survey and interviews 

will be summarized in reports. While 

the individual survey and interview 

responses will be identifiable to NSF 

staff, no information about individuals 

participating in the surveys and 

interviews will be released to anyone 

outside of the NSF. The data collected 

and reported on will be used for 

planning, management, and evaluation 

purposes only. These data are needed 

for effective evaluation and for 

measuring attainment of NSF’s program 

and strategic goals, as identified by the 

President’s Accountable Government 

Initiative, the Government Performance 

and Results Act Modernization Act of 

2010, Evidence-Based Policymaking Act 

of 2018, and NSF’s Strategic Plan. 

Expected Respondents: The 

respondents are either Principal 

Investigators (PIs) and/or other key 

personnel (e.g., coPIs) on grants 

submitted to programs participating in 

the SAIF Pilot. As a control, and as a 

way to gather information on the views 

of PIs to the new PAPPG NSF 23–1 

Chapter II.E.9 requirement, PIs 

submitting to solicitations in BIO and 

GEO that do not require SAIF Plans will 

also be included. The numbers of PIs 

who are likely to respond to the survey 

are estimated below under Estimate of 

Burden. The interviews will be a 

random subset of PIs. 

Estimate of Burden 

Estimates of Annualized Cost to 

Respondents for the Hour Burdens 

The overall annualized cost to the 

respondents is estimated to be $21,712. 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 197 / Friday, October 13, 2023 / Notices 71033 

1https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes251021.htm. 

The following table shows the estimated 

burden and costs to respondents, who 

are PIs or coPIs of NSF proposals to the 

BIO and GEO directorates. This 

estimated hourly rate is based on a 

report from the Bureau of Labor 

Statistics’ Occupational Employment 

and Wages, May 2022.1 According to 

this report, the mean hourly rate is 

$46.38 for biological scientists (code 

191020), and $42.96 for geoscientists 

(code 192040). We used $46 as the 

amount to calculate burden. Estimated 

numbers are based on FY22 # of 

submissions to each of the participating 

solicitations and then estimating the % 

with field work for each solicitation, 

using advice from Program Officers 

familiar with each program. 

Directorate Solicitation 

Number of 

submitters 

in FY22 

% with 

fieldwork 

∼# PIs with 

fieldwork 

Burden 

hours per 

respondent 

Total 

hour 

burden 

Estimated 

annual 

cost 

BIO ............................................................. 23–580 147 7 10 .5 5.2 237 

BIO ............................................................. 23–578 84 7 6 .5 2.9 135 

BIO ............................................................. 23–547 444 40 178 .5 88.8 4,085 

BIO ............................................................. 23–559 98 50 49 .5 24.5 1,127 

BIO ............................................................. 23–548 394 5 197 .5 98.5 4,531 

BIO ............................................................. 23–542 109 100 109 .5 54.5 2,507 

BIO ............................................................. 23–549 318 75 239 .5 119.3 5,486 

GEO ........................................................... 23–572 211 67 141 .5 70.7 3,252 

GEO ........................................................... 23–540 14 75 11 .5 5.3 242 

GEO ........................................................... 23–539 16 30 5 .5 2.4 110 

Estimated Number of Responses 

(given ∼85% response rate) for PI 

Survey: We will survey approximately 

800 individuals, given the information 

in the table above, which includes the 

estimated number of submissions to 

each of the solicitations in the SAIF 

Pilot, and the % of those proposals with 

fieldwork. 

Estimated Number of PI Interviews: 

We will interview approximately 70 

individuals, with sampling aross all of 

the solicitations participating in the 

SAIF Pilot. 

Dated: October 10, 2023. 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, 

Reports Clearance Officer, National Science 

Foundation. 

Citations 

Clancy, K.B., H., R.G. Nelson, J.N. 

Rutherford, and K. Hinde. 2014. Survey 

of academic field experiences (SAFE): 

Trainees report harassment and assault. 

PLoS ONE 9:e102172. 

Demery, A.C., and M.A. Pipkin. 2021. Safe 

fieldwork strategies for at-risk 

individuals, their supervisors and 

institutions. Nature Ecology and 

Evolution 5:5–9. 

Giles, S., C. Jackson, and N. Stephen. 2020. 

Barriers to fieldwork in undergraduate 

geology degrees. Nature Reviews Earth & 

Environment 1:77–78. https://doi.org/ 

10.1038/s43017-020-0022-5. 

John, C.M., and S.B. Khan. 2018. Mental 

health in the field. Nature Geoscience 

11:618–620. 

Marin-Spiotta, E., R.T. Barnes, A.A. Berhe, 

M.G. Hastings, A. Mattheis, B. 

Schneider, and B.M. Williams. 2020. 

Hostile climates are barriers to 

diversifying the geosciences. Advances 

in Geosciences 53:117–127. https://

doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-53-117-2020. 

National Academies of Sciences, 

Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Sexual 

harassment of women: Climate, culture, 

and consequences in academic sciences, 

engineering, and medicine. The National 

Academies Press. https://doi.org/ 

10.17226/24994. 

National Academies of Sciences, 

Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. The 

science of effective mentorship in 

STEMM. The National Academies Press. 

https://doi.org/10.17226/25568. 

Nelson, R.G., et al. 2017. Signaling safety: 

Characterizing fieldwork experiences 

and their implications for career 

trajectories. American Anthropologist 

119:710–722. 

O’Brien, L.T., H.L. Bart, and D.M. Garcia. 

2020. Why are there so few ethnic 

minorities in ecology and evolutionary 

biology? Challenges to inclusion and the 

role of sense of belonging. Social 

Psychology of Education 23:449–477. 

Ramirez-Castaneda, V., E.P. Westeen, J. 

Frederick, et al. (+30) 2022. A set of 

principles and practical suggestions for 

equitable fieldwork in biology. 

Proceedings of the National Academy of 

Sciences 119e:2122667119. https://

doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2122667119. 

Yarincik, K., A. Kelly, T. McGlynn, R.M. 

Verble. 2023. Best practices to promote 

field science safety. Integrative and 

Comparative Biology 63:145–161. 

[FR Doc. 2023–22679 Filed 10–12–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7555–01–P 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Notice of Intent To Seek Approval To 

Establish an Information Collection 

AGENCY: Directorate for Technology, 

Innovation, and Partnerships, National 

Science Foundation. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, and as part of its 

continuing effort to reduce paperwork 

and respondent burden, the Directorate 

for Technology, Innovation, and 

Partnerships (TIP), National Science 

Foundation (NSF) is inviting the general 

public or other Federal agencies to 

comment on this proposed information 

collection. 

DATES: Written comments on this notice 

must be received by December 12, 2023, 

to be assured consideration. Comments 

received after that date will be 

considered to the extent practicable. 

Send comments to the address below. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 

Officer, National Science Foundation, 

2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite E7400, 

Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone 

(703) 292–7556; or send email to 

splimpto@nsf.gov. 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: Comments are invited on: 

(a) whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

Foundation, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(b) the accuracy of the Foundation’s 

estimate of the burden of the proposed 

collection of information; (c) ways to 

enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 

of the information to be collected; and 

(d) ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, including through the 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1