Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 225 / Thursday, November 21, 2024 / Notices 92177 

13. Date: December 10, 2024 

This video meeting will discuss 

applications for the Dialogues on the 

Experience of War grant program, 

submitted to the Division of Education 

Programs. 

14. Date: December 10, 2024 

This video meeting will discuss 

applications on the topics of Cultural 

Organizations and Historic Sites, for the 

Climate Smart Humanities Organization 

grant program, submitted to the Office 

of Challenge Programs. 

15. Date: December 10, 2024 

This video meeting will discuss 

applications on the topics of Critical 

Data and Cultural Studies, for the 

Dangers and Opportunities of 

Technology: Perspectives from the 

Humanities (Collaborative) grant 

program, submitted to the Office of 

Digital Humanities. 

16. Date: December 11, 2024 

This video meeting will discuss 

applications for the Fellowship 

Programs at Independent Research 

Institutions grant program, submitted to 

the Division of Research Programs. 

17. Date: December 13, 2024 

This video meeting will discuss 

applications for the Fellowship 

Programs at Independent Research 

Institutions grant program, submitted to 

the Division of Research Programs. 

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: November 15, 2024. 

Jessica Graves, 

Paralegal Specialist, National Endowment for 

the Humanities. 

[FR Doc. 2024–27230 Filed 11–20–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7536–01–P 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Comment Request: Survey 

of Earned Doctorates 

AGENCY: National Center for Science and 

Engineering Statistics, National Science 

Foundation. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The National Science 

Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans 

to renew this collection In accordance 

with the requirements of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, we are providing 

opportunity for public comment on this 

action. After obtaining and considering 

public comments, NSF will prepare the 

submission requesting OMB clearance 

of this collection for three years. 

DATES: Written comments on this notice 

must be received by January 21, 2025 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 E6400, 

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: 

Title of Collection: Survey of Earned 

Doctorates. 

OMB Control Number: 3145–0019. 

Expiration Date of Current Approval: 

May 31, 2026. 

Type of Request: Intent to seek 

approval to extend an information 

collection for three years. 

Abstract: Established within the NSF 

by the America COMPETES 

Reauthorization Act of 2010 section 505, 

codified in the NSF Act of 1950, as 

amended, the National Center for 

Science and Engineering Statistics 

(NCSES) serves as a central Federal 

clearinghouse for the collection, 

interpretation, analysis, and 

dissemination of objective data on 

science, engineering, technology, and 

research and development for use by 

practitioners, researchers, policymakers, 

and the public. 

The Survey of Earned Doctorates 

(SED) is part of NCSES’ survey system 

that collects data on individuals to 

provide information on science and 

engineering education and careers in the 

United States. The SED has been 

conducted annually since 1958 and is 

jointly sponsored by four Federal 

agencies (NSF/NCSES, National 

Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of 

Education/National Center for 

Education Statistics, and National 

Endowment for the Humanities) to 

avoid duplication of effort in collecting 

such data. It is an accurate, timely 

source of information on one of our 

Nation’s most important resources— 

highly educated individuals. This 

request to extend the information 

collection for three years is to cover the 

2026 and 2027 SED survey cycles. 

Data are obtained via Web survey 

from each person earning a research 

doctorate at the time they receive the 

degree. Data are collected on their field 

of specialty, educational background, 

sources of support in graduate school, 

debt level, postgraduation plans, and 

demographic characteristics. NCSES 

publishes statistics from the survey in 

several reports. The survey will be 

collected in conformance with the 

Privacy Act of 1974. Responses from 

individuals are voluntary. NCSES will 

ensure that all individually identifiable 

information collected will be kept 

strictly confidential and will be used 

only for research or statistical purposes. 

Use of the Information: The Federal 

Government, universities, researchers, 

policy makers, and others use the 

information extensively. Results from 

the SED are used to assess 

characteristics of the doctorate 

population and trends in doctoral 

education and degrees. Data from the 

survey are published annually on the 

NCSES website in a publication series 

reporting on all fields of study, titled 

Doctorate Recipients from U.S. 

Universities (https://www.nsf.gov/ 

statistics/doctorates). Information from 

the SED is also included in other series 

available online: Science and 

Engineering Indicators (https://

ncses.nsf.gov/indicators); and Women, 

Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities 

in Science and Engineering (https:// 

www.nsf.gov/statistics/women). In 

addition, access to tabular data from 

selected variables is available through 

the NCSES online data tool (https://

ncsesdata.nsf.gov/builder/sed) and the 

SED Restricted Data System (https://

ncsesdata.nsf.gov/rdas). 

Expected Respondents: The SED is a 

census of all individuals receiving a 

research doctorate from an accredited 

U.S. academic institution in the 

academic year beginning 1 July and 

ending 30 June of the subsequent year. 

As such, the population for the 2026 

SED consists of all individuals receiving 

a research doctorate in the 12-month 

period beginning 1 July 2025 and 

ending 30 June 2026. Likewise, the 

population for the 2027 SED consists of 

all individuals receiving a research 

doctorate in the 12-month period 

beginning 1 July 2026 and ending 30 

June 2027. A research doctorate is a 

doctoral degree that (1) requires 

completion of an original intellectual 

contribution in the form of a 

dissertation or an equivalent 


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92178 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 225 / Thursday, November 21, 2024 / Notices 

culminating project (e.g., musical 

composition) and (2) is not primarily 

intended as a degree for the practice of 

a profession. The most common 

research doctorate degree is the Ph.D. 

Recipients of professional doctoral 

degrees, such as MD, DDS, JD, DPharm, 

and PsyD, are not included in the SED. 

The 2026 and 2027 SED are expected to 

include about 630 separately reporting 

schools with eligible research doctoral 

programs from about 460 doctorategranting institutions. Based on the 

historical trend and the disruptive 

impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic that 

suppressed the enrollment of research 

doctoral programs since 2020, NCSES 

expects a stable turnout of research 

doctorates for the next few years with a 

nominal increase from the 2025 cycle, 

estimating that approximately 58,000 

individuals will receive a research 

doctorate from U.S. institutions in each 

of the 2026 and 2027 cycle. 

In addition to the questionnaire for 

individuals receiving their research 

doctorates, the SED needs to collect 

administrative data such as graduation 

lists from participating academic 

institutions. The Institutional 

Coordinator at the institution helps 

distribute the Web survey link, track 

survey completions, and submit 

information to the SED survey 

contractor. 

Estimate of Burden: An average 

overall response rate of 91.5% of the 

persons who earned a research doctorate 

from a U.S. institution was obtained in 

the academic years 2021, 2022, and 

2023. Using the past response rate, the 

number of SED respondents is estimated 

to be 53,070 (58,000 doctorate recipients 

× 0.915 response rate) in each of the 

2026 and 2027 cycles. 

Based on the average Web survey 

completion time for the 2023 SED (19.5 

minutes), NCSES estimates that, on 

average, 20 minutes per respondent will 

be required to complete the 2026 or 

2027 SED Web survey. The annual 

respondent burden for completing the 

SED is therefore estimated at 17,690 

hours each in 2026 and 2027 (based on 

53,070 respondents × 20 minutes). 

Based on focus groups conducted 

with Institutional Coordinators, it is 

estimated that the SED takes no more 

than 1% of the Institutional 

Coordinator’s time over the course of a 

year, which computes to 20 hours per 

year per Institutional Coordinator (40 

hours per week × 50 weeks per year × 

.01). With about 650 schools expected to 

participate in the SED in 2026 and 2027, 

the estimated annual burden to 

Institutional Coordinators of 

administering the SED is 13,000 hours 

per survey cycle. 

Therefore, the total information 

burden for the SED is estimated to be 

30,690 (17,690 + 13,000) hours each in 

the 2026 and 2027 survey cycle. NCSES 

estimates that the average annual 

burden for the 2026 and 2027 survey 

cycles over the course of the three-year 

OMB clearance period will be no more 

than 20,460 hours [(30,690 hours + 

30,690 hours)/3 years]. 

Comments: Comments are invited on 

(a) whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

NSF, including whether the information 

shall have practical utility; (b) the 

accuracy of the NSF’s estimate of the 

burden of the proposed collection of 

information; (c) ways to enhance the 

quality, use, and clarity of the 

information on respondents, including 

through the use of automated collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology; and (d) ways to 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. 

Dated: November 18, 2024. 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, 

Reports Clearance Officer, National Science 

Foundation. 

[FR Doc. 2024–27334 Filed 11–20–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7555–01–P 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Request for Information (RFI) on 

Science Research Goals/Objectives 

Affecting Proposed U.S. Antarctic 

Science Monitoring And Reliable 

Telecommunications (SMART) Cable 

and Route Design 

AGENCY: U.S. National Science 

Foundation. 

ACTION: Request for public comment; 

extension of comment period. 

SUMMARY: On August 28, 2024, the U.S. 

National Science Foundation (NSF) 

published in the Federal Register a 

document entitled, ‘‘Request for 

Information (RFI) on Science Research 

Goals/Objectives Affecting Proposed 

U.S. Antarctic Science Monitoring and 

Reliable Telecommunications (SMART) 

Cable and Route Design.’’ In response to 

delays to widely publicize the RFI 

within the science research community 

to enhance public response and provide 

sufficient time to adequately consider 

and respond to the RFI, NSF has 

determined that an extension of the 

comment period until Wednesday, 

January 15 at 11:59 p.m. (eastern), is 

appropriate. 

DATES: The end of the comment period 

for the document entitled ‘‘Request for 

Information’’ published on August 28, 

2024 (89 FR 68934), is extended from 

November 5, 2024, until January 15, 

2025. 

ADDRESSES: To respond to this Request 

for Information, please use the official 

submission form available at: 

• Electronic On-line Submission: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ 

subseacable. 

Respondents only need to provide 

feedback on one or more questions of 

interest or relevance to them. Each 

question is voluntary and optional. 

Further announcements and 

information may be found on the NSF 

web page: https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/ 

ail/subsea_cable/. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information, please direct 

questions to Patrick D. Smith through 

email: AntarcticSubseaCable-RFI@

nsf.gov, phone: 703–292–7455, or mail: 

2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite W7251, 

Alexandria, VA 22314, USA. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction 

Over 500 subsea fiber optic 

telecommunications cables, including 

both installed and planned cables, cover 

nearly all ocean regions including 

multiple high Arctic cables. NSF is 

investigating the implementation of a 

modern subsea fiber optic 

telecommunications cable connecting 

the largest U.S. Antarctic Program 

(https://www.usap.gov/) research 

facility, McMurdo Station (77°50′47′′ 

S,166°40′06′′ E) (https://www.usap.gov/ 

videoclipsandmaps/ 

mcmwebcam.cfm?t=1), with either New 

Zealand or Australia. Although the main 

scope of the installation is to provide 

advanced high-speed, low delay 

telecommunications, this cable will 

contain additional point sensors (e.g., 

SMART—Science Monitoring And 

Reliable Telecommunications) and/or 

distributed sensing infrastructure, 

enabling for the first time myriad 

investigations across a broad range of 

scientific disciplines. 

The NSF Directorates for Geosciences 

(GEO), Computer and Information 

Science and Engineering (CISE), and 

Technology, Innovation, and 

Partnerships (TIP) have identified the 

potential subsea cable as an opportunity 

for transformational changes in the 

conduct of science, vast improvements 

in telecommunications capability 

supporting Antarctica, and innovative 


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