Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 37 / Thursday, February 26, 2009 / Notices 8817 

Location 18 

NASA Shared Services Center 

(NSSC), Building 5100, Stennis Space 

Center, MS 39529–6000. 

Appendix B 

Standard Routine Uses—NASA 

The following routine uses of 

information contained in Systems of 

Records (SORs), subject to the Privacy 

Act of 1974, are standard for many 

NASA systems. They are cited by 

reference in the paragraph ‘‘Routine 

uses of records maintained in the 

system, including categories of users 

and the purpose of such uses’’ of the 

Federal Register Notice on those 

systems to which they apply. 

Standard Routine Use No. 1—Law 

Enforcement 

In the event this SOR indicates a 

violation or potential violation of law, 

whether civil, criminal, or regulatory in 

nature, and whether arising by general 

statute or particular program statute, or 

by regulation, rule or order issued 

pursuant thereto, the relevant records in 

the SOR may be referred, as a routine 

use, to the appropriate agency, whether 

Federal, State, local or foreign, charged 

with the responsibility of investigating 

or prosecuting such violation or charged 

with enforcing or implementing the 

statute, or rule, regulation or order 

issued pursuant thereto. 

Standard Routine Use No. 2—Disclosure 

When Requesting Information 

A record from this SOR may be 

disclosed as a ‘‘routine use’’ to a 

Federal, State, or local agency 

maintaining civil, criminal, or other 

relevant enforcement information or 

other pertinent information, such as 

current licenses, if necessary to obtain 

information relevant to an agency 

decision concerning the hiring or 

retention of an employee, the issuance 

of a security clearance, the letting of a 

contract, or the issuance of a license, 

grant, or other benefit. 

Standard Routine Use No. 3—Disclosure 

of Requested Information 

A record from this SOR may be 

disclosed to a Federal agency, in 

response to its request, in connection 

with the hiring or retention of an 

employee, the issuance of a security 

clearance, the reporting of an 

investigation of an employee, the letting 

of a contract, or the issuance of a 

license, grant, or other benefit by the 

requesting agency, to the extent that the 

information is relevant and necessary to 

the requesting agency’s decision on the 

matter. 

Standard Routine Use No. 4—Disclosure 

to the Department of Justice for Use in 

Litigation 

A record from this SOR may be 

disclosed to the Department of Justice 

when (a) the Agency, or any component 

thereof; or (b) any employee of the 

Agency in his or her official capacity; or 

(c) any employee of the Agency in his 

or her individual capacity where the 

Department of Justice or the Agency has 

agreed to represent the employee; or (d) 

the United States, where the Agency 

determines that litigation is likely to 

affect the Agency or any of its 

components, is a party to litigation or 

has an interest in such litigation, and 

the use of such records by the 

Department of Justice or the Agency is 

deemed by the Agency to be relevant 

and necessary to the litigation provided, 

however, that in each case it has been 

determined that the disclosure is 

compatible with the purpose for which 

the records were collected. 

Standard Routine Use 5—Routine Use 

for Agency Disclosure in Litigation 

It shall be a routine use of the records 

in this SOR to disclose them in a 

proceeding before a court or 

adjudicative body before which the 

agency is authorized to appear, when: 

(a) The Agency, or any component 

thereof; or (b) any employee of the 

Agency in his or her official capacity; or 

(c) any employee of the Agency in his 

or her individual capacity where the 

Agency has agreed to represent the 

employee; or (d) the United States, 

where the Agency determines that 

litigation is likely to affect the Agency 

or any of its components, is a party to 

litigation or has an interest in such 

litigation, and the use of such records by 

the Agency is deemed to be relevant and 

necessary to the litigation, provided, 

however, that in each case, the Agency 

has determined that the disclosure is 

compatible with the purpose for which 

the records were collected. 

Standard Routine Use No. 6—Suspected 

or Confirmed Confidentiality 

Compromise 

A record from this SOR may be 

disclosed to appropriate agencies, 

entities, and persons when (1) NASA 

suspects or has confirmed that the 

security or confidentiality of 

information in the SOR has been 

compromised; (2) NASA has determined 

that as a result of the suspected or 

confirmed compromise there is a risk of 

harm to economic or property interests, 

identity theft or fraud, or harm to the 

security or integrity of this system or 

other systems or programs (whether 

maintained by NASA or another agency 

or entity) that rely upon the 

compromised information; and (3) the 

disclosure made to such agencies, 

entities, and persons is reasonably 

necessary to assist in connection with 

NASA’s efforts to respond to the 

suspected or confirmed compromise 

and prevent, minimize, or remedy such 

harm. 

[FR Doc. E9–4079 Filed 2–25–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7510–13–P 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Notice of Intent To Extend an 

Information Collection 

AGENCY: National Science Foundation. 

ACTION: Notice and Request for 

Comments. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

for opportunity for public comment on 

proposed data collection projects, the 

National Science Foundation (NSF) will 

publish periodic summaries of proposed 

projects. 

Comments are invited on (a) whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’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 respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

DATES: Written comments on this notice 

must be received by April 27, 2009 to 

be assured of consideration. Comments 

received after that date will be 

considered to the extent practicable. 

For Additional Information or 

Comments: Contact Suzanne H. 

Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, 

National Science Foundation, 4201 

Wilson Boulevard, Suite 295, Arlington, 

Virginia 22230; telephone (703) 292– 

7556; or send e-mail 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 between 8 a.m. and 8 

p.m., Eastern time, Monday through 

Friday. You also may obtain a copy of 

the data collection instrument and 

instructions from Ms. Plimpton. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

8818 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 37 / Thursday, February 26, 2009 / Notices 

Title of Collection: Request for 

Proposals. 

OMB Approval Number: 3145–0080. 

Expiration Date of Approval: June 30, 

2009. 

Type of Request: Intent to seek 

approval to extend an information 

collection for three years. 

Proposed Project: The Federal 

Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Subpart 

15.2—‘‘Solicitation and Receipt of 

Proposals and Information’’ prescribes 

policies and procedures for preparing 

and issuing Requests for Proposals. The 

FAR System has been developed in 

accordance with the requirement of the 

Office of Federal Procurement Policy 

Act of 1974, as amended. The NSF Act 

of 1950, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 1870, 

Sec. II, states that NSF has the authority 

to: 

(c) Enter into contracts or other 

arrangements, or modifications thereof, 

for the carrying on, by organizations or 

individuals in the United States and 

foreign countries, including other 

government agencies of the United 

States and of foreign countries, of such 

scientific or engineering activities as the 

Foundation deems necessary to carry 

out the purposes of this Act, and, at the 

request of the Secretary of Defense, 

specific scientific or engineering 

activities in connection with matters 

relating to international cooperation or 

national security, and, when deemed 

appropriate by the Foundation, such 

contracts or other arrangements or 

modifications thereof, may be entered 

into without legal consideration, 

without performance or other bonds and 

without regard to section 5 of title 41, 

U.S.C. 

Use of the Information: Request for 

Proposals (RFP) is used to competitively 

solicit proposals in response to NSF 

need for services. Impact will be on 

those individuals or organizations who 

elect to submit proposals in response to 

the RFP. Information gathered will be 

evaluated in light of NSF procurement 

requirements to determine who will be 

awarded a contract. 

Estimate of Burden: The Foundation 

estimates that, on average, 558 hours per 

respondent will be required to complete 

the RFP. 

Respondents: Individuals; business or 

other for-profit; not-for-profit 

institutions; Federal government; state, 

local, or tribal governments. 

Estimated Number of Responses: 75. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 41,850 hours. 

Dated: February 20, 2009. 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, 

Reports Clearance Officer, National Science 

Foundation. 

[FR Doc. E9–4072 Filed 2–25–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7555–01–P 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Responsible Conduct of Research 

AGENCY: National Science Foundation 

(NSF). 

ACTION: Request for public comment on 

requirement for students and 

postdoctoral researchers involved in 

NSF proposals to be educated in the 

responsible and ethical conduct of 

research (RCR). 

SUMMARY: The National Science 

Foundation (NSF) is soliciting public 

comment on the agency’s proposed 

implementation of Section 7009 of the 

America Creating Opportunities to 

Meaningfully Promote Excellence in 

Technology, Education, and Science 

(COMPETES) Act (42 U.S.C. 1862o–1). 

This section of the Act requires that 

‘‘each institution that applies for 

financial assistance from the 

Foundation for science and engineering 

research or education describe in its 

grant proposal a plan to provide 

appropriate training and oversight in the 

responsible and ethical conduct of 

research to undergraduate students, 

graduate students, and postdoctoral 

researchers participating in the 

proposed research project.’’ 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Ethical 

and responsible conduct of research is 

critical for excellence, as well as public 

trust, in science and engineering. 

Consequently, education in the 

responsible and ethical conduct of 

research is considered essential in the 

preparation of future scientists and 

engineers. The COMPETES Act focuses 

public attention on the importance of 

the national research community’s 

enduring commitment and broader 

efforts to provide RCR training as an 

integral part of the preparation and 

long-term professional development of 

current and future generations of 

scientists and engineers. 

A wide array of information exists to 

help inform RCR training. For example, 

many professional societies as well as 

governmental licensing authorities for 

professional scientists and engineers 

have adopted policies or best practices 

that might be usefully considered. In 

addition, research is illuminating 

existing practices surrounding ethical 

issues, and providing an evaluation of 

pedagogical innovations in ethics 

education. A recent NSF-funded 

workshop entitled Ethics Education: 

What’s Been Learned? What Should be 

Done? was held by the National 

Academies of Science & Engineering. 

Information about the workshop, as well 

as additional resources, are available at: 

http://www.nae.edu/nae/

engethicscen.nsf/weblinks/NKAL7LHM86?OpenDocument. A brief notice 

about the workshop’s main themes is 

forthcoming in The Bridge, Volume 39, 

Number 1—Spring 2009, which will be 

available online in mid-March at: http:// 

www.nae.edu/nae/

bridgecom.nsf?OpenDatabase. NSF is 

adding ‘‘the responsible and ethical 

conduct of research’’ as a Representative 

Activity in the listing of Broader 

Impacts Representative Activities 

available electronically at 

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/gpg/broader

impacts.pdf. 

NSF is committed to continue its 

funding of research in this important 

area through programs such as Ethics 

Education in Science and Engineering 

(http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_

summ.jsp?pims_id=13338&

org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund) and 

to promote the development and 

implementation of effective practices 

through its education and training 

programs. The agency will also continue 

to explore other mechanisms to support 

the academic community’s efforts in 

providing training in the responsible 

and ethical conduct of research. 

Proposed Implementation Plan: 

Effective October 1, 2009, NSF will 

require that at the time of proposal 

submission to NSF, a proposing 

institution’s Authorized Organizational 

Representative must certify that the 

institution has a plan to provide 

appropriate training and oversight in the 

responsible and ethical conduct of 

research to undergraduates, graduate 

students, and postdoctoral researchers 

who will be supported by NSF to 

conduct research. While training plans 

are not required to be included in 

proposals submitted, institutions are 

advised that they are subject to review 

upon request. NSF will modify its 

standard award conditions to clearly 

stipulate that institutions are 

responsible for verifying that 

undergraduate students, graduate 

students, and postdoctoral researchers 

supported by NSF to conduct research 

have received RCR training. 

In addition, NSF will support the 

development of an online digital library 

containing research findings, 

pedagogical materials, and promising 

practices regarding the ethical and 

responsible conduct of research in 

science and engineering. The