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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 15, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3969-3970]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-00683]

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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; 2025 
National Survey of College Graduates

AGENCY: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 
National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Submission for OMB review; comment request.

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SUMMARY: The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics 
(NCSES) within the National Science Foundation (NSF) has submitted the 
following information collection requirement to OMB for review and 
clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This is the second 
notice for public comment; the first was published in the Federal 
Register and two comments were received. NCSES is forwarding the 
proposed information collection to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for clearance simultaneously with the publication of this second 
notice. The full submission may be found at: http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAmain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 
Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, 
Alexandria, VA 22314, or send email to [email protected]. 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 regarding this information collection are 
best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days of 
this notification. Copies of the submission(s) may be obtained by 
calling 703-292-7556.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Comments: Comments regarding (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; 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 should be addressed to the points 
of contact in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
    NSF may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless 
the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control 
number and the agency informs potential persons who are to respond to 
the collection of information that such persons are not required to 
respond to the collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.
    Comments: As required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), comments on the 
information collection activities as part of this study

[[Page 3970]]

were solicited through the publication of a 60-Day Notice in the 
Federal Register on September 4, 2024, at 89 FR 71938. We received four 
comments. The nature of each comment and our responses are summarized 
below.
     The American Association for the Advancement of Science 
(AAAS) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA) 
provided a joint comment discussing the necessity of the NSCG data to 
provide critical insights into opportunities and gaps in the STEM 
workforce. The commentors also encouraged the incorporation of a sexual 
orientation question into the 2025 NSCG survey cycle.
     The Council of Professional Associations on Federal 
Statistics (COPAFS) provided a comment encouraging the incorporation of 
a sexual orientation question into the 2025 NSCG survey cycle.
     The Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain 
Sciences (FABBS) provided a comment encouraging the incorporation of a 
sexual orientation question into the 2025 NSCG survey cycle.
     An Associate Professor from Columbia University provided 
feedback on past sexual orientation and gender identity research 
conducted by NCSES and the Census Bureau. The commentor also encouraged 
the incorporation of a sexual orientation question into the 2025 NSCG 
survey cycle.
    Response: NCSES thanked the commentors for their support of the 
NSCG, referenced the NCSES website that summarizes past research 
findings, and summarized the necessity of using the Census Bureau's 
American Community Survey sexual orientation research findings, when 
completed, to inform NCSES's future data collection plans.
    Title of Collection: 2025 National Survey of College Graduates.
    OMB Control Number: 3145-0141.
    Summary of Collection: The National Survey of College Graduates 
(NSCG) has been conducted biennially since the 1970s. The 2025 NSCG 
sample will be selected from the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 
and the 2023 NSCG. By selecting the sample from these two sources, the 
2025 NSCG will provide coverage of the college graduate population 
residing in the United States. The purpose of this repeated cross-
sectional survey is to collect data that will be used to provide 
national estimates on the science and engineering workforce and changes 
in their employment, education, and demographic characteristics.
    The National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as subsequently 
amended, includes a statutory charge to ``. . . provide a central 
clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, and analysis of data 
on scientific and engineering resources, and to provide a source of 
information for policy formulation by other agencies of the Federal 
Government.'' The NSCG is designed to comply with these mandates by 
providing information on the supply and utilization of the nation's 
scientists and engineers.
    The U.S. Census Bureau will continue to serve as the NSCG data 
collection contractor for NCSES. The survey data collection is expected 
to begin in March 2025 and continue for approximately six months. Data 
will be collected using web and mail questionnaires. The individual's 
response to the survey is voluntary. The survey will be conducted in 
conformance with Census Bureau statistical quality standards and, as 
such, the NSCG data will be afforded confidentiality protection under 
the applicable Census Bureau confidentiality statutes.
    Use of the Information: NCSES uses the information from the NSCG to 
prepare congressionally mandated reports such as Women, Minorities and 
Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/women/) and Science and Engineering Indicators 
(https://ncses.nsf.gov/indicators), both of which are available online. 
A public release file of collected data, designed to protect respondent 
confidentiality, will be made available on the internet and will be 
accessible through an online data tool (https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/ids/
).
    Expected Respondents: A statistical sample of approximately 161,000 
persons will be contacted in 2025. NCSES estimates the 2025 NSCG 
response rate to be 60 to 65 percent.
    Estimate of Burden: The amount of time to complete the 
questionnaire may vary depending on an individual's circumstances; 
however, it is estimated that on average it will take approximately 23 
minutes to complete the survey. NCSES estimates that the average annual 
burden for the 2025 NSCG over the course of the three-year OMB 
clearance period will be no more than 13,372 hours [(161,000 
individuals x 65% response rate x 23 minutes)/3 years].

    Dated: January 8, 2025.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2025-00683 Filed 1-14-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P
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