Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 220 / Wednesday, November 16, 2005 / Notices 69563 

1 In this document the term ‘‘science and 

engineering’’ includes, but is not limited to, 

agricultural, behavioral, biological, computer, 

engineering, environmental, mathematical, 

medical/clinical, physical, psychology, social, and 

veterinary sciences. 

The data are taken from the 2002 Survey of 

Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science 

and Engineering (National Science Foundation/ 

Division of Science Resources Statistics). 

Research assistants or associates refer to graduate 

students or postdoctoral scholars funded through 

Federal research grants or contracts. The assistants 

or associates are not selected by the Federal agency, 

and the host institution determines their level of 

support. The principle purpose of their 

employment is the conduct of research, and any 

limitations imposed by their citizenship status are 

determined by the policies of the host institution. 

Graduate students or postdoctoral scholars 

supported on Traineeships are usually not selected 

by the Federal agency, but the Federal agency 

determines their level of support (although in some 

cases the level of support-may be supplemented by 

other sources). The principle purpose of their 

traineeship support is their education and training, 

and they must be U.S citizens, permanent residents, 

or meet other policies of the Federal agency. 

Graduate students or postdoctoral scholars 

supported on Fellowships are selected by the 

Federal agency, and the Federal agency determines 

their level of support (although in some cases their 

level of support may be supplemented by other 

sources). The principle purpose of their fellowship 

support is their education and training, and they 

must be U.S citizens or permanent residents or meet 

other policies of the Federal agency. 

The repository will also contain an 

authoritative controlled vocabulary for 

the Agency which can serve in the 

creation of glossaries for Web pages and 

documents, a common vocabulary for 

search engines, and in the development 

of rules and regulations. 

I. General Information 

A. How Can I Get Copies of These 

Documents and Other Related 

Information? 

1. Docket. EPA has established an 

official public docket for this action 

under Docket ID No. OEI–2005–0015. 

The official public docket is the 

collection of materials that is available 

for public viewing at the OEI Docket in 

the EPA Docket Center, (EPA/DC) EPA 

West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution 

Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA 

Docket Center Public Reading Room is 

open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 

Monday through Friday, excluding legal 

holidays. The telephone number for the 

Public Reading Room is (202) 566–1744, 

and the telephone number for the OEI 

Docket is (202) 566–1752. 

2. Electronic Access. You may access 

this Federal Register document 

electronically through the EPA Internet 

under the ‘‘Federal Register’’ listings at 

http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/. 

An electronic version of the public 

docket is available through EPA’s 

electronic public docket and comment 

system, EPA Dockets. You may use EPA 

Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ 

to view public comments, access the 

index listing of the contents of the 

official public docket, and to access 

those documents in the public docket 

that are available electronically. 

Although not all docket materials may 

be available electronically, you may still 

access any of the publicly available 

docket materials through the docket 

facility identified in Unit I.B. Once in 

the system, select ‘‘search,’’ then key in 

the appropriate docket identification 

number. 

Dated: November 3, 2005. 

Oscar Morales, 

Division Director, Collection Strategies 

Division, Office of Information Collection, 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

[FR Doc. 05–22703 Filed 11–15–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND 

TECHNOLOGY POLICY 

Proposed Principles for Federal 

Support of Graduate and Postdoctoral 

Education and Training in Science and 

Engineering 

AGENCY: Executive Office of the 

President, Office of Science and 

Technology Policy (OSTP). 

ACTION: Notice of proposed issuance of 

principles for Federal programs that 

provide support for post-baccalaureate 

education and training in science and 

engineering. 

SUMMARY: The proposed principles are 

intended to increase collaboration and 

consistency within the Federal agencies 

in support of graduate and postdoctoral 

education and training in science and 

engineering. Principles are: 

• Federal Support of Graduate and 

Postdoctoral Education and Training Is 

a Critical Investment in the Future; 

• The Federal Investment Portfolio 

Must Broadly Support Science and 

Engineering Disciplines; 

• Graduate Students and Postdoctoral 

Scholars Must Receive Quality 

Education and Training; 

• Federal Contributions toward 

Graduate and Postdoctoral Education 

and Training are Provided in 

Partnership with Academic and Other 

Non-Federal Institutions; 

• Graduate Students and Postdoctoral 

Scholars Should Be Adequately 

Supported to Encourage Their Pursuit of 

Science and Engineering Careers; and 

• Federal Agencies Should 

Collaborate in Areas of Common 

Interest. 

DATES AND ADDRESSES: Comments must 

be received by January 16, 2006. 

Electronic comments may be submitted 

to: MWeiss@ostp.eop.gov. Please 

include in the subject line the words 

‘‘National Science and Technology 

Council (NSTC) Education and 

Workforce Development Comments.’’

Please put the full body of your 

comments in the text of the electronic 

message and as an attachment. Be 

certain to include your name, title, 

organization, postal address, telephone 

number, and e-mail address in the text 

of the message. A return message will 

acknowledge receipt of your comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information regarding this Notice, 

please call Mark Weiss, Office of 

Science and Technology Policy, (202) 

456–6129; e-mail MWeiss@ostp.eop.gov 

or fax (202) 456–6027. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background Information 

The Federal Government supported 

approximately 60,000 graduate students 

and 30,000 postdoctoral scholars in 

science and engineering in 2001. About 

44,000 (or 73%) of the graduate students 

and 24,000 (or 80%) of the postdoctoral 

scholars received their support as 

research assistants or associates on 

Federal grants and contracts. Most of the 

remaining 27% of the graduate students 

and 20% of the postdoctoral scholars 

received support through Federal 

agencies’ fellowships or traineeships.1

The Research Business Models 

Subcommittee of the Committee on 

Science, a committee of the National 

Science and Technology Council, 

conducted regional meetings in 2003 

and issued a Federal Register notice 

asking for comments on ways to 

improve business practices of Federal 

research programs. Concern was raised 

about the lack of consistency among 

Federal agencies’ support for graduate 

students and postdoctoral scholars in 

the nation’s universities and other 

research organizations. In particular, 

universities administering Federal 

support for graduate students and 

postdoctoral scholars cited difficulties 

created by agency-to-agency variations 

in fellowship and traineeship stipends 

and allowances for educational and 

other costs. 

The Committee on Science is 

proposing the six principles in Section 

69564 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 220 / Wednesday, November 16, 2005 / Notices 

II of this Supplementary Information 

Section as part of an effort to address 

these concerns. The principles are 

developed to help guide agencies in 

planning and designing, budgeting, and 

conducting extramural fellowship and 

traineeship programs (i.e., Federal 

fellowship and traineeship programs for 

which the graduate students and 

postdoctoral scholars are receiving their 

education and training in non-Federal 

institutions). Similarly, these principles 

should help guide Federal support of 

graduate students and postdoctoral 

scholars through other mechanisms, 

such as research assistantships 

supported by research grants or 

contracts, or through intramural 

programs. 

The Committee on Science is also 

considering the establishment of the 

interagency process described in 

Section III of this Supplementary 

Information Section. This process is 

intended to support the agencies’ use of 

the six principles on a continuing basis, 

in order to increase collaboration and 

consistency within the Federal 

government for supporting graduate and 

postdoctoral education and training in 

science and engineering. 

II. Proposed Principles for Federal 

Support of Graduate and Postdoctoral 

Education and Training in Science and 

Engineering 

• Federal Support of Graduate and 

Postdoctoral Education and Training Is 

a Critical Investment in the Future. 

Federal Government support for 

educating and training graduate and 

postdoctoral scientists and engineers is 

an essential investment in the future 

health, security, and quality of life of 

our Nation’s citizens. To ensure 

continued access to the human 

resources that lie at the foundation of a 

preeminent research and development 

enterprise, we must provide 

encouragement and opportunities for 

students with the aptitude and desire to 

pursue advanced degrees in science and 

engineering. Increasing the participation 

of underrepresented minorities, women, 

and persons with disabilities in 

graduate and postdoctoral education 

and training is a critical aspect in 

realizing the full potential of the 

Nation’s human resources in science 

and engineering. Federal Government 

support is critical because: timeframes 

for realizing the benefits of the 

education and training are beyond the 

investment horizons of most 

corporations; the magnitude of the 

required support exceeds the collective 

capacity of foundations and other 

private sponsors; and the resulting 

reservoir of talent is a national resource 

upon which all public and private 

sector employers of scientists and 

engineers ultimately draw. 

• The Federal Investment Portfolio 

Must Broadly Support Science and 

Engineering Disciplines. The Federal 

Government-wide investment strategy 

should support graduate and 

postdoctoral education and training 

across a broad spectrum of science and 

engineering disciplines. It is 

increasingly the case that advances in 

knowledge and understanding arise 

from research in multiple disciplines. 

Similarly, follow-on development often 

requires teams of individuals from 

varying science and engineering fields. 

A workforce with strengths across 

disciplines therefore is imperative if 

experts from differing backgrounds are 

to be able to bring complementary 

perspectives to bear on complex 

problems. Another factor underlying the 

importance of the disciplinary breadth 

of the workforce is our inability to 

predict the areas that will contribute to 

any given advancement in the future. 

Even a problem initially raised in the 

context of a single discipline often is 

solved due to unanticipated 

contributions from other disciplines. 

• Graduate Students and 

Postdoctoral Scholars Must Receive 

Quality Education and Training. 

Graduate students and postdoctoral 

scholars must receive an experience that 

combines both a high quality education 

and robust research training to secure 

the Nation’s future scientific and 

engineering enterprise. Attention to 

their intellectual growth during these 

critical years requires an environment 

that includes effective mentoring to 

promote their career development. 

Federal agencies should encourage the 

earliest possible completion of graduate 

and postdoctoral education and 

training, as well as efforts that foster the 

transition to the next step in the 

graduate student or postdoctoral 

scholar’s career. As is the case for 

research programs, making award 

decisions through the use of merit 

review based on objective, expert advice 

promotes excellence in education and 

training through fellowship and 

traineeship programs. 

• Federal Contributions Toward 

Graduate and Postdoctoral Education 

and Training are Provided in 

Partnership With Academic and Other 

Non-Federal Institutions. Graduate or 

postdoctoral education and training 

require a significant investment that 

includes financial support for the 

individual graduate student or 

postdoctoral scholar, and the 

investment needed for institutions to 

provide the education and training. 

Generally, a Federal fellowship or 

traineeship program provides only a 

portion of this investment, with the 

balance provided by funds from other 

sources including, for example, the host 

institution, other Federal programs, 

States, private sector organizations, and 

individual contributions. Consequently, 

the Federal contribution toward this 

investment is made in partnership with 

academic and other institutions or 

parties. Federal agencies, therefore, 

should consider the impact on, and 

consult as appropriate, its partners 

when designing and conducting 

fellowship and traineeship programs. 

Federal agencies should have, and be 

able to articulate, a rational basis for the 

level of the Federal program’s 

contribution toward the education and 

training of the fellows or trainees. 

• Graduate Students and 

Postdoctoral Scholars Should Be 

Adequately Supported To Encourage 

Their Pursuit of Science and 

Engineering Careers. The level of 

support, including health and other 

benefits, provided to foster the 

education and training of graduate 

students and postdoctoral scholars is an 

important factor in attracting and 

retaining talented individuals to pursue 

careers in science and engineering. 

Levels of support provided by agencies 

should be reasonable and commensurate 

with the level of education and 

experience of the recipient. Agencies 

should consider annual adjustments in 

levels of support to address increases in 

the cost-of-living. Variances in support 

levels provided by Federal agencies 

may, for example, depend on program 

purpose, program budget constraints, or 

demand for individuals in critical areas; 

however, such variations should have 

clear, rational bases. 

• Federal Agencies Should 

Collaborate in Areas of Common 

Interest. It is important for Federal 

agencies to coordinate their efforts to 

support education and training in 

science and engineering areas of 

common interest. Efforts among 

agencies should be synergistic and 

provide enhanced opportunities for 

graduate students and postdoctoral 

scholars. Agencies should collaborate to 

share data regarding these programs; to 

exchange information regarding 

effective practices; and to coordinate the 

design and conduct of programs, as 

appropriate. 

III. Proposed Process for Interagency 

Coordination 

The Committee on Science (CoS) is 

also considering a proposal from its 

Education and Workforce Development 

(EWD) Subcommittee to establish a 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 220 / Wednesday, November 16, 2005 / Notices 69565 

standing working group with two 

purposes that promote implementation 

of the principles cited in Section II 

above. The first purpose of the working 

group is to serve as a forum for agencies 

to exchange information and collaborate 

with each other on their support of 

graduate and postdoctoral education 

and training. The second purpose of the 

working group is to report through the 

EWD Subcommittee to the CoS on levels 

of support provided by Federal 

extramural fellowship and traineeship 

programs. 

IV. Invitation To Comment 

Input on any aspect of the proposed 

principles or the proposed process for 

interagency coordination is encouraged. 

The following questions indicate 

particular areas for comment: 

(a) Are there topics or issues not 

addressed in the principles that should 

be? If so, please explain. 

(b) Are there additional approaches or 

strategies to achieve the objectives and 

promote interagency collaboration? If 

so, please explain. 

M. David Hodge, 

Acting Assistant Director for Budget and 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 05–22744 Filed 11–15–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–W4–P 

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS 

COMMISSION 

Notice of Public Information 

Collection(s) Being Reviewed by the 

Federal Communications Commission, 

Comments Requested 

November 7, 2005. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Communications 

Commission, as part of its continuing 

effort to reduce paperwork burden 

invites the general public and other 

Federal agencies to take this 

opportunity to comment on the 

following information collection(s), as 

required by the Paperwork Reduction 

Act (PRA) of 1995, Public Law 104–13. 

An agency may not conduct or sponsor 

a collection of information unless it 

displays a currently valid control 

number. No person shall be subject to 

any penalty for failing to comply with 

a collection of information subject to the 

Paperwork Reduction Act that does not 

display a valid control number. 

Comments are requested concerning (a) 

Whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

Commission, including whether the 

information shall have practical utility; 

(b) the accuracy of the Commission’s 

burden estimate; (c) ways to enhance 

the quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information collected; and (d) ways to 

minimize the burden of the collection of 

information on the respondents, 

including the use of automated 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. 

DATES: Written Paperwork Reduction 

Act (PRA) comments should be 

submitted on or before January 17, 2006. 

If you anticipate that you will be 

submitting comments, but find it 

difficult to do so within the period of 

time allowed by this notice, you should 

advise the contact listed below as soon 

as possible. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit your 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) 

comments by e-mail or U.S. postal mail. 

To submit you comments by e-mail send 

them to: PRA@fcc.gov. To submit your 

comments by U.S. mail, mark it to the 

attention of Judith B. Herman, Federal 

Communications Commission, 445 12th 

Street, SW, Room 1–C804, Washington, 

DC 20554. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

additional information about the 

information collection(s) send an e-mail 

to PRA@fcc.gov or contact Judith B. 

Herman at 202–418–0214. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

OMB Control No.: 3060–0978. 

Title: Compatibility with E911 

Emergency Calling Systems, Fourth 

Report and Order. 

Form No.: N/A. 

Type of Review: Extension of a 

currently approved collection. 

Respondents: Business or other forprofit. 

Number of Respondents: 4,000 

respondents; 16,000 responses. 

Estimated Time Per Response: 2 

hours. 

Frequency of Response: Quarterly 

reporting requirement. 

Total Annual Burden: 32,000 hours. 

Total Annual Cost: N/A. 

Privacy Act Impact Assessment: N/A. 

Needs and Uses: This collection of 

information is needed to ensure persons 

with hearing and speech disabilities 

using text telephone (TTY) devices will 

be able to make 911 emergency calls 

over digital wireless systems. The 

Commission will use the information in 

the quarterly TTY reports to keep track 

of the carrier’s progress in complying 

with E911 TTY requirements and also to 

monitor the progress technology is 

making towards compatibility with TTY 

devices. The Commission will submit 

this information collection to OMB after 

this 60 day comment period in order to 

obtain the full three year clearance from 

OMB. 

Federal Communications Commission. 

Marlene H. Dortch, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 05–22606 Filed 11–15–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P 

FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION 

Notice of Agreement Filed 

The Commission hereby gives notice 

of the filing of the following agreement 

under the Shipping Act of 1984. 

Interested parties may submit comments 

on an agreement to the Secretary, 

Federal Maritime Commission, 

Washington, DC 20573, within ten days 

of the date this notice appears in the 

Federal Register. Copies of agreements 

are available through the Commission’s 

Office of Agreements (202–523–5793 or 

tradeanalysis@fmc.gov). 

Agreement No.: 011924. 

Title: CSAL/CMA CGM Cross Slot 

Charter Agreement. 

Parties: China Shipping Container 

Lines Co., Ltd.; China Shipping 

Container Lines (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd., 

and CMA CGM, S.A. 

Filing Party: Paul M. Keane, Esq.; 

Cichanowicz, Callan, Keane, Vengrow & 

Textor LLP; 61 Broadway, Suite 3000; 

New York, NY 10006–2802. 

Synopsis: The agreement allows the 

parties to charter space to each other on 

separate strings in the trades between 

U.S. Gulf and West Coast ports and 

ports in the Far East. 

By order of the Federal Maritime 

Commission. 

Dated: November 10, 2005. 

Bryant L. VanBrakle, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 05–22748 Filed 11–15–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6730–01–P 

FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION 

Ocean Transportation Intermediary 

License Revocations 

The Federal Maritime Commission 

hereby gives notice that the following 

Ocean Transportation Intermediary 

licenses have been revoked pursuant to 

section 19 of the Shipping Act of 1984 

(46 U.S.C. app. 1718) and the 

regulations of the Commission 

pertaining to the licensing of Ocean 

Transportation Intermediaries, effective 

on the corresponding date shown below: 

License Number: 017564N. 

Name: Ace Cargo, Inc. 

Address: 12534 Raymer Street, North 

Hollywood, CA 91605. 

Date Revoked: October 1, 2005. 

Reason: Failed to maintain a valid 

bond.