Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 235 / Friday, December 7, 2007 / Notices 69233 

NASA Case No. LAR–17317–1: Extreme 

Low Frequency Acoustic 

Measurement Portable System; 

NASA Case No. LAR–17213–1: High 

Altitude Airship Configuration and 

Power Technology and Method for 

Operation of Same; 

NASA Case No. LAR–17300–1: System 

and Method for Determination of the 

Reflection Wavelength of Multiple 

Low-Reflectivity Bragg Gratings in a 

Sensing Optical Fiber; 

NASA Case No. LAR–17440–1: Resonant 

Difference-Frequency Atomic Force 

Ultrasonic Microscope; 

NASA Case No. LAR–17433–1: Wireless 

System and Method for Collecting 

Rotating System Data; 

NASA Case No. LAR–17502–1: Flame 

Holder System; 

NASA Case No. LAR–17355–1: System 

and Method for Aiding Pilot Preview, 

Rehearsal, Review, and Real-Time 

Visual Acquisition of Flight Mission 

Progress; 

NASA Case No. LAR–17444–1: Wireless 

Tamper Detection Sensor and Sensing 

System; 

NASA Case No. LAR–17135–1: 

Fabrication of Metal Nanoshells. 

Dated: November 30, 2007. 

Keith T. Sefton, 

Deputy General Counsel, Administration and 

Management. 

[FR Doc. E7–23744 Filed 12–6–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7510–13–P 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Comment Request 

AGENCY: National Science Foundation. 

ACTION: Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request. 

SUMMARY: 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, Pub. L. 104–13. 

This is the second notice for public 

comment; the first was published in the 

Federal Register at 72 FR 50410, and no 

substantial comments were received. 

NSF is forwarding the proposed renewal 

submission 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. 

Comments regarding (a) whether the 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of burden including 

the validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance 

the quality, utility and clarity of the 

information to be collected; or (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: Office of Information and 

Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: 

Desk Officer for National Science 

Foundation, 725 17th Street, NW., Room 

10235, Washington, DC 20503, and to 

Suzanne Plimpton, Reports Clearance 

Officer, National Science Foundation, 

4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 925, 

Arlington, Virginia 22230 or send e-mail 

to splimpto@nsf.gov. Comments 

regarding these information collections 

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. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Suzanne Plimpton at (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. 

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. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title of Collection: EHR Generic 

Clearance. 

OMB Approval Number: 3145–0136. 

Expiration Date of Approval: January 

31, 2008. 

Abstract 

The National Science Foundation 

(NSF) requests renewal of program 

accountability and communication data 

collections (e.g. surveys, face-to-face 

and telephone interviews, observations, 

and focus groups) that describe and 

track the impact of NSF funding that 

focuses on the Nation’s science, 

technology, engineering and 

mathematics (STEM) education and 

STEM workforce. NSF funds grants, 

contracts, and cooperative agreements to 

colleges, universities, and other eligible 

institutions, and provides graduate 

research fellowships to individuals in 

all parts of the United States and 

internationally. 

The Directorate for Education and 

Human Resources (EHR), a unit within 

NSF, promotes rigor and vitality within 

the Nation’s STEM education enterprise 

to further the development of the 21st 

century’s STEM workforce and public 

scientific literacy. EHR does this 

through diverse projects and programs 

that support research, extension, 

outreach, and hands-on activities 

serving STEM learning and research at 

all institutional (e.g. pre-school through 

postdoctoral) levels in formal and 

informal settings; and individuals of all 

ages (birth and beyond). EHR also 

focuses on broadening participation in 

STEM learning and careers among 

United States citizens, permanent 

residents and nationals, particularly 

those individuals traditionally 

underemployed in the STEM research 

workforce, including but not limited to 

women, persons with disabilities, and 

racial and ethnic minorities. 

At the request of the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) an EHR 

Generic Clearance was established in 

1995 to integrate management, 

monitoring and evaluation information 

pertaining to the NSF’s Education and 

Training (E & T) portfolio in response to 

the Government Performance and 

Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. Under this 

generic survey clearance (OMB 3145–

0136), data from the NSF administrative 

databases are incorporated with findings 

gathered through initiative-, 

divisional-, and program-specific data 

collections. The scope of the EHR 

Generic Clearance primarily covers 

descriptive information gathered from 

education and training projects that are 

funded by NSF. Most programs subject 

to EHR Generic data collection are 

funded by the EHR Directorate, but 

some are funded in whole or in part by 

disciplinary directorates or multidisciplinary or cross-cutting programs. 

Since 2001 in accordance with OMB’s 

Terms of Clearance, NSF primarily uses 

the data from the EHR Generic 

Clearance for program planning, 

management and audit purposes to 

respond to queries from the Congress, 

the public, NSF’s external merit 

reviewers who serve as advisors, 

including Committees of Visitors, and 

the NSF’s Office of the Inspector 

General. 

OMB has limited the collection to 

three categories of descriptive data: (1) 

Staff and project participants (data that 

are also necessary to determine 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES
69234 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 235 / Friday, December 7, 2007 / Notices 

individual-level treatment and control 

groups for future third-party study); (2) 

project implementation characteristics 

(also necessary for future use to identify 

well-matched comparison groups) and 

(3) project outputs (necessary to 

measure baseline for pre- and postNSF-funding-level impacts.) 

Use of the Information: This 

information is required for effective 

administration, communication, 

program and project monitoring and 

evaluation, and for measuring 

attainment of NSF’s program, project 

and strategic goals, as required by the 

President’s Management agenda as 

represented by the Office of 

Management and Budget’s (OMB) 

Program Assessment Rating Tool 

(PART); the Deficit Reduction Act of 

2005 (Pub. L. 109–171) which 

established the Academic 

Competitiveness Council (ACC), and the 

NSF’s Strategic Plan. The Foundation’s 

FY 2006–2011 Strategic Plan describes 

four strategic outcome goals of 

Discovery, Learning, Research 

Infrastructure, and Stewardship. NSF’s 

complete strategic plan may be found at: 

http://www.nsf.gov/publications/ 

pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf0648. 

The work of the multi-agency ACC 

employed a methodological framework 

to determine STEM education program 

effectiveness. The ACC was chaired by 

the Department of Education, and other 

agencies that participated included the 

NSF and the National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration (NASA). The ACC 

suggested cross-agency STEM education 

goals and metrics and developed a 

framework or ‘‘Hierarchy of Study 

Designs’’ under three scientific 

categories: (1) Experimental (often 

called randomized controlled trials—

RCT) (2) quasi-experimental (such as 

well-matched comparison group 

studies) and (3) other (such as pre- and 

post-test and multiple methodologies). 

Further details on the participating 

agencies and the ACC’s 

recommendations are available at: 

http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/

competitiveness/acc-mathscience/

index.html. 

Since the EHR Generic Clearance 

research is primarily used for 

accountability purposes, including 

responding to queries from Committees 

of Visitors and other scientific experts, 

a census rather than sampling design 

typically is necessary. At the individual 

project level, funding can be adjusted 

based on individual project’s responses 

to some of the surveys. Some data 

collected under the EHR Clearance serve 

as baseline data for separate research 

and evaluation studies. The EHR 

Generic Clearance may be used to clear 

data collections for other ACC agencies, 

such as NASA. In February 2007 NASA 

and NSF signed a Memorandum of 

Understanding (MOU) to coordinate 

efforts promoting STEM education, the 

participation of individuals 

underrepresented in STEM, and 

evaluation of STEM education projects 

and programs in formal and informal 

settings. Additional information on the 

NSF–NASA MOU can be found at: 

http://education.nasa.gov/divisions/

higher/overview/F_One_Giant_Step_

STEM_Education.html. 

In order to conduct program or 

portfolio level evaluations, however, 

both experimental and quasiexperimental evaluation research 

studies on STEM education 

interventions require researchers to 

identify individual-level and 

organizational or project-level control 

and treatment groups or comparison 

groups. NSF-funded contract or grantee 

researchers and evaluators in part may 

identify control, comparison, or 

treatment groups for NSF’s E&T 

portfolio using some of the descriptive 

data gathered through OMB 3145–0136 

to conduct well-designed, rigorous 

research and portfolio evaluation 

studies. 

In accordance with the 2001 and 2005 

OMB terms of clearance, NSF requests 

separate stand-alone clearance (and 

separately announces for comment in 

the Federal Register) any program or 

portfolio research or evaluation. Two 

examples of third-party evaluations that 

used EHR OMB 3145–0136 data to 

inform study design are: OMB 3145–

0190 (Expired: 5/2005) Evaluation of 

NSF’s Louis Stokes Alliances for 

Minority Participation (LSAMP) 

program conducted by the Urban 

Institute and OMB No. 3145–0182 

(Expired 7/2005) Evaluation of the 

Initial Impacts of the Integrative 

Graduate Education Research and 

Traineeship (IGERT) program conducted 

by Abt Associates. For more information 

on these and other NSF-funded 

evaluations, please see the NSF’s FY 

2006 Full Performance and 

Accountability Report: Appendix 4B: 

Table of External Evaluations at: http:// 

www.nsf.gov/pubs/2007/nsf0701/pdf/ 

19.pdf. 

Respondents: Individuals or 

households, not-for-profit institutions, 

business or other for profit, and Federal, 

State, local or tribal government. 

Number of Respondents: 27,000. 

Burden on the Public: The total 

estimate for this collection is 60,000 

annual burden hours. This figure is 

based on the previous 3 years of 

collecting information under this 

clearance and anticipated collections. 

The average annual reporting burden is 

between .5 and 50 hours per 

‘respondent’ depending on whether a 

respondent is a direct participant who is 

self-reporting, or representing a project 

and reporting on behalf of many project 

participants. 

Dated: December 4, 2007. 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, 

Reports Clearance Officer, National Science 

Foundation. 

[FR Doc. 07–5975 Filed 12–6–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7555–01–M 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

[Docket No.: 70–27] 

BWX Technologies, Inc.; 

Environmental Assessment and 

Finding of No Significant Impact 

Related to Proposed Issuance of an 

Exemption From 10 CFR 70.24 

Requirements 

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission. 

ACTION: Environmental assessment (EA) 

and finding of no significant impact 

(FONSI). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Amy M. Snyder, Fuel Manufacturing 

Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety 

and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear 

Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail 

Stop EBB–2C40M, Washington, DC 

20555–0001, telephone (301) 492–3225 

and e-mail ams3@nrc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction 

Under U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) license SNM–42 and 

the provisions of 10 CFR Part 70, 

Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear 

Material, BWX Technologies, Inc. 

(BWXT or the licensee) is authorized to 

receive and possess special nuclear 

material for the research, fabrication and 

assembly of nuclear fuel and related 

components at its facility, located in 

Lynchburg, Virginia. Under this license, 

BWXT is also allowed to receive, 

acquire, and transfer irradiated fuel 

(spent nuclear fuel) at its facility. The 

NRC staff is considering the issuance of 

an exemption to requirements of Title 

10 of the Code of Federal Regulations 

(10 CFR) Section 70.24, under a certain 

condition, for the spent nuclear fuel 

storage areas at the BWXT site. If the 

NRC decides to grant the exemption, 

then the license will be amended to 

incorporate a license condition to reflect 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES