Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 169 / Friday, September 1, 2017 / Notices 41667 

If this information is not collected, vital 

feedback from customers and 

stakeholders on the Agency’s services 

will be unavailable. 

The Agency will only submit a 

collection for approval under this 

generic clearance if it meets the 

following conditions: 

• The collections are voluntary; 

• The collections are low-burden for 

respondents (based on considerations of 

total burden hours, total number of 

respondents, or burden-hours per 

respondent) and are low-cost for both 

the respondents and the Federal 

Government; 

• The collections are noncontroversial and do not raise issues of 

concern to other Federal agencies; 

• Any collection is targeted to the 

solicitation of opinions from 

respondents who have experience with 

the program or may have experience 

with the program in the near future; 

• Personally identifiable information 

(PII) is collected only to the extent 

necessary and is not retained; 

• Information gathered is used only 

internally for general service 

improvement and program management 

purposes and is not intended for release 

outside of the agency; 

• Information gathered is not used for 

the purpose of substantially informing 

influential policy decisions; and 

• Information gathered yields 

qualitative information; the collections 

are not designed or expected to yield 

statistically reliable results or used as 

though the results are generalizable to 

the population of study. 

Feedback collected under this generic 

clearance provides useful information, 

but it does not yield data that can be 

generalized to the overall population. 

This type of generic clearance for 

qualitative information will not be used 

for quantitative information collections 

that are designed to yield reliably 

actionable results, such as monitoring 

trends over time or documenting 

program performance. Such data uses 

require more rigorous designs that 

address: The target population to which 

generalizations will be made, the 

sampling frame, the sample design 

(including stratification and clustering), 

the precision requirements or power 

calculations that justify the proposed 

sample size, the expected response rate, 

methods for assessing potential nonresponse bias, the protocols for data 

collection, and any testing procedures 

that were or will be undertaken prior to 

fielding the study. Depending on the 

degree of influence the results are likely 

to have, such collections may still be 

eligible for submission for other generic 

mechanisms that are designed to yield 

quantitative results. 

As a general matter, information 

collections will not result in any new 

system of records containing privacy 

information and will not ask questions 

of a sensitive nature, such as sexual 

behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, 

and other matters that are commonly 

considered private. 

Current Actions: Extension of 

approval for a collection of information. 

Type of Review: Extension. 

Affected Public: Individuals and 

Households, Businesses and 

Organizations, State, Local or Tribal 

Government. 

Below we provide projected average 

estimates for the next three years: 

Estimated Number of Respondents 

Across All Three Years: 15,000. 

Average Expected Annual Number of 

Activities: 3. 

Average Number of Respondents per 

Activity: 1,667. 

Annual Responses: 5,000. 

Frequency of Response: Once per 

request. 

Average Minutes per Response: 15. 

Average Expected Annual Burden 

hours: 1,167. 

Dated: August 29, 2017. 

Kathy Daum, 

Director, Administrative Services, National 

Endowment for the Arts. 

[FR Doc. 2017–18551 Filed 8–31–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7537–01–P 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Notice of Intent To Seek Approval To 

Establish an Information Collection 

AGENCY: National Science Foundation. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The National Science 

Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans 

to request approval for the collection of 

research and development data through 

the Evaluation of the National Science 

Foundation Advanced Technological 

Education (ATE) Program survey. In 

accordance with the requirement of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we 

are providing opportunity for public 

comment on this action. After obtaining 

and considering public comment, NSF 

will prepare the submission requesting 

that OMB approve clearance of this 

collection for no longer than 3 years. 

DATES: Written comments on this notice 

must be received by October 31, 2017 to 

be assured of consideration. Comments 

received after that date will be 

considered to the extent practicable. 

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT: 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 

Officer, National Science Foundation, 

4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1265, 

Arlington, Virginia 22230; 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: 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, utility, 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. 

Title of Collection: Evaluation of the 

National Science Foundation Advanced 

Technological Education (ATE) 

Program. 

OMB Approval Number: 3145–NEW. 

Expiration Date of Current Approval: 

Not applicable. 

Type of Request: Intent to establish an 

information collection. 

Abstract: NSF’s ATE program focuses 

on providing Federal funds for the 

education of technicians at the local, 

regional, and national levels in 

advanced technology fields (i.e., 

advanced manufacturing, agricultural 

and environmental technology, 

biological and chemical technology, 

engineering, information and security, 

micro/nanotechnologies, and general 

advanced technological education) to 

expand the pool of skilled technicians 

and improve the competitiveness of the 

United States in international trade. The 

program supports the education of 

technicians in strategic advanced 

technology fields by establishing 

partnerships between academic 

institutions and industry and providing 

resources for the development of 

curriculum, professional development 

for college faculty and secondary 

teachers, and career pathways from 

secondary schools to 2-year institutions 

and from 2-year institutions to 4-year 

institutions. The program also aims to 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
41668 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 169 / Friday, September 1, 2017 / Notices 

coordinate 2-year and 4-year 

institutions’ teacher training programs 

for prospective STEM educators in 

strategic advanced technology fields. 

The primary goals of the ATE program 

are to (1) educate highly qualified 

science and engineering technicians to 

meet workforce demands in strategic 

advanced technology fields; (2) improve 

the technical skills and general science, 

technology, engineering, and 

mathematics (STEM) preparation of 

these technicians and the educators who 

prepare them at the secondary (grades 

7–12) and undergraduate levels; and (3) 

increase the capacity of institutions for 

advanced technician education. 

To ensure that the ATE program 

accomplishes its goals of producing 

more highly qualified science and 

engineering technicians and improving 

the skills and knowledge of educators 

and technicians who train them, it is 

important to consistently assess and 

improve the program’s activities. 

Therefore, this evaluation aims to gather 

information on the following research 

questions: 

1. How has ATE advanced the 

mission of NSF between FY 2007 and 

FY 2015? 

2. How do individual awardees 

implement student-focused activities at 

their ATE projects/centers? 

3. What are the educational outcomes 

of students who have participated in 

ATE-funded activities? 

4. How do individual awardees 

implement faculty-focused activities at 

their ATE projects/centers? 

5. How have program-supported 

activities enhanced faculty and teacher 

knowledge/skills/networks, especially 

as they relate to building capacity at 

institutions to address workforce needs 

in advanced technology fields? 

6. How do grantees develop 

partnerships with industry to support 

student and faculty/teacher 

development? 

7. How have awardee partnerships 

with business and industry enhanced 

student educational training and 

workforce outcomes? 

Because of the nature of the ATE 

program and the type of information 

being sought, a mixed methods 

evaluation design will be employed. 

The evaluation will collect data using 

web surveys and qualitative methods 

(consisting of semi-structured 

interviews and focus groups), as well as 

draw on data from extant sources. The 

study components include: a descriptive 

implementation study that describes 

project implementation; a relational 

study of associations between project/ 

center and student characteristics on 

student outcomes; and a comparative 

study using the U.S. Department of 

Education’s Integrated Postsecondary 

Education Data System (IPEDS) data to 

compare degrees and certificates 

conferred by non-ATE-funded 

institutions and ATE-funded 

institutions before and after receipt of 

funding. Approval is only sought for 

new data that will be collected for the 

study, including: 

fl Survey data from ATE PIs who 

were awarded funding between 2007 

and 2015 to understand how projects 

and centers operate and how awards are 

implemented: This survey collects data 

on the types of ATE-supported activities 

students engage in, program completers, 

graduates in the workforce, and 

professional development offered to 

secondary and postsecondary educators. 

fl Survey data from faculty and 

teachers who directly participated in 

ATE-funded professional development 

(hereafter referred to as faculty) between 

2012 and 2015 to understand the 

perceived impact on faculty growth: 

This survey asks about faculty members’ 

participation in professional 

development activities, professional 

networks or communities of practice, 

and whether participation in the 

networks or communities improved 

their instruction. 

fl Survey data from current and 

former students who have directly 

participated in ATE-funded training 

activities (defined as having enrolled in 

technology degree or certificate 

programs developed as part of ATEfunded work, or worked in technology 

labs maintained as part of ATE-funded 

work, or participated in industry 

internships created as part of ATEfunded work) between 2012 and 2015 to 

understand: their reasons for 

participating in an ATE program, the 

perceived value and impact of the 

program, skills and experiences 

obtained, reasons for leaving the 

program (if applicable), interest in 

pursuing advanced education or 

occupation in advanced technology 

field, and educational and occupational 

status obtained. 

fl Semistructured interviews with 

PIs: To obtain more detail on program 

implementation, student recruitment 

and retention strategies and challenges, 

perceptions of professional 

development and training on specific 

outcomes, and lessons learned. 

fl Semistructured interviews with 

faculty participants: To obtain more 

detail on professional development 

activities they engaged in and which 

aspects were the most and least 

successful with regard to perceived 

impact of professional development on 

themselves and specific student 

outcomes. 

fl Virtual focus groups with current 

and former student participants: To 

describe in more detail their 

experiences with and perceptions of the 

ATE program, including how they 

learned about the program; supports and 

challenges to staying in/completing the 

program; activities they engaged in; and 

perceived impact on their skills, goals/ 

interests, and workforce readiness. 

Use of the information: The primary 

purpose of collecting this information is 

program evaluation. The data collected 

will enable NSF to describe program 

components that are implemented with 

ATE fundsand will be used by NSF to 

monitor and improve the program and 

assess its merit and worth. The 

evaluation will also inform the design of 

a future impact evaluation. 

Expected respondents: The expected 

respondents are up to 560 ATE PIs who 

have received ATE funding since 2007; 

33,613 faculty members who have 

participated in ATE-funded professional 

development since 2012; and 43,763 

students who have directly participated 

in PIs’ ATE-funded work since 2012. 

Estimate of burden: The collection 

occurs once for each respondent. The 

total estimate for this collection is 

19,622 burden hours and $578,887.41. 

The calculation is shown in table 1. 

TABLE 1—ESTIMATED BURDEN TO SURVEY, INTERVIEW, AND FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANTS

Type of collection 

Anticipated 

responses 

(# of persons) 

Estimated 

annual 

burden 

(in hours) 

Estimated 

annual 

burden 

(in dollars) 

PI List Collection .......................................................................................................................... 142 71 $2,795.27 

PI Web Survey ............................................................................................................................. 390 130 5,118.10 

Faculty Web Survey .................................................................................................................... 33,585 8,396 330,550.52 

Student Web Survey .................................................................................................................... 43,707 10,927 237,552.98 


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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 169 / Friday, September 1, 2017 / Notices 41669 

TABLE 1—ESTIMATED BURDEN TO SURVEY, INTERVIEW, AND FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANTS—Continued 

Type of collection 

Anticipated 

responses 

(# of persons) 

Estimated 

annual 

burden 

(in hours) 

Estimated 

annual 

burden 

(in dollars) 

PI Semistructured Interview ......................................................................................................... 28 28 1,102.36 

Faculty Semistructured Interview ................................................................................................ 28 14 551.18 

Student Focus Group .................................................................................................................. 56 56 1,217.00 

Total ...................................................................................................................................... 77,936 19,622 578,887.41 

Dated: August 29, 2017. 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, 

Reports Clearance Officer, National Science 

Foundation. 

[FR Doc. 2017–18619 Filed 8–31–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7555–01–P 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

Advisory Committee on Reactor 

Safeguards; Notice of Meeting 

In accordance with the purposes of 

Sections 29 and 182b of the Atomic 

Energy Act (42 U.S.C. 2039, 2232b), the 

Advisory Committee on Reactor 

Safeguards (ACRS) will hold a meeting 

September 7–8, 2017, 11545 Rockville 

Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. 

Thursday, September 7, 2017, 

Conference Room T–2B1, 11545 

Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 

20852 

8:30 a.m.–8:35 a.m.: Opening 

Remarks by the ACRS Chairman 

(Open)—The ACRS Chairman will make 

opening remarks regarding the conduct 

of the meeting. 

8:35 a.m.–11:00 a.m.: Advanced 

Power Reactor 1400 (APR1400) (Open/ 

Closed)—The Committee will hear 

briefings by and discussion with 

representatives of the NRC staff and 

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power regarding 

selected chapters (7 and 18) of the safety 

evaluation associated with the APR1400 

Design Certification. [NOTE: A portion 

of this session may be closed in order 

to discuss and protect information 

designated as proprietary, pursuant to 5 

U.S.C. 552b(c)(4)]. 

11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Preparation for 

ACRS Meeting with Commission 

(Open)—The Committee will hold a 

discussion of topics for the meeting in 

October. 

1:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.: Preparation of 

ACRS Reports (Open/Closed)—The 

Committee will discuss proposed ACRS 

reports on APR1400. [NOTE: A portion 

of this session may be closed in order 

to discuss and protect information 

designated as proprietary, pursuant to 5 

U.S.C 552b(c)(4)]. 

Friday, September 8, 2017, Conference 

Room T–2B1, 11545 Rockville Pike, 

Rockville, Maryland 20852 

8:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m.: Future ACRS 

Activities/Report of the Planning and 

Procedures Subcommittee and 

Reconciliation of ACRS Comments and 

Recommendations (Open/Closed)—The 

Committee will discuss the 

recommendations of the Planning and 

Procedures Subcommittee regarding 

items proposed for consideration by the 

Full Committee during future ACRS 

Meetings, and matters related to the 

conduct of ACRS business, including 

anticipated workload and member 

assignments. The Committee will 

discuss the responses from the NRC 

Executive Director for Operations to 

comments and recommendations 

included in recent ACRS reports and 

letters. [NOTE: A portion of this meeting 

may be closed pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 

552b(c)(2) and (6) to discuss 

organizational and personnel matters 

that relate solely to internal personnel 

rules and practices of the ACRS, and 

information the release of which would 

constitute a clearly unwarranted 

invasion of personal privacy]. 

10:15 a.m.–11:15 a.m.: Assessment of 

the Quality of Selected NRC Research 

Projects (Open)—The Committee will 

discuss the assessment of the quality of 

the project on Validation of 

Computational Fluid Dynamics 

Methods Using Prototypic Light Water 

Reactor Spent Fuel Assembly Thermal 

Hydraulic Data. 

11:15 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Preparation of 

ACRS Reports (Open/Closed)—The 

Committee will continue its discussion 

of proposed ACRS reports. [Note: A 

portion of this session may be closed in 

order to discuss and protect information 

designated as proprietary, pursuant to 5 

U.S.C. 552b(c)(4)]. 

1:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.: Preparation of 

ACRS Reports/Retreats (Open/Closed)— 

The Committee will continue its 

discussion of proposed ACRS reports. 

The Committee will discuss the 

Working Group on Human-caused 

External Events and History of ACRS. 

[NOTE: A portion of this session may be 

closed in order to discuss and protect 

information designated as proprietary, 

pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(4)]. 

Procedures for the conduct of and 

participation in ACRS meetings were 

published in the Federal Register on 

October 17, 2016 (81 FR 71543). In 

accordance with those procedures, oral 

or written views may be presented by 

members of the public, including 

representatives of the nuclear industry. 

Persons desiring to make oral statements 

should notify Quynh Nguyen, Cognizant 

ACRS Staff (Telephone: 301–415–5844, 

Email: Quynh.Nguyen@nrc.gov), 5 days 

before the meeting, if possible, so that 

appropriate arrangements can be made 

to allow necessary time during the 

meeting for such statements. In view of 

the possibility that the schedule for 

ACRS meetings may be adjusted by the 

Chairman as necessary to facilitate the 

conduct of the meeting, persons 

planning to attend should check with 

the Cognizant ACRS staff if such 

rescheduling would result in major 

inconvenience. 

Thirty-five hard copies of each 

presentation or handout should be 

provided 30 minutes before the meeting. 

In addition, one electronic copy of each 

presentation should be emailed to the 

Cognizant ACRS Staff one day before 

meeting. If an electronic copy cannot be 

provided within this timeframe, 

presenters should provide the Cognizant 

ACRS Staff with a CD containing each 

presentation at least 30 minutes before 

the meeting. 

In accordance with Subsection 10(d) 

of Public Law 92–463 and 5 U.S.C. 

552b(c), certain portions of this meeting 

may be closed, as specifically noted 

above. Use of still, motion picture, and 

television cameras during the meeting 

may be limited to selected portions of 

the meeting as determined by the 

Chairman. Electronic recordings will be 

permitted only during the open portions 

of the meeting. 

ACRS meeting agendas, meeting 

transcripts, and letter reports are 

available through the NRC Public 

Document Room at pdr.resource@


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