Notice2025-22237
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Office of Education Higher Education Scholarship, Fellowship, and Internship Programs
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
December 8, 2025
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 233 (Monday, December 8, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 233 (Monday, December 8, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56737-56738]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-22237]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Office of Education Higher Education Scholarship, Fellowship,
and Internship Programs
AGENCY: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received on or before February 6, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#480607090966181a090826272929662f273e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="eba5a4aaaac5bbb9aaab85848a8ac58c849d">[email protected]</span></a>. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0568 in the subject line of your
comments. All comments received are part of the public record and will
generally be posted on <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> without change. Do
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to John Baek, Senior Education Evaluator, NOAA Office of Education,
1315 East-West Hwy., Silver Spring, MD 20910, 202-743-0332, or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7933161117573b181c123917161818571e160f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9ad0f5f2f4b4d8fbfff1daf4f5fbfbb4fdf5ec">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
This request is for extension and revision of a current information
collection.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office
of Education is sponsoring the information collection herein described.
The Administrator of NOAA is authorized by section 4002 of the America
COMPETES Act, Public Law 110-69, to establish and administer a Graduate
Sciences Program and two undergraduate scholarship programs to enhance
understanding of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, and atmospheric science
and stewardship by the general public and other coastal stakeholders,
including underrepresented groups in ocean and atmospheric science and
policy careers. In addition, NOAA's Administrator is authorized by
section 214 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005, Public Law
108-447, to establish and administer the Ernest F. Hollings
Undergraduate Scholarship Program to support undergraduate studies in
oceanic and atmospheric science, research, technology, and education
that support NOAA's mission and programs.
The NOAA Office of Education collects, evaluates, and assesses
student data and information for the purpose of selecting successful
candidates for scholarships, fellowships and internships, generating
internal NOAA reports, and articles to demonstrate the success of its
program.
The purpose of the NOAA Educational Partnership Program with
Minority Serving Institutions (EPP/MSI) is to educate, train and
graduate students in NOAA mission-aligned disciplines to build a pool
of candidates eligible for the future NOAA workforce. The EPP/MSI
program is strongly committed to broadening the participation of
Minority Serving Institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and
Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Indian Tribally Controlled
Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native-Serving Institutions, and
Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions. The EPP/MSI program has five
program components: The Undergraduate Scholarship Program (USP); the
Cooperative Science Centers (CSCs); Graduate Fellowship Program (GFP);
the Graduate Sciences Program (GSP); and the Environmental
Entrepreneurship Program (EEP). The GSP and EEP programs are no longer
actively supporting students, however alumni of those programs may
provide updates to EPP/MSI of educational and career changes.
The NOAA Office of Education requires all applicants to NOAA's
Undergraduate Scholarship Programs to complete an application in order
to be considered. The application package requires two faculty and/or
academic advisors to complete a student scholar reference form in
support of the scholarship application. Undergraduate scholarship
recipients are required to complete a Student Scholarship Training
Record to track their time, attendance, and accomplishments during
their internships. Student scholar alumni are also requested to provide
information to NOAA for internal tracking purposes. This information
informs NOAA whether NOAA-funded students pursue and complete post-
graduate NOAA-related science degrees, are employed by NOAA or a NOAA
contractor, or in fields related to NOAA's mission.
NOAA EPP/MSI CSC grant award recipients are required to update the
student tracker database with the required student information in order
to assess compliance with award performance measures. While supported
by NOAA scholarship and internship programs, the Office of Education
surveys students and mentors to gain feedback on experiences and to
assess program impact. Feedback collected from surveys will be used to
improve programs to ensure the highest quality experience for supported
students.
The collected data supports the Office of Education's program
performance measures. To measure the impact of these programs, the data
collected are compared to the available data in the national education
databases (e.g., National Science Foundation and National Center for
Education Statistics) and NOAA workforce management database.
Furthermore, the student data collection identifies degree and NOAA
mission-aligned discipline pipeline areas, guiding NOAA's effort to
recruit for its mission-aligned educational and training programs and
future workforce.
This information collection includes several changes to the type
and amount of information being collected as described below:
[[Page 56738]]
1. Removal of the Hollings Preparation Program Application and Surveys
2. Removal of Student Opportunities Optional Demographic Data
Collection
II. Method of Collection
Electronic applications and electronic forms are required from
participants, and the primary methods of submission are email and
internet transmission of electronic forms. Less than 1% of the
application and reference forms may be mailed.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648-0568.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission (extension and revision of a
current information collection).
Affected Public: Individuals or households; business or other for-
profit; not-for-profit institutions; Federal, State, Local or Tribal
Government.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 4,294.
Estimated Time per Response: Hollings and EPP/MSI Application--12
hours; Hollings and EPP/MSI Reference--1 hour; Alumni Update Form--0.1
hours; Student Tracker Form--28 hours; EPP/MSI Graduate Fellowship
Application--12 hours; EPP/MSI Graduate Fellowship References--1 hour;
Student Training Record Form--0.5 hours; Hollings and EPP/MSI Student
Surveys--0.25 hours; Hollings and EPP/MSI Applicant Survey--0.1 hours;
Hollings and EPP/MSI Mentor Surveys--0.5 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 11,902.50.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $75 in recordkeeping/
reporting costs.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary or Required to Obtain or Retain
Benefits.
Legal Authority: The America COMPETES Act, Public Law 110-69,
Section 4002; The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005, Public Law
108-447, Section 214; Executive Orders 13985 and 14035.
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this information collection request. Before including
your address, phone number, email address, or other personal
identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your
entire comment--including your personal identifying information--may be
made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your
comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public
review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2025-22237 Filed 12-5-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-12-P
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